| West Africa campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofAfrican theatre of World War I | |||||||||
 The South West Africa campaign in 1915 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 67,000 South Africans 12,000 Portuguese | 3,000Schutztruppe 7,000 German militia & settlers 12,000 Boer commandos | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Union of South Africa:
Portuguese Angola:
| German South West Africa:
South African Republic:
Ovambo
| ||||||||
TheSouth West Africa campaign was the conquest and occupation ofGerman South West Africa by forces from theUnion of South Africa acting on behalf of theBritish imperial government at the beginning of theFirst World War. The South AfricanPrime MinisterLouis Botha took the unusual move of leading his troops into battle as commander-in-chief, to the frustration ofhis cabinet.[4]
The outbreak of hostilities in Europe in August 1914 had been anticipated and government officials ofSouth Africa were aware of the significance of their common border with the German colony. Prime MinisterLouis Botha informed London that South Africa could defend itself and that the Imperial Garrison might depart for France; when the British government asked Botha whether his forces would invade German South West Africa, the reply was yes. South African troops were mobilised along the border between the two countries under the command of GeneralHenry Lukin and Lieutenant-ColonelManie Maritz early in September 1914. Shortly afterwards another force occupied the port ofLüderitz. The news about the start of theFirst World War reached German South West Africa on 2 August 1914 via radio-telegraphy. The information was transmitted from theNauen station via a relay station inKamina andLomé inTogo to theradio station in Windhoek.[citation needed]
There was considerable sympathy among the Boer population of South Africa for the German cause. Only twelve years had passed since the end of theSecond Boer War, in which Germany had offered the twoBoer republics unofficial support in their war with theBritish Empire. Lieutenant-Colonel Manie Maritz, heading commando forces on the border of German South West Africa, declared that
The former South African Republic and Orange Free State, as well as the Cape Province and Natal, are proclaimed free from British control and independent, and every [all] White inhabitant[s] of the mentioned areas, of whatever nationality, are hereby called upon to take their weapons in their hands and realise the long-cherished ideal of a Free and Independent South Africa.
— Manie Maritz.[5]
Maritz and several other high-ranking officers rapidly gathered forces with a total of about 12,000 rebels in theTransvaal andOrange Free State, ready to fight for the cause in what became known as theBoer revolt (also sometimes referred to as the Maritz rebellion). The government declared martial law on 14 October 1914 and forces loyal to the government under the command of generals Louis Botha andJan Smuts proceeded to destroy the rebellion. Maritz was defeated on 24 October and took refuge with the Germans; the rebellion was suppressed by early February 1915. The leading Boer rebels received terms of imprisonment of six and seven years and heavy fines; two years later they were released from prison, as Botha recognised the value of reconciliation.
A first attempt to invade German South West Africa from the south failed at theBattle of Sandfontein, close to the border with the Cape Colony, where on 26 September 1914 German colonial forces defeated theUnion Defence Force (UDF), although the surviving UDF troops were left free to return to South Africa.[6] To disrupt South African plans to invade German South West Africa again, the Germans invaded South Africa and theBattle of Kakamas took place over the fords atKakamas, on 4 February 1915 for control of two fords over theOrange River. The South Africans prevented the Germans from gaining control of the fords and crossing the river.[7]
By February 1915, with the home front secure, the South Africans were ready to invade again. Botha, as a senior and experienced military commander, took command of the invasion, with Smuts commanding the southern forces while he led the northern forces.[8] Botha arrived at the German colonial town ofSwakopmund on the coast, on 11 February to take direct command on the northern contingent and continued to build up his invasion force atWalfish Bay (Walvis Bay) a South African enclave about halfway along the coast of German South West Africa. In March he advanced from Swakopmund along theSwakop valley with its railway line and capturedOtjimbingwe,Karibib, Friedrichsfelde, Wilhelmsthal andOkahandja, reaching the capitalWindhuk on 5 May 1915.[9]
The Germans offered terms under which they would surrender but Botha refused them.[8] On 12 May Botha declared martial law and having cut the colony in half, divided his forces into four contingents under Coen Brits, Lukin, Manie Botha and Myburgh. Brits went north toOtjiwarongo,Outjo andEtosha Pan which cut off German forces in the interior from the coastal regions ofKunene andKaokoveld. The other three columns fanned out into the north-east. Lukin went along the railway line running from Swakopmund toTsumeb. The other two columns advanced on Lukin's right flank, Myburgh toOtavi junction and Manie Botha to Tsumeb and the line's terminus. The men who commanded these columns, having fought in Boer commandos, moved rapidly.[9] The German forces in the north-west made a stand at theBattle of Otavi on 1 July but were beaten and surrendered atKhorab on 9 July 1915.[10]
Smuts landed with another South African force at the naval base atLüderitzbucht (Lüderitz Bay). Having secured the town Smuts advanced inland, capturingKeetmanshoop on 20 May. Here he met two columns that had advanced over the border from South Africa, one from the coastal town ofPort Nolloth and the other from Kimberley.[11] Smuts advanced north along the railway line toBerseba and after two days fighting capturedGibeon on 26 May.[8][12] The Germans in the south were forced to retreat northwards towards their capital and Botha's forces. Within two weeks the German forces in the south were faced with certain destruction and Governor Sietz surrendered at Korab, north of Windhoek, on 9 July 1915.[9] When the Germans provided lists of the names of approximately 2,200 troops under their command, Botha told the German delegation that he had been tricked, as he knew that the Germans had 15,000 men.Victor Franke, the German commander, replied, "If we had 15,000 men then you wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be in this position".[13]
Before an official declaration ofwar betweenGermany andPortugal (March 1916), in theGerman campaign in Angola German and Portuguese troops fought several times on the border between German South West Africa andPortuguese Angola. The Germans won most of these clashes and were able to occupy theHumbe region in southern Angola until Portuguese control was restored a few days before the successful South African campaign defeated the Germans. The German offensive into Angola spurred the native Ovambo to revolt against Portuguese rule. The ensuingOvambo Uprising was not fully suppressed by Portuguese and British forces until after the end of World War One.
South African casualties were113 killed,153 died of injury or illness and263 wounded.[a] German casualties were103 killed,890 taken prisoner,37 field guns and 22 machine-guns captured.[3]
After defeating the German force in South West Africa, South Africa occupied the colony and then administered it as aLeague of Nationsmandate territory from 1919. Although the South African government desired to incorporate South West Africa into its territory, it never officially did so, although it was administered as the de facto fifth province, with the white minority having representation in the whites-onlyParliament of South Africa, as well as electing their own local administration the SWA Legislative Assembly. The South African government also appointed the SWA administrator, who had extensive powers. When the League was superseded by theUnited Nations in 1946, South Africa refused to surrender the mandate as atrust territory, and theUnited Nations General Assembly revoked it. In 1971 theInternational Court of Justice issued an "advisory opinion" declaring South Africa's administration to be illegal.[15]
| National | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
.svg)
