Loyal North Lancashires in East Africa

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Area of the Mlesa River. In 1916 it was covered with bush.

Whilst 3KAR fought for Zuganatto Bridge the remainder of No 2 Column advanced towards Korogwe down north bank of the Pangani River.

At the Mlesa River crossing the advance guard of 3rd Kashmir Rifles were held up by hostile fire until the screw guns silenced the enemy.

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Fundi Hill above Korogwe.

A further fight took place in Korogwe when Schutztruppe defenders opened fire from Fundi Hill, but by 1100 hours opposition had ceased.

Korogwe was occupied but the British found the railway station and engine sheds, along with three engines, destroyed by explosives.

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Mauri Station

As it was now apparent that Kraut’s main force was moving southwards to Handeni No 2 Column was ordered to march there via Zuganatto Bridge.

Korogwe and the bridge were garrisoned and the British railhead started a move forward to Mauri.

(Back at German Bridge Lt Col G.A. Morris, CO the Cape Corps, took over the location as Post Commandant and found around 7,000 British troops gathered there. These were the normal echelon and L of C troops plus straggler details from every unit in 1st Division.

Whilst everybody was on half-rations, the men at the front, having the least opportunity to supplement them by theft, were on the “smallest half” of the half-rations!)

Meanwhile Kraut had ordered his stay-behind force Abteilung Kempner (17 FK and Wangoni K) to attack and disrupt the British lines of communication.
And that they did.

[KONDOA]

Great stuff again Harry, familiar scenery , very interesting.

Roop

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Monsoon weather in Shimba Hills National Park, Kenya.
Sable antelope in the foreground and Mwele Mdogo Hill in the background.



THE COASTAL ADVANCE INTO GERMAN EAST AFRICA

(OH Sketch No 5)

In March 1916 5th Light Infantry arrived from the Cameroon Campaign in West Africa and were tasked with guarding the British East Africa southern coastal region.

The battalion based itself at Mwele Mdogo and Msambweni, pushing strong patrols down to and across the German East African border.
Defended Schutztruppe camps were located near Jasin and at Mwakijembe, and minor skirmishes occurred.

However as 1st Division pushed down the Usambara Railway line towards Tanga the Schutztruppe thinned out in the coastal border region, leaving only occasional platoon-size outposts in locations such as Mwakijembe.

On 12 June 1916 400 Light Infantrymen occupied Mwakijembe. The enemy platoon there withdrew without a fight.

Next day the Sepoys marched east along the border to the coast, destroying German fortifications at Duga and Jasin.

5th Light Infantry now re-concentrated at Mwele Mdogo and Msambweni in preparation for a sea move.

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The grave of Lieutenant Andrew Brooks Knowles, Indian Army Reserve of Officers attached 17th Cavalry, in Tanga European Cemetery


17th CAVALRY SOUTH OF BWIKO

(OH Sketch 32)

Because of the thickness of the bush on the west bank of the Pangani River the 17th Cavalry squadron was not used in the initial stages of the advance south from Bwiko.

However after the fight at Mkalamo the squadron was employed again as Advance Guard, moving down the trolley line (see Post 716).

On 11th June 1916 the squadron encountered 40 Schutztruppe Askari with several Germans ripping up the trolley line two miles northwest of Luchomo.

The two leading cavalry troops dismounted and engaged the Schutztruppe with rifle fire.
The forward troops of 2nd Rhodesia Regiment came forward and joined the battle.

During the intense fire-fight that lasted 15 minutes, Lt Andrew Brooks Knowles, who was newly-joined and perhaps more bravely impetuous than battle-experienced, crawled ahead to obtain better visibility in the thick bush.
He was spotted by the enemy whilst in the act of firing, and fatally shot in the neck.

He was initially buried at Luchomo and later his remains were removed to Tanga.

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Damaged building in Tanga after a Royal Navy bombardment.



ROYAL NAVY ACTIVITY ALONG THE EAST AFRICAN COAST

(OH Sketches 9 and 28)

On 19th March 1916, with General Smuts’ concurrence and with the aim of assisting his advance on Kahe, detachments from HMS Severn and HMS Thistle landed reconnaissance patrols on islands off Tanga.

