Loyal North Lancashires in East Africa

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Looking north from Kahe station

Lt-Gen Smuts’ Chief Scout, Major Piet J. Pretorious, CMG, DSO & Bar, wrote:

“General von Lettow-Vorbeck ably extricated his forces in the Kilimanjaro area, & they straddled the railway-line all the way down to Kahe, about seven miles distant.

As they went a whole regiment of men pulled up the rails, taking away the fish-plates & bolts & sometimes dynamiting entire sections of the line. The bolts & fish-plates must have been thrown in the river, as we never discovered them; so in spite of our having captured it, the railway was of no use to us.

For eight days I was away hidden in the bush, watching them ripping up the line, & ascertaining the enemy strength & disposition.”

Abteilung Bock had dug defensive positions just north of Kahe station (see OH Sketch 27).

[bushfighter]

Well south of Kahe Station, dug during the German construction of the Usambara Railway.

Lt-Gen Smuts tasked Brig-Gen J.L. van Deventer with taking his four South African mounted regiments (the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th South African Horse with Nos 2 & 4 Batteries, South African Field Artillery) on a right-flanking move to cross the Usambara Railway southeast of Kahe & prevent a withdrawal by the Schutztruppe (see OH Sketch 26). Van Deventer moved in the evening of 20 March.

1 King’s African Rifles had reconnoitered van Deventer’s route.

(3 King’s African Rifles were working on the eastern flank, securing locations in between Lake Jipe & Rasthaus.)

Brig-Gen Sheppard, the commander of 2nd East African Brigade, was temporarily given command of 1st Division (in place of the dismissed Stewart).

The 2nd South African Brigade (Infantry) containing 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th South African Infantry, was placed in 1st Division under Sheppard.

Once Smuts knew that van Deventer’s column was moving he ordered Sheppard to advance south on Kahe using the road east of the Defa River as his axis.

[bushfighter]

Junction of the Defa & Soko Rivers looking downstream.

The Soko is coming in from the left.

Kornatski’s reserve troops were 600 yards away in the direction we are looking at.

From the Official History:
“The enemy’s position had been well chosen. The well-nigh impassable Soko Nassai protected its eastern flank, the almost equally difficult Defu the western.”

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A local bridge over the Defa River.

Stemmerman’s left of line rested on the Defa here.

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The approach from the north to the Soko River bank.

The line of the Soko River is marked by the taller trees in the background.

Thick bush impedes the progress of foot soldiers.

Stemmerman had deployed some of his machine guns, & also snipers in trees, forward of the Soko to disrupt the British advance.

From the Official History:
“…the bush was exceptionally thick, & movement correspondingly slow.”

[bushfighter]

The Schutztruppe killing ground just north of the Soko River.

But just before reaching the raised north bank of the Soko (along the treeline, where the Schutztruppe trenches were) a cleared area formed a natural killing ground for the defenders.

From the Official History:
“Immediately in front (of the enemy’s position) was a belt of relatively open ground from 800 to 1,600 yards wide, covered by machine guns sited both frontally & on the nearer banks of the Soko Nassai on the right flank.”

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Position of the German trenches in front of the Soko

The German trenches were facing the camera, concealed in the vegetation.

The palm trees are growing on the river bank, which is behind & a few feet below the level of the trenches.
The North Pare Mountains are in the background.

From the Official History:
“About 12.40 pm the leading troops debouched into the open grass-land, beyond which was dense undergrowth evidently fringing a river & strongly held.

This was totally unexpected, it having been assumed that the enemy was holding the right bank of the Ruvu.”

[bushfighter]

Cattle watering point in the river at Store.

From the Official History:
“The attacking troops were thus confined in a narrowing tongue of ground bounded by rivers which were not only wider & deeper than was expected, but full of crocodiles.”

Nothing has changed. Crocodiles still snatch humans & animals in the Defa River.

This anti-crocodile cattle watering point has been constructed by villagers at Store.

[bushfighter]

Looking northwest from the German trenches on the Soko towards the Defa River

The track in the foreground is 1st Division’s axis of advance.

The line of trees in the background marks the Defa River running north to the right.

The 2nd South African Infantry Brigade, commanded by Lt. Col. Taylor, advanced on the far side of the track, coming from right to left.

The 6th & 8th South African Infantry led, each deployed on a two-platoon frontage.
7th South African Infantry followed in support.

