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Remembered Today:

Action of an unknown K.A.R. Battalion October 1917 at Oldeani Maintain


Holger Kotthaus

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Action of an unknown K.A.R. Battalion October 1917 at Oldeani Maintain

 

 

Can anyone help me with the following question?

I look for a British K.A.R. Battalion which was in action at the 2. October 1917 at the Oldeani Maintain.

(Formally German East Africa, between the northern ends of Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara)

 

The background:

The follower of the Detachment Wintgens, First Lieutenant Naumann split the remaining part of his force into three

more agile and even faster parts. Zingel´s capitulation on 2. September and Naumann´s capitulation on 2. October

was detailed described in Captain Difford´s work »The Story of the 1st Battalion Cape Corps (1915-1919) «      

 

But the last stand of the third column, led by Navy Engineer Bockmann, which surrender also on 2. October is

relatively unknown. The sources which are known by me mentioned only: “ . . . he offered the capitulation to a

new K.A.R Battalion, which marched on 27. August from Arusha”.  

 

Regards Holger

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Holger

 

Greetings.

 

"The King's African Rifles" by Lieutenant-Colonel H. Moyse-Bartlett has this little snippet (my bold)....."One of the enemy detachments had surrendered to the Cape Corps.  Another, consisting of two Germans and 53 askaris, surrendered, at the end of its resources, to 7 K.A.R. at Mbulu on 2nd October.  The rest, amounting to about one-third of the original force, were near the Kondoa Irangi - Handeni road."  I presume from the text that Bockmann's column was the 'Another' with 'The rest' detailed above being Naumann's column which also surrendered on 2nd October.

 

From the same book it would appear that two companies of 7 K.A.R. had been sent from Voi to reinforce Arusha at the end of July 1917 and it was to these that the third column surrendered.

 

Regards


Steve

 

 

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Dear Steve,

 

 

Many thanks for your input. Your mention location Mbulu, in the `nearer surroundings´

of the Oldeani make sense and should be the right reference point in British sources.  

 

 

 

 

Second Lt. d.R. J. Zingel, Medical-officer Dr. R. Wolff, 8 Europeans and 112 Askaris with 2 MG

Capitulation on 2. September 1917 on the Wanjoki peak, an isolated Hill near Sogossa-

Mountain south of the Muscat (Maskati) Mission in the Nguru Moutains.

Source: Chapter X. – The Zingel “Stunt” (Period 26th July to 27th September, 1917) page 131 - 135
In: The Story of the 1st Battalion Cape Corps (1915-1919), by Captain Difford, Hortors Ltd., Cape Town 1920.

 

 

 

First Lt. H. Naumann, 15 Europeans 175 Askaris and 3 MG on the Luita Berg

Capitulation on 2. October 1917, on the Luita-Berg in the center of Makangiri Mountains

Source: Chapter: IX. – The Naumann “Stunt” (Period 10th July to 1st October, 1917) page 107 - 126,
In: The Story of the 1st Battalion Cape Corps (1915-1919), by Captain Difford, Hortors Ltd., Cape Town 1920.

 

 

 

 

Navy Eng. W. Bockmann, 7 Europeans and 96 Askaris with 2 MG

Capitulation on 2. October 1917

Bockmann and his men were the second Sub-Detachment which Naumann discharged from the main body. Bockmann was

send from Kijungu to the northwest direction of Umbulu. After 7 weeks through the waterless steppe and without enough food
the health wise of
Bockmann´s Detachment were so disorderedly that he and his men withdraw into the jungle of the hillsides
of Mount Oldeani (Between both northern ends of Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara) More than 20 Askaris were already deserted
before, and thus
Bockmann find oneself constrained to offer the surrender to a new KAR Battalion which arrived from Arusha.

 

 

I try to search for more Details about your mentioned 7 K.A.R. and will complete this information.

 

 

If someone is interested, I collected some points of the Detachment Wintgens in the AHF:

Clash in March 1917 at St. Moritz Mission in South-West of GEA

 

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=219447

 

 

Regards Holger

Edited by Holger Kotthaus
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  • 2 weeks later...

Holger

Greetings

 

I believe, like Steve, that the answer lies on page 358 of Moyse-Bartlett's The King's African Rifles.

 

"Another (detachment), consisting of two Germans and 53 Askari, surrendered at the end of its resources, to 7 KAR at Mbulu on 2nd October."

 

Page 79 of the draft of Chapter XVI (Pursuit of Wintgens and Naumann, March - October 1917) of the unpublished British Official History Part II lists Bockmann's strength when he went independent as:

Europeans 7, Askari 96, Machine guns 2.

 

I guess that the missing numbers from Bockmann's command had become casualties, had deserted or had surrendered as sick men.

 

The Wintgens-Naumann Raid was a fine and remarkable effort.  I would like to write about it one day.

 

Harry

Edited by bushfighter
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Harry,

Many thanks for your confirmation of Steve´s information. I think I must not miss this source; this morning ordered.

 

Difford had given a detailed installation for Naumann and Zingel´s strength which was confirmed by Boell and Naumann´s

records themselves. But up today no detailed informations are aviable about Bockmann’s last stand.

So you your both mentioned source fill this gap.

 

Because of Hordern’s and Boell´s cooperation in 1939, I expected both exchanged the figure of:

7 Europeans and 96 Askaris with 2 MG” for Bockmann´s original strength on 19. August 1917 near Kijungu

 

Good idea to write a summary about this relative unknown events.

My lack of English knowledge kept me from it so far to submit something to `The Soldiers Burden´.

But maybe I can contribute some further German sources and present pictures to this theme.

 

Regards Holger

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