Meanwhile HMS Vengeance and HMS Hyacinth shelled Tanga town, the former putting 74 12-inch rounds into the railway station and the latter firing on a reported Konigsberg gun emplacement.

Then, hearing that the German ship Tabora was being fitted out as a raider at Dar Es Salaam, the squadron steamed there and shelled the Tabora until she was seen to be on fire and sinking.

This was followed by minor naval operations further south. As already noted the German store ship Marie, despite receiving a few naval shells, unloaded at Sudi and then escaped to Batavia (see Post 661).

The Royal Navy and Royal Marine landing parties often included platoons of the Zanzibar Rifles and Mafia Rifles, and these Swahili islanders with their coastal traditions appear to have been very suitable for this task.

On 5th May the Severn landed a reconnaissance party at the mouth of the Rufiji River, and on 13th May HMS Vengeance and a seaplane reconnoitered Kilwa Kisiwani.

By the third week in June, with 1st Division at Korogwe and the BEA coastal region cleared of Schutztruppe (see Post 733), it was time for Tanga to be seized.

HMS Talbot, HMS Thistle and HMS Severn shelled Tanga and the adjacent coast at the end of June, and on 3rd and 4th July the 5th Light Infantry plus a company of 101st Grenadiers embarked at Mombasa and landed at Manza Bay (where the first German supply ship Rubens had successfully beached).

On 7th June HMS Severn landed Armed Scouts on “A” Beach and they linked up with the Sepoys entering the north of Tanga town.
After wrecking the landing-stage and railway line the Germans had withdrawn into the surrounding bush, to snipe at the Sepoys.

Interestingly although many houses in Tanga had been hit by naval shells (see “Tip and Run” by Paice, page 208) Sir Charles Dundas in “African Crossroads” states that:
“Most of the houses hit were cleanly holed because the soft coral rock of which they were constructed offered too little resistance to explode armour-piercing shells.
In Tanga the Germans had neatly set up 75 unexploded shells around the Bismack statue.”

So the British held Tanga.
If the port had been opened then only a short railway journey to Korogwe and a short truck ride to Handeni would have put supplies into 1st and 3rd Divisions’ supply line.

But no, the long supply line Mombasa – Voi – Taveta - Kahe – Mombo – Handeni and southwards was maintained, and over the next four months many men starved to death or had their health broken in consequence.

General Smuts in a dispatch declared that Tanga was of no importance.
The General continued to dream that Lettow and his Schutztruppe would obligingly wait for him on the Central Railway and offer a decisive battle.

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Looking north to Bwiko perched on the rise in ground - tactically a good halting place.
The railway line to Tanga snakes east (right) contouring along the Pare Mountains' lower edge.


THE MOUNTED INFANTRY COMPANY SOUTH OF BWIKO

(OH Sketch 32)

On 6th June 1916 the Mounted Infantry Company was at Bwiko and to its surprise received nearly full rations for a day, only a few attractive items such as jam and sugar were missing.

A mule that had been immunized against tsetse-fly sickness went down with the sickness but recovered slowly.

Suddenly the MI Company was tasked to immediately move down the east bank of the Pangani to intercept and harass a reported party of Schutztruppe raiders. The Company had to dismount to get through thick bush but they saw nobody and heard no firing and returned to camp in the darkness.

The following day the Company crossed the river on the Bertham Boat bridge (maximum capacity two animals on it at any one time), the transport carts being rafted across.
Then the men rode down the trail that had been made along the west bank of the river.

That night the Company camped with Divisional Reserve at Palms and remained there for the next 24 hours providing a picket for the camp.

On 9th June as the fight for Mkalamo Bridge developed (see Post 711) “A” and “C” Troops were sent to find a local broken footbridge onto the Pangani’s east bank so that they could picket the nearest slope of Mafi Hill (see Post 717). However, the broken bridge could not be located.

The next day another very narrow footbridge was found and the whole company crossed the river, swimming three mules over at a time on a rope. Saddles were hand-carried over the bridge.

“D” Troop went to picket Mafi Hill whilst the other three troops moved downstream searching old Shutztruppe grass-hutted camps and crossing the river again at the captured Mkalamo Bridge to re-join Divisional Reserve.

The MI Company now moved as Advance Guard for Divisional Reserve, first with 29th Punjabis and then with 25th Royal Fusiliers.