South African Casualties
On or adjacent to the ground in the image the 2nd South African Brigade lost these men killed in action or died of wounds:

6th South African Infantry

Company Quartermaster Sergeant Thomas Fitzgerald, Lieutenant Arthur Morton Goodall, Private Paul Berry King, Private William Arnold Selkirk Kinsey, Private William Edward Pate, Private Frank Spencer, Private (Signaller) Robert Millar Wylie.

8th South African Infantry

Lance Corporal George Henry Andrews, Private Joseph Barker, Private William Benecke, Private Frans Jacobus Fourie, Private George Fowler, Private Daniel Jones, Private John Smart Lyons, Private Herbert William McCarthy, Private James Meneely, Lance Corporal James Syme Morton, Private Harold Olsen, Private Clement Cliff Reed, Lieutenant Matthias Aitken Rodda, Private Charles Smith, Lance Corporal Walter Aubrey Smith, Private William Symons, Private Henry Richard Terry, Private Bernard Robert Louis Verbeek.

Those killed in action were first buried at Soko Nassai & those died of wounds were buried at Store. After the war all were moved to Moshi CWGC Cemetery.

NOTE
Some of the names differ slightly from the CWGC records, but I have used James Ambrose Brown’s “They Fought for King & Kaiser” as the authority, as his Appendix D re-prints a list from “The Nongquai”, the official South African Services Magazine, published on 1st March 1917.

[bushfighter]

The eastern side of the Soko battlefield

The treeline marks the Soko River.

Stemmerman’s defence line crossed the Soko on the right of this image.

The 2nd East African Brigade, commanded by Lt. Col. J.A. Hannyngton, advanced towards this position but was halted by Stemmerman’s machine guns.

The 29th Punjabis led the advance, supported by the 129th Baluchis.

A section (two guns) of the 27th Mountain Battery followed the Baluchis in close support.

In reserve were 25th Royal Fusiliers & 1 KAR, & also the 5th South African Infantry.

From the Official History:
“Heavy fire was at once opened by the Germans, against which, in spite of valiant efforts by the 29th Punjabis & the 8th South African Infantry, assisted by guns of the 27th Mountain Battery, brought up into the firing line, it was found impossible to cross the open ground.”

A double-company of 29th Punjabis then moved east (to the right of this picture) & crossed the Soko with difficulty, but when it turned south to regain the axis it was halted again by the extension of Stemmerman’s trenches east of the Soko. (See OH Sketch 27).

A company of 129th Baluchis then crossed the Soko to join the Punjabis but was itself halted when its machine gun jammed during a rush on the German trenches.

As Sheppard feared an enemy counter-attack he brought up from reserve the 25th Royal Fusiliers & the 5th South African Infantry, & he recalled the Punjabi & Baluchi companies back across the Soko. 1st Division was ordered to dig-in where it was.

(Abteilung Schulz was tasked with counter-attacking 1st Division on its left (eastern) flank, but Schulz’s men were so delayed by the thickness of the bush east of the Soko that the attempt was abandoned.)

British European casualties in 2nd East African Brigade:

On or adjacent to the ground in the image the 25th Royal Fusiliers had two men killed in action:
Lance Serjeant R. Ferguson and Lance Corporal A . Harrison.
The battalion also had 12 men wounded & 3 with “slight scratches”.

5th South African Infantry lost Private George Fleming killed in action.

The 29th Punjabis lost Lieutenant H.G.R.B. Scott killed in action.

The dead were buried at Soko Nassai & later moved to Moshi CWGC Cemetery.

[bushfighter]

The battlefield viewed from the north.

The Soko river & the German trenches are marked by the line of trees on the horizon.

This is probably as far forward as the British Divisional tactical headquarters came. We are about 1500 yards from the Schutztruppe positions in the treeline.

Two British armoured cars provided fire support from the road which was the Divisional axis of advance. No doubt they attracted a lot of enemy fire.

Captain Harry Thomson Whybrow, Machine Gun Corps (Motors), died of wounds on 21 March. He would have been buried at Store & then moved to Moshi CWGC Cemetery after the war.

Total British casualties on 21 March 1916 were:

European: 24 killed in action & 144 wounded in action

Indian: 13 killed in action, 77 wounded in action & 3 missing in action.

