THE AFRICAN FRONT
WAR IN PORTUGUESE SOUTH WEST AFRICA: AUGUST 1914 – JULY 1915
WAR IN PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA: AUGUST 1914 – NOVEMBER 1918
GERMANY DECLARES WAR ON PORTUGAL: 9th MARCH 1916
Acknowledgements
Portugal (Map): vectorstock.com South Africa (Map): pinterest.com East Africa (map): the deadmanshill.com Machine-
Whenxwar broke out in August 1914, the Portuguese decided to remain neutral, despite the Treaty of Windsor, an alliance with England (dating way back to 1386) which guaranteed the mutual security of both nations and was, in fact, the world’s oldest continuous alliance. They feared for the safety of their colonial territories of Angola and Mozambique, both bordered by German colonies. Their fears were justified. Throughout August to December 1914, the Germans encouraged tribal clashes and supported skirmishes along the borders of both territories.
Toxmeet the threat in Angola, the local garrison was reinforced by a military expedition of 1,500 men. It arrived at Mocamedes early in October, shortly before the first serious incident. This occurred on the 19th October, when the Germans, hoping to supply food and, possibly, even arms through the Portuguese colony, sent a military column across the border at Naulila (see map). It was stopped in its tracks and, in the aftermath, three German officers were killed. Onxthe last day of October, as a reprisal, German troops, armed with machine guns, launched an attack on a small outpost at Cuangar. It was a minor incident, but 21 members of the border guard were killed, and, in the anxiety of the moment, it became known as the “Cuangar Massacre”. In fact, much worse was to follow. On the 18th December, a German force of some 2,000 men attacked Portuguese forces, again at Naulila. The Portuguese put up stiff resistance, but were eventually forced to retreat to the Humbe region, where they hoped to make a stand. However, after the explosion of the munitions magazine at the military base of Fort Roçadas, they were compelled to withdraw further north. By then, however, as we have seen, a full-
Inxthe meantime, on the 15th November 1914 a similar sized force made up of some 1,500 troops arrived in Portuguese East Africa, (Mozambique), transported, in fact, by British ships. In addition to quelling any disturbances, it was tasked with recapturing a small area of land along the border – known as the “Kionga Triangle” – which was then occupied by the Germans. In 1886 they had agreed that the River Ruvuma would be the boundary between the two colonial powers, but in 1894 they had seized Cape Delgado, some twenty miles south of the river, together with its surrounding territory (see map). But the Portuguese expeditionary force, way under strength and decimated by the tropical climate and the diseases that went with it, proved far too weak for the task. It was notxuntil the 10th April 1916 – by which time South African Troops, fighting in support of Britain, had taken on the Germans throughout the colony – that the Portuguese launched a more decisive attack upon Kionga and took over the disputed area (245 sq.miles). However, an attempt to occupy land along the northern bank of the Ruvuma River, proved futile and costly in both men and equipment. 
In September, three columns (some 2,700 men) crossed the Ruvuma at three points – Namoto, Kambire and Nyika – and formed a sizeable bridgehead. From there, the bulk of the troops, moving up river, took the towns of Mayembe, Nichamwe and Kikumbujiro, and by late October had reached Newala Fort. This was seen as a strong point, but the German commander, Colonel Lettow-
GERMANY DECLARES WAR ON PORTUGAL: 9th MARCH 1916
By then, Portugal was at war with Germany. The ever increasing tension caused by the Germans within her colonies, combined with the u-
At first, Portugal’s contribution to the war effort was limited to naval support, but in February 1917, invited by the British government, the military assigned an expeditionary force of 55,000 infantry and 1,000 gunners to the Western Front. As we shall see, their major encounter was at the Battle of Lys in April 1918, during the “Ludendorff Offensive” of that period. There, heavily outnumbered, faced with a lethal gas attack, and out-
Incidentally, despite the historical alliance between Portugal and Britain, dating back to the 14th century, from 1911 to 1914 the British government, concerned about the “scandalous state” of the Portuguese colony of Angola, had secret talks with Germany. They negotiated – via the Angola-
…… In May 1916, after the Portuguese had retaken the Kionga Triangle, one hundred postage stamps were issued from Laurenco Marques, then capital of Mozambique, overprinted with the word “Kionga”. These were the only stamps issued by Kionga, and today are regarded as quite valuable, especially those that still have a “gummed surface”. ……
…… At the beginning of 1917 a small contingent of Portuguese troops, under the command of the Canadian Forestry Corps, was sent to the New Forest in southern England to help in the production of timber, then in short supply. The event is remembered today by the so-
Meanwhile, as we shall see, the battle for the Allied seizure of German East Africa, which began in August 1914, continued unabated, due in large part to the leadership of the German military commander Lettow-
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