By 18th June the MI Company was at Sangeni on the Msangazi River, west of Handeni.
The fighting strength of the Mounted Infantry Company was now down to:
3 Officers
25 Rifles
8 Armed Scouts
and these figures included several men with fever who continued to ride.

The remainder of the Company had been hospitalized when the hospitals had room to accept them.

That day, the third day without meat or tea rations, a live wild bullock was issued in lieu of meat ration.
After an unsuccessful attempt to pole-axe it (probably all the men were too weak) the bullock escaped into the bush!

Next day a tame bullock was issued, which made things easier, and the men tasted meat again.
Four days later they were issued biltong (sun-dried meat strips) as rations.

Marching with the Mounted Infantry Company in Divisional Reserve was the Loyal North Lancashire Machine Gun Company.
But the machine-gunners were being steadily hospitalized with fever and debilitation, just as the mounted infantrymen were.

Further down the road Abteilung Doring was preparing to stand and fight.

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Segera Hill


PROTECTING THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION

(OH Sketch 37)

When you try to read pages 316 to 322 of the Official History you can quickly become confused, but by following some of the actions on the ground the picture may appear clearer.

As 1st Division and 3rd Division
(commanded by Major-General C.J. Brits and created with the help of South African reinforcements:
2nd South African Mounted Brigade – Brig-Gen B.G.L. Enslin
2nd South African Infantry Brigade – Brig-Gen P.S. Beves
1st and 3rd Batteries South African Field Artillery
8th Field Battery
One section 38th Howitzer Brigade )
were pushed south by General Smuts towards the GEA Central Railway, anarchy started to prevail along the Line of Communications.

In mid-July the British estimate of Schutztruppe “Stay-behind” troops in the south Usambara Mountains and the coastal strip from Tanga to Pangani totaled 650 Askari and over 40 Germans.

Lettow telegraphed orders for the disruption of the British Line of Communication, particularly the lorry route between the railhead at Korogwe and Handeni.

As the OH states: “Supply lorries were fired upon, motor ambulances blown up by mines, telegraph and telephone wires cut, and all who used the road at any time were sniped from the bush”.

On 13th July the Jind Infantry, guarding Zugunatto Bridge (see Post 727) must have received some intelligence, as they doubled the bridge guard from 50 to 100 men.
They were then attacked by a Schutztruppe force of 170 men plus a light gun.
But the Jind Infantry, as stated before, were amongst the soundest troops from the Indian Princely States and the defence held. The Germans withdrew to Segera.

General Smuts ordered his Inspector General of Communications (IGC), Brig-Gen W.F.S. Edwards, a BEA policeman, to resolve this problem.
As the IGC had no spare infantry he decided to use the 25th and 26th Railway Companies, Indian Sappers and Miners, along with a few infantrymen, and reported this to his GOC who made no comment.
But Edwards did not confer with the Director of Railways who badly needed those two companies to stay on the job of railway restoration in order to alleviate supply problems.

After dark on 13th July the railway engineers, under Lt Col C.W. Wilkinson RE, moved out from Korogwe to attack Segera Hill.
The sappers did well, getting up to a machine gun, killing the German NCO in charge and capturing the gun in a bayonet assault. The Schutztruppe force withdrew hurriedly but counter-attacked next day. The sappers were up to their new task and broke the enemy assault.

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An old bridge over the Pangani River at Hale.

Lt Col Wilkinson now moved across country to deal with an enemy force at Hale, found it had withdrawn to Kwa Mugwe, moved there and drove the enemy rearguard away and then repelled another German counter-attack on his troops on 19th July. (The sappers were accompanied by infantry machine-gunners.)

The sappers now went back to their railway duties, having taken few casualties but doubtless with many war stories to tell, running a repaired line down to Tanga by 19th August.

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Muheza with the South Usambara Mountains in the background

57th Wilde’s Rifles (see Post 698) linked up at Muheza with 5th Light Infantry who had moved up the railway line from Tanga.

5th Light Infantry, having been continuously on the coast since arrival, were fever-ridden and soon had to be withdrawn to Mombasa for recuperation.

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The old German Station-Master's house in the forest at Sigi

No 4 Company of 57th Wilde’s Rifles was tasked with taking the German Research Station at Amani in the South Usambaras. This research centre had been invaluable to the Schutztruppe in developing import-substitutes for food, clothing and dyes, rubber products and alcohol for fuel as well as personal consumption.

