The Great War in Africa: 1914-1918

This is an excellent book on a subject that is way under reported! The book title correctly describes the content of the book. I found the book when I was researching the war in German East Africa. I found very little elsewhere and a great treatment here! This is a great history book in that it reads like a novel! I just pulled it from my shelf to read for the second time. That is something that I seldom do.

Much of the First World War boiled down to a horrid, mass-produced killing on the Western Front. Gallantry, initiative, and élan simply got chewed up by machine guns, artillery, and poison gas.But in Africa the war was different. The colonies were undeveloped to a degree where courage wasn't suicide, and where initiative was duly rewarded.Byron Farwell brings to life this theater of operations, where bees were as much a threat as bullets. The most interesting part of the book heroic resistance of the Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and his Schutztruppe of the German East Africa colony.Packed with interesting tales, it is a great book about the First World War in Africa.

This very well written book covers WWI in Africa, events almost entirely unknown to most readers, with the exception of those who seen "the African Queen," Most of the German colonies fell very quickly to the Allies. But the German forces in German East Africa, the bulk of them African, fought throughout the entire war and were the final German forces to surrender in the field. Although cut off from the homeland almost from the beginning of the war, the German forces not only held out, but carried the war into the surrounding colonies. Includes coverage of one of the more eccentric incidents in the war in any theatre,an effort fo supply German East Africa by zeppelin from Bulgaria.

The titanic battles of the Great War on the Western front are probably well known to most readers of this review. Much has been written (and rewritten) and analyzed (and overanalyzed) about the Somme, Verdun, Ypres. Given the relative numbers of troops and the distance from the main action, the events in Africa can seem to be of little importance. The story of the fighting in Africa during the Great War contains no less heroism or bravery shown by many participants, and the actions of General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck are still mentioned amongst the greatest campaigns fought by any general at any time. Throw in a few harrowing and humorous anecdotes plus some unusual aspects to campaigning (like big game hunting), and you have a great read.Byron Farwell has written a detailed, entertaining account of the events of the Great War in Africa. It is part military history and part adventure story. There were essentially four (largely) independent campaigns fought against the Germans in Africa: Togoland, the Cameroons, German Southwest Africa, and German East Africa. Farwell covers each of these in detail, the last of course taking up most of the book, as a succession of generals chase Gen. Lettow-Vorbeck and his native askaris through modern Kenya and Tanzania. From a purely military perspective, there is quite a bit of interest here. For the Germans, how do they defend a central position we surrounded by much stronger forces. For the British, how do they use their military and logistical superiority to advance into hostile (to say the least) terrain against a disciplined and motivated enemy?One of the great aspects of this book is that Farwell occasionally takes detours from the narrative about the purely military aspects of the campaign to present accounts of many of the quirky events and people and the role they played in Africa. For example, Farwell discusses in detail the dragging of several ships over several thousand kilometers to Lake Tanganyika to contest naval control of the lake with the Germans. This expedition was probably unique in the annals of military campaigns, but it leader was particularly unusual. Farwell also discusses an attempt to resupply the Germans with zeppelins, some of the confuse naval actions along east Africa (the German cruiser Konigsberg sailed up the Rufiji river and it was quite difficult for the Royal Navy to get at it, to say the least). Finally, Farwell discusses some of the nasty diseases present in Africa that were often more of a scourge to the average soldier than combat. One type of parasite that infected the body and slowly ate the infected person from the inside out was particularly nasty. It is also annoying that Farwell tries to explain away every British defeat as the result of unreliable and poorly motivated natives, poor leadership, etc. To be fair though, he does give the natives (particularly the askaris fighting for the Germans) their due.There are two reasons that I only give this book four stars (most reviewers to date have given it 5). First, while both detailed and highly readable, this book is not uniquely outstanding. Farwell is not David Chandler or Shelby Foote, and while anjoyable to read, this is not something that most readers may read 3-4 times in their lives. Second, this book is definitely written from the British perspective by someone who is obviously sympathetic to (and enamoured with) the Golden Age of the British empire. I certainly respect this view, but I think there is much more to the events in Africa during the Great War than what can be gleaned from General Smuts headquarters or in London. Working through Gen. Lettow-Vorbeck's memoirs after reading this book would give you a somewhat different perspective.The bottom line is that this is a great (and easy) read for anyone (either casually or professionally) interested in one of the most unusual military campaigns in history. Definitely recommended.