(The total British casualty figure is only a dozen or so less than the Latema-Reata Nek casualty figure, yet this Soko River battle has only been of very limited interest to historians.)

[bushfighter]

A Battery of South African Field Artillery (No 5) in the bush

British Artillery in action at Soko on 21st March 1916 was:

27th Mountain Battery – six 10-pdr guns, with mules. (Indian Army)
No 1 Battery South African Field Artillery – four 13-pdr Quick Firing guns, with mules & horses.
No 3 Battery South African Field Artillery - four 13-pdr Quick Firing guns, with mules & horses.
No 12 (Howitzer) Battery – two 5-inch Breech Loading howitzers, with mules. British Royal Garrison Artillery gunners from the Cape, South Africa.

Artillery casualties & expenditures:
27th Mountain Battery fired 292 rounds. 8 men & 6 mules were wounded in action.
Nos 1 & 3 SA Fd Batteries fired 399 rounds between them. No 1 Battery had 1 man slightly wounded.
No 12 (Howitzer) Battery came into action on the east of the road that was the Divisional axis (the other 3 batteries were on the west side apart from one section of the Mountain Battery that was also on the east side). No 12 Battery fired less than 50 rounds & took no casualties. Owing to lack of targets this battery was withdrawn at 1500 hours.

All guns of 27th Mountain Battery were deployed well forward with the infantry, & their shields were pock-marked with German bullet strikes.

1st Division Artillery Group War Diary notes:
“Owing to the thick bush the Forward Observation Officers of these (all the) batteries were unable to send back any important information.”

Later in the battle Stemmerman’s left hand (western) trenches were identified, just north of the Soko River bridge, & all the batteries except No 12 had their fire directed onto this target. This reduced the volume of hostile fire coming from these trenches.

At 1800 hours all the British guns came out of action & moved back to Store.

The Schutztruppe had a Konigsberg gun in action from a position south of the Ruvu River, & this gun ranged on the South African batteries, causing disruption but only one casualty.

[bushfighter]

Bee Hive on the Soko

From the Official History:
“The 129th Baluchis, with experience on the Western Front, made light of the enemy’s fire & progressed well through difficult bush until checked by wild bees. These, wrote an officer present “were everywhere, & so, shortly were the machine-gun ranks”.

The Brigadier’s comment is said to have been: “Bees have stopped them; I thought the Germans could not have”.

COMMENT
The above refers to the action at Masai Kraal two days previously (see Post # 568).

The bees were very probably being farmed along the river bank in hives such as this.

The two men are walking north up what remains of the road that was the Divisional axis of advance.

They are approaching the point where the British artillery finally located Stemmerman’s trench line, & commenced shelling it.

[bushfighter]

Beehives at Tanga, 1914

As angry bees frequently caused chaos in the ranks of both Schutztruppe & British troops the design & location of beehives is worth examining.

These hives were located in trees on the Tanga battlefield. When disturbed the bees fiercely attacked both the Schutztruppe defenders & the British attackers.

Machine gunners in action were the most vulnerable men as they could not suddenly change position.

[bushfighter]

The beehive at the Soko crossing

The beehive is at just the right height to be easily handled by the farmer, & to be hit by machine-gun bullets.

Interestingly the design has not changed since 1914 - subsistence farmers have no room for planned obsolescence!

[ShirlD]

Interested in the bees and hives - African bees are known to be very fierce. Tomorrow Chris is extracting our spring honey (ours are european bees apparently), so this caught my attention, aside from looking at the guns with the field artillery

Cheers

Shirley

[KONDOA]

Funnily "african bees" originated in Brazil as a hybrid of the african bee. The hybrid is the nasty blighter although I wouldnt want stinging by their natural ancestors.

Roop

[bushfighter]

The German Memorial, Moshi

It is simple & minimal in design, but somehow very effective & fitting.

When the frangipani fully bloom a softer touch will be present.

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Inscription on the German Memorial, Moshi

The Schutztruppe paid a price for stopping the British advance on the Soko.

From “They Fought For King & Kaiser”:

Major Barr of the 6th South African Infantry wrote: “I found cartridges piled at the foot of a tall tree, enough to fill a mealie (corn) sack. The trunk of the tree was died red with the blood of brave men who had died so that their fellows could move back.”

Thirty feet up the tree was a machine-gun platform. At its foot was a breastwork for another, & a few yards to the side was a third.
“And could those three machine-guns spit out bullets!”