Initially the company marched through forest trails to Sigi logging station, where a light railway ran timber down to the main Tanga line.

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The road to Amani on a rainy day.
An excellent example of how difficult quickly-constructed roads could become after a little rain.
Men, mules, horses, oxen and trucks would flounder through, often getting stuck - or losing their boots!

On 20th July 1916 No 4 Company climbed up towards Amani finding two German women near the track sending a message reporting the Sepoys'’presence, but the messenger was intercepted.

As the Sepoy Advance Guard approached the Governor's Residence in Amani a white flag was run above it, and the Governor came out to surrender along with 25 Germans convalescing from wounds.
(One of these wounded men had been charged by a rhinoceros whilst out on patrol, and was lamed for life.)

The German Imperial Standard was taken down and packed away for future shipment to the 57th Wilde's Rifles Officers Mess in Dera Ismail Khan, and crayons were used on the white flag to produce a British flag, which was raised.

No 4 Company was relieved in Amani after a couple of days by the Cape Corps.

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The mouth of the Pangani River

THE CAPTURE OF PANGANI

(OH sketch 37)

Pangani Town at the mouth of the Pangani River has a good harbour, and it was the headquarters for the German Governor of the District.

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Pangani Town ferry crossing point (probably Bweni Bluff in background)


Just before last light on 22nd July 1916 HMS Talbot arrived off Pangani and bombarded Bweni Bluff, where a German gun was believed to be positioned.

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The German Boma in Pangani


Meanwhile 57th Wilde’s Rifles was marching on Pangani from the northwest.

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The intricately-carved door on the old German Boma, Pangani.

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The British Monument in Pangani.
The brass plate reads: “GvR July 23rd 1916”



On 23rd July white flags were seen in Pangani Town and a landing party under Captain F.H. Thomas DSC, Royal Marine Light Infantry, went ashore and found the place empty of Germans.
(Sadly Captain Thomas was to meet a different kind of reception further down the coast.)

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The deplorable state of the old German cemetery in Pangani.


57th Wilde’s Rifles then entered Pangani from the northwest and halted for a night.

The Royal Navy monitor Mersey came into Pangani allowing Bn HQ to make wireless contact with Line of Communications HQ at Korogwe.

On 23rd July the 57th crossed to the south bank of the river whilst Royal Marine Light Infantry detachments secured the town.

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THE EXPANSION OF THE CAPE CORPS

Since it had arrived in theatre the Cape Corps had been employed on Line of Communication and rear-area pioneering and security duties.
The white South African Generals had so far been reluctant to commit the Corps into battle.

Whatever the reasoning, two factors started to change the situation:
Schutztruppe attacks on 1st and 3rd Divisions’ Lines of Communications needed to be countered by British infantry.
Down in the Cape good recruits were flocking in for the Cape Corps. The authorities decided not to raise a 2nd Cape Corps yet, regrettably, and so there was a surplus of good men for the existing battalion.

The Cape Corps, which was armed with Rexer guns, was now employed to aggressively remove Schutztruppe stay-behind parties along the L of C.
In preparation for General Botha’s visit to GEA in late July 1916 extraordinary precautions were taken along the L of C to deter enemy mine-laying parties, who were achieving spectacular results against British convoys.

On the day before General Botha’s arrival 220 Private D. Demos located a mine and, though inexperienced in mine handling, dug it out and demolished it.
For this act Private Demos was awarded a Military Medal, the first award of the war to the Cape Corps.

These security duties on the L of C were not without risk, and on 20th July Lieutenant J.C. Hosack, Cape Corps, was killed by friendly fire whilst returning from an anti-mining patrol.
The Sepoys who fired had orders to shoot on sight, and the chain of command had not informed them of the Cape Corps patrol’s deployment and route.

On 1st August General Smuts advised Lt Col G.A. Morris, CO Cape Corps, that his establishment was increased from four to six double companies, an increase from 1056 to 1500 men.

In October 1916 the Cape Corps established a training centre at Tanga, under the 2IC Major C.N. Hoy.
600 men were trawled in from various L of C posts for re-training, and new drafts from the Cape arrived there for theatre induction training.