I do not seek out military histories per se, but Farwell's account of WWI on the African continent is a fascinating book about these little-known theatres that brings to life the principal actors. To travel is broadening, and so is reading widely. I consider myself improved and enriched by having cast my reading net widely enough to include this very good book. But, no surprise: Farwell never wrote a book that was less than superb, in my opinion.

Well written detailed account of a little known part of World War I

This is the second time I've purchased this book. The first one was loaned out and never returned. It's a great story of a piece of history I had no idea ever existed. A highly recommended book for adventure, WWI history, colonial history and African history.

Great book. Puts an overlooked part of the first World War into perspective. Farewell writes in a crisp but non-Academic way. I am now reading this for the second time, this time while I'm in Africa.

This is about a German general who managed a brilliant resistance to the conquest of German East Africa by British and South African troops. With small forces, mostly African, he held off much larger forces including some highly experienced South Africans. Deserves to be better known.

A well written and informative book about the First World War's lesser known conflicts. Interesting and, at times, extremely witty this book gives appropriate attention to both sides views of the colonial fallout from the much bigger battles fought in Europe.

Byron Edgar Farwell diente im Zweiten Weltkrieg und im Koreakrieg als Pionieroffizier, arbeitete lange als PR-Chef für Chrysler und wurde ein renommierter Militärhistoriker. Besonders sein trockener Humor hat es mir angetan, seine militärische Schilderungen sind bei aller Faktengenauigkeit kurzweilig und spannend aufbereitet. Was insbesondere bei diesem Werk auffällt, ist seine Fairness gegenüber den Verlierern des mehr als vierjährigen Ringens, ja, man könnte "The Great War in Africa" sogar als ausgesprochen deutschfreundlich bezeichnen. Was heutzutage in Vergessenheit geraten ist - während des Ersten Weltkrieges wurde nicht nur in Europa und im Arabischen Raum gekämpft, sondern auch in Afrika. Das deutsche Kaiserreich besaß damals vier Kolonien, Togo, Kamerun, Deutsch-Südwest (heute Namibia) und Deutsch-Ostafrika (etwa das heutige Tansania, Uganda und Burundi). Und drei davon, nämlich alle außer Togo, wurden von den deutschen Schutztruppen tapfer verteidigt, insbesondere in Kamerun und am allermeisten in Deutsch-Ostafrika.Farwell beschäftigt sich auf 382 Seiten inklusive Biographie und Index mit allen Kampagnen, wobei naturgemäß jene in Deutsch-Ostafrika mit Abstand am meisten Platz einnimmt. Es gibt vier gute Karten und eine Menge Fotos. Der interessierte Leser wird an Schauplätze geführt, die vollkommen untauglich für einen modernen Krieg waren. Und trotzdem wurde dort, inmitten von Löwen, Elefanten, Nashörnern, Killerbienen, Giftschlangen und unzähligen Viren und Bakterien gekämpft. So ist es auch kein Wunder, dass bei diesen Feldzügen 80 - 90 Prozent der Verluste durch Krankheiten, und nicht durch die eigentlichen Kampfhandlungen verursacht wurden. Auch die Versorgung der Truppen mit Nachschub und Verpflegung, am allermeisten aber mit genießbarem Trinkwasser, machte die allergrößten Mühen. Umso bewundernswerter, wie es insbesondere in Ostafrika der kleinen deuschen Schutztruppe mit ihren einheimischen "Askaris" gelang, bis zum Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges unbesiegt und unbeirrt ihren Guerillakrieg zu führen. Dabei kämpfte sie gegen Briten, Rhodesier, Nigerianer, Südafrikaner, Ägypter, Sudanesen, Belgier, Franzosen, Inder, Portugiesen und noch manch anderes Volk. Der Führer der Schutztruppe in Deutsch-Ostafrika, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, wurde durch seinen trickreichen und zähen Kleinkampf zu einem der berühmtesten deutschen Truppenführer dieses Weltkrieges, anerkannt und respektiert auch vom ehemaligen Gegner.Wie überhaupt dieser Krieg, bei aller Grausamkeit, erstaunlich fair geführt wurde, wenn man es mit den heutigen Schlachthäusern vergleicht. "The Great War in Africa" ist, obwohl bereits vor dreißig Jahren erschienen, mitreißend geschriebene, zeitlose Militärgeschichte und gebraucht günstig zu bekommen. Gerne volle 5 Sterne von mir.

Item as described, arrived on time. Thank you.