‘We don't want to die for nothing’: <i>askari</i> at war in German East Africa, 1914–1918

Moyd, Michelle

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511973659.005

Cited by 23 publications

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“…Violent Intermediaries and other works by Moyd explore askari motivations during the war, challenging earlier historiography about perceived loyalty to "German values" and the Kaiser. 18 This paper will strike a balance between the usage of immediate post-war sources to explore tactics and strategy and the usage of modern sources to analyze the askari and social aspects of the Schutztruppe, especially moving from the development of the Schutztruppe in the late-nineteenth century to a modern African fighting force by 1914.…”

Section: Post-war Histories and Historiographymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Black, White, and Khaki: Lettow-Vorbeck and the African Askari

Abernethy

2023

The Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review

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On battlefields that stretched for miles across the savanna in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, to palm-shaded beachheads and dense tropical forests, the forces of the German East African Schutztruppe under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck engaged Allied forces in far-flung East Africa during the First World War. Few units in the Imperial German Army resembled the Schutztruppe, in that it was mostly made up of black African askari, led by a small white German/European officer corps. In addition to heading the transformation of the unit from a counter-insurgency force meant to quell native African uprisings, to one that could defeat European colonial forces, Lettow-Vorbeck's leadership allowed the Schutztruppe to survive against the hundreds of thousands of Allied troops sent against it, without regular assistance from the Germany. Ultimately, the Schutztruppe was never fully subdued during the war, and only surrendered when informed of the general armistice in late November 1918. This paper will use primary and secondary sources to examine the status of the Schutztruppe and the askari before, and then during the war, seeking to prove that the Schutztruppe was able to effectively fight and survive the campaign using guerilla warfare strategies and tactics learned before World War I, combined with highly rigorous "Prussian"-style training and loyalty to Lettow-Vorbeck himself that was introduced shortly before and during the conflict.

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Section: Post-war Histories and Historiographymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But for all intents and purposes, when the Schutztruppe surrendered in Abercorn in 1918, Lettow-Vorbeck still possessed a small, but loyal fighting force. 61…”

Section: Askari Loyaltymentioning

confidence: 99%

Black, White, and Khaki: Lettow-Vorbeck and the African Askari

Abernethy

2023

The Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review

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Marginal Voices

Palmer¹

2018

Palgrave Studies in Life Writing

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India, Empire, and First World War Culture

Das

2018

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Framed by the sun stands a small Arab girl, unadorned and alone, in a slightly frayed thwab and sporting a tarboosh (Figure 6.1). 1 Remarkably composed, even slightly quizzical, for someone so young, she stands her ground, with the right foot thrust forward, hands fi rmly clasped together and the face slightly askance. 2 Th e punctum , one may say, lies in the unsmiling eyes and mouth as they hold the camera's gaze at an angle. Th e eff ect is rare. Curiosity, suspicion, trepidation, war-weariness: it is diffi cult to read the expression but childlike delight or ease is not one of them. It is the knowing look of someone much older than her years. Th e photograph would have been striking even in the collection of Ariel Varges, but what makes it remarkable is that I came across it in the 'war album' of Captain Dr Manindranath Das, mentioned in the Introduction, who served as a doctor in Mesopotamia in 1916-1918. We know very little about his war experiences, except that he was a distinguished doctor, and that he pretended to be dead and stayed behind to treat wounded soldiers when others had retreated after an attack. He risked his own life to bandage their wounds, for which he was given the Military Cross. 3 Family lore has it that he would have got the Victoria Cross, had he been white. But we know hardly anything beyond these details. Th e story is typical of how little is known of the experiences of the participants of the Mesopotamia campaign, even when the subjects were educated, articulate and decorated. For the Indians, Mesopotamia was the main ground of battle: the largest number of Indians-some 588,717, including 7,812 offi cers, 287,753 other ranks and 293,152 non-combatants (often forming porter and labour corps)-served there between 1914 and 1918. 4 Th e campaign, which was 1 A thwab is an ankle-length Arab garment, akin to a robe, while a tarboosh is a close-fi tting, fl attopped brimless hat.

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‘We don't want to die for nothing’: askari at war in German East Africa, 1914–1918

Cited by 23 publications

References 2 publications

Black, White, and Khaki: Lettow-Vorbeck and the African Askari

Black, White, and Khaki: Lettow-Vorbeck and the African Askari

Marginal Voices

India, Empire, and First World War Culture

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