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The Cape Corps first Roll of Honour.
Designed and drawn at Morogoro by RQMS Betts on the lining of a sugar ration bag with a carbon pencil.

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FOOTNOTE

The Cape Corps was a well-trained, well-administered and well-led unit. Discipline was maintained.

That was not the case with some other military groups of “Cape Coloured” men that were being employed in GEA at the same time, often for transport duties. Unfortunately records of these groups are not available.

(It appears that many white South African units brought “Cape Boys” with them or in their formations to work on ox-transport carts, which Cape men had a special aptitude for, or to care for horses in the mounted and artillery units.

Due to the high sickness rate in theatre all units could be under-strength in all ranks for long periods of time, and it is likely that the Cape transport personnel often suffered from a lack of good officers and NCOs.)

In his excellent book “Early Bird” Major W.G. Moore, a pilot, describes a scene one night at Kilossa in German East Africa.

At about 2300 hours blood-curdling female screams were heard from the nearby local labour compound.

Geoffrey Moore and a RNAS Petty Officer went to investigate and found that Cape men from a passing ox-wagon transport unit had entered the compound to take the native’s “pombe” beer and also to take any women that they fancied.

The Petty Officer butt-stroked four men off the victims they were raping (with the wailing families standing around too frightened to interfere) before discipline was restored.

But it makes you wonder just how much abuse went on all the time without being stopped, and we mustn’t think that only one race or colour of British soldier misbehaved.

(6 KAR Askari, formed from captured Schutztruppe soldiers, were notorious for doing exactly what they had often done in German times – entering villages and taking what they wanted.)

As in most wars, the inhabitants of the invaded territory were easy victims and were subjected to privations and abuses that were never fully acknowledged or recorded.

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A Royal Navy landing party approaches the East African coast

Courtesy of Cross and Cockade International

THE CAPTURE OF BAGAMOYO ON 15th August 1916

(OH Sketches 37, 52 and 53)

After the capture of Pangani HMS Talbot, having received information about a party of Germans at Kipumbwe, shelled that location on 25th July 1916.
In fact the Germans were out on an operation and so the local inhabitants ran up the white flag, but to their dismay the navy then sailed away.
The Schutztruppe returned to Kipumbwe shortly afterwards and burned the local dwellings in reprisal for the white flag being shown.
Meanwhile HMS Talbot was further down the coast shelling Mkwaja.

On 26th July the monitor Mersey shelled Sadani whilst a seaplane reconnoitred overhead.
The next day HMS Talbot landed a party at Mkwaja that skirmished with approaching Schutztruppe troops.
HMS Talbot then sailed down the coast to shell Bagamoyo on 29th July before returning to pick up the Mkwaja landing party.

Then on 1st August the navy went in for the kill and captured Sadani with marines and sailors from Vengeance, Talbot, Severn and Mersey, whilst the latter two ships covered the landing with their guns. A detachment of the Zanzibar Rifles accompanied the marines.
Skirmishes resulted in only three casualties amongst the landing party.

On 5th August the 2nd West India Regiment (see Post 702) was landed at Sadani from Tanga, and the sailors went back to their ships and prepared to attack Bagamoyo.

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The Royal Navy bombards Bagamoyo

Courtesy of Cross and Cockade International

The Army requested that the Royal Navy seize Bagamoyo (a former capital of German East Africa). Naval intelligence stated that the opposition would be 10 Schutztruppe whites and 400 Askari.
(The Official History quotes an even smaller estimate by the Army of just 50 defenders.)

The Navy accepted immediately and made plans, bringing down the coast from Sadani Captain F.H. Thomas and his Royal Marine Light Infantry detachment and the Zanzibar Rifles.

However Bagamoyo was defended by Abteilung Bodecker which included 3 Sch.K., a white unit.
In fact 60 Germans and 350 Askari, with 2 machine guns and a light gun manned the defence, although many of them were deployed at Mtoni, a crossing-point on the Kingani River four miles west of Bagamoyo.

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This image is taken from the probable position of the 4.1-inch Konigsberg gun

Also 500 African porters had just pulled a 4.1-inch Konigsberg gun with 100 rounds of ammunition up the coast from Dar Es Salaam.
But the gun had not been properly dug-in yet.