Von Lettow wrote:
“Our casualties unfortunately included three company commanders. Lt von Stosche & Freiherr Grothe died of their wounds. Captain Augar only became fit for duty again after a long time & with an artificial foot.”

A participant, Philip Sampson, wrote:
Hundreds of dead bodies were subsequently found buried in the enemy trenches & lying in the thick bush, while a big pile of field dressings on the banks of the Ruwu River told its significant tale.”

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The British Indian Memorial at Moshi, Tanzania

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The Indian language panels on the British Indian Memorial, Moshi, Tanzania.

Recognising the martial ability & personal sacrifice of men who volunteered to fight & die for the King-Emperor.

Their service & sacrifice may be overlooked or hidden away by today's political correctness, but thank you CWGC for preserving their memory.

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Looking southwest from Kahe Station.
Van Deventer’s Mounted Column advanced towards the camera.

The action near Kahe Station

Follow-on from Post #577

Van Deventer’s mounted column rode under a full moon for 25 miles, rhinoceros providing the only contacts.
At dawn they searched unsuccessfully for crossings over the Pangani River & rode north (see OH Sketch 27).

Looking east across the Pangani Schutztruppe Askari were seen on Kahe Hill, 5,000 yards south of Kahe Station.

One squadron from the 1st South African Horse & another from the 3rd South African Horse were sent across the Pangani to seize the hill.
The river was deep, swollen & rapid & the swimming horses were swept downstream against overhanging trees, but the action was successful as the Schutztruppe withdrew as the horsemen approached the hill & occupied it at about 1100 hours.

Van Deventer sent six squadrons, supported by Nos 2 & 4 Batteries South African Field Artillery, northwards towards Kahe Station where they were opposed & slowed down by some of Bock’s troops west of the railway line. The Konigsberg gun joined in, firing at the mounted troops’ dust clouds.

Bock’s troops also counter-attacked Kahe Hill but the defence, now strengthened by the remainder of 3rd South African Horse, held firm, assisted by a Forward Observation Officer of No 2 Battery who swam the river.

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Looking northeast along the Ruvu River from the railway bridge south of Kahe Station.
At this bridge the river changed its name to the Pangani as it flowed southwest.

As the South African Horse pushed north towards Kahe Station Abteilung Bock withdrew southeast along the railway line, blowing the railway bridge over the Ruvu River.

The Schutztruppe defended the southern bank of the river & waited for van Deventer’s assault.
But van Deventer chose not to move, & as he had left his two radio sets back at Moshi General Smuts could not contact him.

Meinertzhagen, who was with van Deventer all day, states that the South African General repeatedly stated that he did not wish to take too many casualties & preferred to “out-manoeuvre” Bock’s troops.

According to James Ambrose Brown in “They Fought For King & Kaiser”, a South African publication:
“His (van Deventer’s) men had looted houses, stores & shops in Kahe. Goods were scattered in the road & smashed in pointless destruction from one end of the village to the other.”

Meanwhile a mile or so away to the northeast the South African & Indian infantry of the 1st Division were fighting fiercely & taking heavy losses.
The 1st Division would have appreciated some effective support.

The opportunity to get the four South African mounted regiments behind Lettow’s forces in a blocking position, thus denying him the railway as an easy escape route, was there to be grasped, but it was allowed to fade away.

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The demolished German railway bridge over the Ruvu River southeast of Kahe Station.

Note the difference in the size & volume of the river in 1916 from the recent image in the previous post.

[paul@bolton]

I am currently researching our local war memorial at St maxentius Church in Bradshaw (nr Bolton). Checking the names against the CWGC website, many of those commemorated had joined the Loyal N Lancs although I have not come across any who were KIA in East Africa.

However, the vicar has given me a whole pile of letters written to the church during the war and I am gradually working through them. One is from L/Cpl Richard Baines of 2nd LNL dated 23.07.15 who describes having been in BEA for ten months with the battalion and that they have had 4 fights, each time with slight losses but that "we don't fight as often as what they do in Europe" (!). He mentions that water is very scarce and he has had sickness three times.

Would you be able to tell me from this information, how he would have arrived in East Africa? Or any other information about him? There are two 'Baines' on the war memorial but neither of them is Richard so I assume he survived his sickness

If i come across any further letters from L/Cpl Baines with any interesting information, I will let you know.

Paul