Acknowledgements
Position of Colony: kids.kiddle.co Invasion of German SWA: mentalfloss.com Monument: namibia-
German South-
Britain was anxious to overthrow the colony. Not only could its two ports be used by the German Navy, but it also possessed several powerful radio transmitters which, in close contact with Germany, could be used to direct naval raids against British shipping. To carry out this task, Britain sought help from the Union of South Africa, and both its Prime Minister, Louis Botha, and its Defence Minister, Jan Christian Smuts, agreed to organize an invasion. However, a number of Afrikaner nationalists, some 
within the military, saw this as an opportunity – given help from the Germans – to take up arms and overthrow the South African government. And they were encouraged in their aim by an early German victory, one of the first battles outside of Europe. Inxlate September, a South African force having crossed the Orange River, a column was soundly defeated by a contingent of German “Schutztruppe” (i.e. a Protection Force) at the Battle of Zandfontein (see map). It seemed a good omen. Civil war broke out the following month.
Fortunatelyxfor Botha, however, the insurgents obtained scant support from the Germans, and their uprising was poorly organised. By early February 1915 this Boer Rebellion (often known as the “Maritz Rebellion”) had been put down, and the conquest of the German colony could begin in earnest. (Locations on the map are shown in blue bold in the text.)
A force of about 40,000 men took part in the operation. In fact, there was little doubt concerning its success, given the vast supremacy in numbers. It involved an attack across the Orange River and two incursions along the coast. GeneralxSmuts, a proven field commander, landed his troops at the port of Luderitzbucht (arrowed on map), and quickly captured Keetmannshoop on the 20th May. He then advanced northwards, along the railway line, to take Berseba and Gibeon. The Germans put up some resistance, but were forced to retreat further north, destroying railway lines and poisoning waterholes as they went. In the meantime, Louis Botha, also an experienced military commander, had landed his troops at Swakopmund in Walvis Bay (arrowed on map), and, aidedxby a large mounted force of Afrikaner commandos, quickly seized Karibib, an important railway junction, and then went on to capture Windhoek, the colony’s capital. Then, anxious to make sure that the Germans had no time to dig in, he made a rapid and exhausting advance northwards. ThexGermans made a stand at Otavi and then Tsumeb, but the German governor Theodor Seitz was forced to concede defeat at the Treaty of Khorab on the 9th of July, bringing an end 
to 31 years of German rule (see pic of monument here). Aircraft were used by both sides during the conflict, mainly for reconnaissance, and the British navy played a crucial part in conveying troops and equipment to the battle zones. Casualties during the invasion were extremely light because the Germans, seriously outnumbered, needed to avoid full-
Once the colony was fully occupied, the South Africans were charged with the administration of the territory. The native Africans gained nothing from the change. The South African government imposed martial law for the rest of the war, and later, when the territory was made a mandate of the League of Nations, introduced their policy of segregation. In fact, Namibia was not granted full independence until March 1990.
Incidentally, as discussed later in greater detail, the Portuguese were also involved in this campaign, but not of their own volition. When war broke out they feared that their two colonies would be targeted by the Germans and so it proved to be. As early as October 1914, the German army crossed into Angola (see map above), hoping to use this territory as a means of obtaining food and arms. After facing some opposition, they advanced over fifty miles inland, beyond the Humbe region. However, by April 1915 the situation had changed dramatically. The German colony was virtually in Allied hands. The invasion of Angola was called off; Portuguese forces recaptured the Humbe region; and, where possible, the German troops retreated back to their former colony. For a time, skirmishes continued along the border, but these had petered out by the end of the year.
LouisxBotha (1862-
an outstanding commander of the South African forces during the Second Boer War (1899-
ThexSouth African field marshal and statesman Jan Smuts became prime minister of the Union of South Africa on two occasions: from 1919-
Incidentally, Botha and Smuts must take credit as the creators of the Union of South Africa, but, within the country itself, neither openly opposed the policy of segregation and the imposition of white supremacy. Indeed, at times they both showed support for this system. Apartheid was officially introduced in 1949, following Smuts’ defeat by the Reunited National Party in 1948, and, despite significant international and domestic opposition, remained in place until 1990.
In the seizure of Germany’s last African colony, on the east coast, South African troops were again employed to assist in the fighting. This battle, however, was to prove a much more demanding task, and 
one that was not fully completed until November 1918! In the meantime, however, as we shall see, the Portuguese, with their colonies of Angola and Mozambique adjoining two of the German colonies (in South-
WW1-
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