Osprey Men-at-Arms 379 : Armies in East Africa 1914-1918

During World War I a self-contained war was fought in the European colonies of East Africa, between the British (from Kenya, Rhodesia & Uganda), Belgians (from the Congo) and Portuguese (from Mozambique), against the garrison from German East Africa. White troops were supported by askaris with white leadership; the British also deployed South African and Indian units. The German colonial army, led by the brilliant Gen. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, spent much of the war running rings around the Allies, and Lettow-Vorbeck became world famous as a sort of 'Rommel' figure. The variety of uniforms worn in these bush campaigns was wide and extremely exotic, and the 'wild frontier' nature of the fighting makes a fascinating story. Text by Peter Abbott with illustrations by Raffaele Ruggeri.

Contents

• Strategic background - Colonial East and Central Africa in 1914
• Von Lettow-Vorbeck and his Aims
• First phase
  British Repulse at Tanga
  German Attacks on Uganda, Congo, Rhodesia, Mozambique
• General Mobilisation by Both Sides
• Second Phase - Coordinated Allied Offensive of 1916
• Bush Fighting - Weapons, Tactics, Logistics
• Final Phase - Lettow-Vorbeck's Expedition into Mozambique and Rhodesia
• Wartime Developments in the Armies - The King's African Rifles
• Evaluation of the Forces Involved
• Uniforms - German, British, Belgian, Portuguese