What Was the Forgotten Battle of Tanga in World War I?

• It was in East Africa
• Britain had many more soldiers
• Bees attacked the soldiers
• Britain had to retreat
• Germany held the colony

The Great War reached far beyond the battlefields of Europe. Powerful nations wanted to control land in Africa for resources and status. Germany held a colony called German East Africa in modern Tanzania. The British Empire wanted to seize this land for the Allies. This region held great value because of its busy ports and railway lines. Colonial leaders knew the war would involve fighting in the African jungle. Many soldiers from India were brought to Africa to fight for the British. Both sides built up their local forces before the first major battles began. It became a struggle for power that spanned across two continents.

In early November 1914, a massive British fleet arrived at the coast of Tanga. Over eight thousand Indian and British soldiers prepared to march on the town. They expected an easy win against a smaller German defense force. However, the German commander had prepared a very clever trap for them. He moved his hidden soldiers deep into the thick jungle brush. When the British landed on the beach, the Germans opened fire immediately. The fighting was fierce and disorganized in the dense tropical trees. During the chaos, a swarm of angry wild bees flew into the soldiers. Both sides suffered painful stings from the upset insects during the battle. The British soldiers lost their formation and could not push forward anymore. Many men panicked as they faced both enemy fire and the bees. The British leadership finally decided that the mission had failed completely. They retreated back to their ships and sailed away in a great hurry. This defeat was a major shock to the British military leaders.

It was a surprising loss for the British Empire. It showed that even a small, well-prepared force could beat a much larger army in the right conditions.

• British Indian Expeditionary Force
• German Schutztruppe
• German Askari soldiers
• British Royal Navy

• 1.Oxford History of Africa
• 2.Imperial War Museum
• 3.The Great War Archive
• 4.Military History of Tanzania