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Description
World War One: the East African Front

While the other German colonies in Africa such as Togoland, Cameroon and Namibia went down relatively easily to Allied forces, Tanzania refused to budge. Led by Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German colonial army (the Schutztruppe) embarked upon a largely successful guerilla war.

By constantly retreating through the bush the Germans were able to evade a numerically superior British army, drawing men, money and materiel away from the crucial battles on the Western Front in Europe. The Germans eventually turned their retreat into an invasion of Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique). The Germans were only finally stopped when news of the armistice reached them at the end of the war.

While the Schutztruppe was led by white commanders and officers, its sergeants and troops were native Africans trained in the techniques of German warfare. They called themselves the Swahili word for soldier, Askari.

-----World War One Photo Series-----

The Big 3 at Versailles [link]
Schutztruppe Askari [link]
Allied Kings [link]
Central Kings [link]

Future Axis leaders [link]
Future Allied leaders [link]
Rising Generals Axis [link]
Rising Generals Allies [link]

These photos are here courtesy of Wikipedia and the Bundesarchiv Bild.

Description
World War One: the East African Front

While the other German colonies in Africa such as Togoland, Cameroon and Namibia went down relatively easily to Allied forces, Tanzania refused to budge. Led by Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German colonial army (the Schutztruppe) embarked upon a largely successful guerilla war.

By constantly retreating through the bush the Germans were able to evade a numerically superior British army, drawing men, money and materiel away from the crucial battles on the Western Front in Europe. The Germans eventually turned their retreat into an invasion of Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique). The Germans were only finally stopped when news of the armistice reached them at the end of the war.

While the Schutztruppe was led by white commanders and officers, its sergeants and troops were native Africans trained in the techniques of German warfare. They called themselves the Swahili word for soldier, Askari.

-----World War One Photo Series-----

The Big 3 at Versailles [link]
Schutztruppe Askari [link]
Allied Kings [link]
Central Kings [link]

Future Axis leaders [link]
Future Allied leaders [link]
Rising Generals Axis [link]
Rising Generals Allies [link]

These photos are here courtesy of Wikipedia and the Bundesarchiv Bild.