The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1915. WAR IN EAST AFRICA.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 280, 24 November 1915, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1915. WAR IN EAST AFRICA.

■ For the cause ihat lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance. And the good that tee can do. \

The gallant defence of a fortified post on the Bhodesian border by a small gar- j rison of British and Belgian troops' against an overwhelmingly superior Ger-i man force may serve to draw attention to the Teeent course of events in this obscure corner of the world-wide theatre of war. German East Africa is the greatest and most valuable of all Germany's colonial possessions. It has an area about j twice the size of European Germany, with a population of 8,000,000, of whom about 5000 arc white. It includes a large part of the huge equatorial lakes of Central Africa, it contains enormous forests and -vaiuahlo, imiaeral deposits, .a&dvts many varieties of climate, whiefchanges with the successive gradations of the country in height above sea level, endow it with immense potentialities for productive development. The German Colonial Office had expended much care ■ and large amounts of money on East Africa; already there are two railways opening up the interior, and the commerce at four ports, admirably served by the German steamship companies, was growing rapidly. The great natural wealth of the country made it certain that the Germans would defend it energetically, and very soon after the war began proof was forthcoming that here, as in South-West 1 Africa, they had made their preparations long before, and had been eagerly awaiting "the day" which was to usher in their final ascendancy over the Dark Continent. Strategically considered, German East Africa enjoyed a very favourable situation, because the Uganda railway, the j sole direct means of communication between British Central and East Africa and the sea, runs parallel with the frontier at a distance of from 50 to 100 miles, -and is thus exposed to attack. JThe Germans appear to have mustered a force of at least 3000 whites, including a large niftnber of reservists, who gathered here from various parts of Asia and Airka as soon as war broke out. They were well equipped, especially in the matter of machine guns; in fact, after Taking at least 5000 native troops i from the Sudanese tribes and the Masai, ' they could supply four machine guns to each company. Against this considerable | army, well- armed and equipped as it was: tbe British authorities could put jin the field during the first month of the war only about 1200 men. Two battabons of the King's African Rifles sta- ! tioned in British East Africa and Uganda formed the backbone of this force; about 200 police and reservists were enrolled; and a volunteer corps about 400 strong the East African Mounted Rifles took the field. These with a few Somali and.Arabs recruited through the personal influence of such British officcre as arc to be found along "the frontier" in every corner of the world, brought up the total available strength-- of the British field forces to about 1200 men, but of these many were of doubtful quality. Happily for our prospects the country is so heavy and so densely wooded that the fighting was likely to be more on the lines of "shikari" than field work, and the British and Boer settlers, big game hunters and splendid shots, were tbe best men who could have been found to carry on guerilla warfare under such conditions as these. But so great was the disparity between the forces that it is difficult to believe that our men could have made any serious stand against the enemy if -the Germans had pushed the attack vigorously from- the outset.

As a matter of fact it was left to the British to "open the ball"; and this was done in due course by a British cruiser.which bombarded Dar-Cs-Salaam, .tk£.sj£f. v 'perman— P°rs» scvera! Bhi]-» o and dWroysd.tbci wireless station. Two German inroads into Rhodesia during"the third week in August were re pelled, but the enemy was evidently saving himself for an attack on Uganda in the north. Happily, before the Germans could do much in this direction, General Stewart arrived at Nairobi with a Punjabi regiment and two or three batteries •of maxims and mountain guns. The Germans now made several attack? on the Uganda railway, but the courage of the African levies and the skill of their officers saved the situation. A desperate fight occurred at Ga.zi, near the coast, where a few of the King's African Rifles and Arab recruits held up 600 Germans with six machine guns for several days till help came. Every white officer was killed or wounded, and when the- Indian troops arrived they found the little force in charge of a native eoiour-6ergeant, who handled the situation with admirable coolness and skill, and finally headed the eha-rge that drove off the enemy. This incident and a naval battle on lake Victoria, in -which the British armoured steamers defeated the German squadron, were among the most interesting episodes of the early stages of this equatorial war. Early in November our forces seem to have been considerably strengthened by drafts from India, and Major-General Aitken made an attack on Zanga from the sea. The attack was repulsed, and the troops were compelled to re-embark.

while at the same time an attack ou a strong German position near Kilimanjaro was driven back largely through, the effective fire of the enemy's machine guns. Meantime, with the help of a naval bombardment, the British troops had occupied Jassin, a factory inside the German border-line on the coast. Here three companies of Indian infantry and a few natives were hemmed in by 2,000 Germans with artillery and many machine guns. They fought hard for a week, but then having expended all their ammunition, the survivors, 240 in all, were compelled to surrender. Forty of the Kashmir Rifles fought their way | through the enemy, and reached the British lines; and the Germans were so impressed by the defence that the garrison had made that they returned their v swords to the captured officers. After this reverse it became necessary for the British troops to confine themselves to their own side of the frontier, and by the end of February the Germans could justly claim that their East African possessions were entirely clear of hostile ■forces. A few naval fights between steamers on Lake Victoria, and a rigid (blockade of the coast by British cruisers may be put down to our credit. But on land, in spite of the great numerical superiority of the German forces, the position soon degenerated - into a deadlock, and nothing decisive could be'dbhe by either side. However, the successful conclusion of the South African campaign has released General Botha's troops for service elsewhere, and now, in spite of the careful preparations the Germans had made and their elaborate equipment of machine guns, we may look forward confidently to a speedy settlement of the contest in East Africa in our favour. But though the fortune of war has been largely against us hitherto, the East African campaign has provided many proois of the splendid fighting spirit of our Indian and African troops, and the extraordinary devotion of our native allies to the British flag when they are led by British officers whom they have learned to respect and to trust absolutely.