African Colonies
German soldiers destroyed many villages as a result of war between the two sides
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Germany lost German South West Africa in 1915 and German East Africa in 1916
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Terrain was unsuitable for mechanized vehicles and horses, causing soldiers to have to travel on foot. This resulted in many troops dying due to dehydration and exhaustion as not enough food and supplies was given to them
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Main purpose of fighting in Africa was to keep Allied troops in Africa busy so that they were unable to join the war that was happening in Europe
German
french
-Provided 200,000 troops. More than 135,000 of them fought in Europe of which 30,000 of them were killed
- There were 93 Senegalais battalions raised between 1915 and 1918 of which 42 served in France
- 21 battalions of Tirailleurs Sénégalais that served in the French army during ww1. 5 of these battalions were sent to fight in the western front
- Dedicated to fighting alongside the French army.
- In 1915, 7 battalions of Tirailleurs Sénégalais were sent to Dardanelles. The Senegalais were noted for the high morale that they maintained in spite of losses that affected 2-3 units whilst serving in the war
- Senegalais served inYpres and Dixmude during the Battle of Flanders in late 1914, the capture of Fort de Douaumont in October 1916, the Chemin des Dames in April 1917 and Battle of Reims in 1918.
British
-Campaign by the british to take over German East africa
-150,000 men served in South African units during the war, fighting on 3 main fronts. The first engagement was to enter and capture German South-West Africa which required a force of 67,000 men.
There are other groups of the South African soldiers that joined the war in France. At the end of the war, there were 18,000 casualties and 7000 deaths in total.
-South Africa raised a brigade of four infantry battalions for the Western Front. Many of the recruits in the brigade were generally middle-class, well-educated men who already had military training.
- First major engagement was the battle of the somme.
- Battle of Delville Wood, 1916. Most costly action of the South African army. Of the 3,000 people that were involved in the engagement, only a mere 780 of them made it out of the engagement unscathed.
- Another tragic loss was the Mendi sinking, the sinking of a warship that was transporting over 600 members of the South- African army from France to Britain