THE ASKARI

______When the Great War broke out in Europe in 1914 it also spilled over into Africa, where both the Central Powers and the Allies had colonies. While both sides employed native soldiers, it was the Germans who relied on them. Known as Askari (Swahili for "guard" or "warrior", used mainly in east Africa) they kept alive Germany's imperial aspirations in Africa.
______At the beginning of the war the German East African defense force (Schutztruppe) was composed of 14 Field Companies (also known as Rifle Companies). The Field Companies were self-contained units, having transportation and supply elements which made them very mobile and capable of operating autonomously for great lengths of time. About 260 Germans and 2,472 Askaris were in the Field Companies, not counting about 250 native bearers in each company used for carrying supplies in the bush.
______Askaris were used to the harsh conditions of East Africa, from the hot dusty plains to the cold of the highlands to the sweltering humidity of the coast. Their discipline came at least in part from the Prussian-style training they received upon swearing alliegance to the Kaiser.
______Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck the German Askaris and colonials were able to hold off the British, at least in East Africa. French and British forces took Togoland and the German Cameroons with some difficulty and a South African invasion of German South-West Africa was so unpopular amongst Boers that a short-lived revolt broke out.
______An invasion of German East Africa from the sea turned into a disaster for the British, despite superior numbers and enormous seapower. The Battle of Tanga was decided when retreating native bearers in British service were mistaken for attacking Askaris and a rout ensued for the beaches. With less than a hundred casualties among the Askaris Vorbeck had inflicted several thousand casualties on the British and its colonial forces.

______The Germans made good use of the weapons and equipment left by British forces when they evacuated, especially rifles. Many of the Askaris were equipped with inferior black-powder rifles that gave away their positions in a firefight.
______Lettow-Vorbeck knew he couldn't win. Great Britain controlled the seas and he had no hope of getting significant reinforcements or resupply from the homeland. But he could make himself such a nuisance that the Allies would have to commit forces to Africa rather than the European theater. He attacked targets in Rhodesia, Kenya and Portuguese East Africa, keeping the Allies off-balance and retaining the initaitive for himself. His 11,000 Askaris kept 300,000 British soldiers occupied while British Army was being bled white on the Western Front for lack of soldiers.

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