23 – Episode 23 Lion in Africa
August 1914 was a disaster for the negotiating powers. France failed in its offensive on the Western Front, and the Russian army suffered two major defeats on the Eastern Front.
But the most devastating blow was the sinking of the Baltic Fleet.
With the German Imperial Navy completely controlling the Baltic Sea, Russia had to allocate its already limited forces to coastal defense.
While Serbia made some advances, overall the negotiating powers had a pitiful performance in the first month of the war.
But even this was just a small part of the damage suffered by “Europe”. The blow inflicted on the negotiating powers was much greater.
“The coffee is sweet. After this war, I should drink some coffee from Madagascar.”
I raised my coffee cup, making a joke that didn’t quite hit the mark. The victory report from Pfortbeck gave me that much joy.
*
August 23, 1914, Dar es Salaam, German East Africa.
It had already been three weeks since Germany entered the war, but Africa was relatively calm.
Dr. Heinrich Albert Schne, the Governor of German East Africa, sent a proposal to the governors of other countries, suggesting that the war be confined to Europe and peace be maintained in Africa.
“The infrastructure, the farms that we invested in. Aren’t they all paid for by taxes? War is war, and managing colonies is management. I firmly declare that it is our right and duty to protect the property of taxpayers.
Gentlemen, let us remember the burden we bear. Africa should be managed quietly, just as it was before the war.”
Dr. Schne advocated for “peace in Africa,” but Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, the commander of the colonial army, didn’t give a damn.
“The act of assembling troops is provoking the French! Cease it immediately!”
“It is my responsibility to crush the enemies that threaten the colony, Your Excellency!”
Pfortbeck clashed with the governor, gathering troops. And so, with the combined forces of Askaris, seamen from the ships, and local Germans, a total of 3,500 soldiers were assembled.
But Pfortbeck was also a gambler.
Since there were no enemies on the borders due to the non-participation of Britain, Belgium, and Portugal, then he had to go find them and show his service.
Forebeck had set his sights on Madagascar, the closest French colony. If the French found out, they would surely laugh.
The French colonial apparatus in Madagascar had more than 20,000 colonial troops, over five times the number of Forebeck’s forces.
But Forebeck did not care.
“Your Excellency. If Your Excellency leads the army on an expedition, what about the defense of East Africa?”
“Leave 1,500 behind.”
In order to maintain the forces to defend East Africa, there were only about 2,000 troops left to participate in the actual expedition to Madagascar.
Nevertheless, Forebeck was confident that he could shake Madagascar.
“Is it really possible?”
His subordinates were skeptical, but Forebeck saw a chance of success.
Just 20 years ago, Madagascar was an independent country called the Kingdom of Merina. Even after being merged with France, they resisted for 10 years.
Based on this, the Colonel believed that the foundation of French colonial rule in Madagascar was not strong.
Of course, there was no guarantee of victory, but the Prussian officer did not consider such minor details important.
‘Even if this expedition succeeds, it won’t deal a great blow to the French colonial empire, but it can reduce the number of those French bastards our homeland has to deal with.’
As the Colonel sat down, Major Max Rupf, who was sitting across from him, unfolded a map.
As the captain of the cruiser Königsberg, the only warship held by the African colonies, and as the naval representative, Max Rupf had the right to voice his opinions on Forebeck’s expedition.
Max Rupf also agreed with the Colonel in terms of taking the initiative with aggressive movements.
“According to the information we obtained from a Dutch merchant ship this afternoon, there were no French warships anchored in Réunion.
If we act now, there is little chance of being intercepted. If we want to make the most of this opportunity, we should head here.”
Max Rupf’s finger crossed the Indian Ocean and landed on a harbor on the east coast of Madagascar.
“Toamasina?”
Povarbeck looked slightly surprised.
Toamasina, located inland, was a major gateway connecting the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, with the outside world. A significant portion of foreign consulates and governing bodies resided there.
To capture the governor, they would have to advance to Antananarivo in the interior, but if they had no intention of doing so, simply occupying Toamasina would be enough to achieve their goal.
It goes without saying that Toamasina was not a defenseless port. At the entrance to the harbor, there was a fortified fortress with numerous artillery batteries.
This sturdy fortress, consisting of stone walls and structures several meters thick, was prepared to repel any attack by invaders. Although the firepower of the cruiser Köln was strong, they were not an easy opponent to neutralize.
Therefore, Colonel Povarbeck was considering attacking Majunga, a port on the northwest coast of Madagascar. Majunga was a place where a large number of Muslims resided, and there was particularly strong dissatisfaction with France.
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Based on this location, Povarbeck planned to mimic the route of the French expeditionary force that had destroyed the Merina Kingdom and ascend to Antananarivo along the Betsiboka River.
Of course, Colonel Povarbeck did not deny that Toamasina was a much better choice if it was possible.
“If we’re going on an adventure, isn’t this the more certain option?”
“But what about the fortress? It seems impossible to face them head-on.”
The fortress was like a gatekeeper protecting Toamasina. Povarbeck was concerned that this fortress would be an obstacle.
The adventurous naval officer persuaded the Colonel once again.
“If we land infantry on both sides of the fortress at night and launch a surprise attack, it might be worth trying. Unless the French imagine that we will attack, how will they prepare?”
The Colonel briefly considered whether Max Lüp’s opinion had any merit.
“What are the chances that those French bastards are prepared?”
The answer came easily. Considering the low morale and training of the French colonial army, as well as the effectiveness of surprise attacks, it was a reasonable opinion.
“If we can only capture the fortress, it will be a gamble worth taking.”
Instead of destroying it, if they were to seize it, the Toamasina port itself would naturally be cut off.
“In that case, we have to time it right to reach the vicinity of Madagascar. If we approach too quickly, we will be detected by passing ships, and if we approach too late, there won’t be enough time to prepare for the fortress attack.”
“Don’t worry. The sea breeze we encountered in the Indian Ocean is now getting boring.”
“Believe me. Please take good care of our soldiers all the way to Madagascar.”
“We will meet your expectations with the best possible outcome.”
Colonel exchanged a handshake with Max Rupp.
Soon, the colonel who disembarked from the cruiser Köln gathered the officers. It was the moment the fateful German colonial conquest of Madagascar began.
*
August 27, 1914, in front of Toamasina, French Republic of Madagascar.
Toamasina, the major port in eastern Madagascar, was a crucial stronghold for the colonial authorities.
Therefore, soldiers were always stationed at the Manda Fortress, which protected the port. The colonial authorities had deployed about 1.5 battalions of troops recently to defend this place.
The rest were mobilized for the defense of the Toamasina port, its surrounding forts, and coastal surveillance.
However, not all of the approximately 1.5 battalions of soldiers stayed at the Manda Fortress.
Due to the weak discipline in the colonial army, the number of French soldiers on leave or absent exceeded half of the total, and even the remaining personnel were adept at deceiving the registry and slipping away unnoticed.
“Why the hell did those damn Germans come all the way here? They should have gone to Réunion, where the naval headquarters is.”
“Let’s go there and get drunk.”
“Hey, Victor. Don’t forget to sign my duty report as well.”
In this regard, there was no need to distinguish between black and white.
Thanks to this, there were only about 150 soldiers left in Toamasina, and most of them were either sleeping in their quarters or having fun with women.
The soldiers who properly guarded the fortress could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Given the situation, they had no way of noticing the ships carrying the expeditionary force of Forebeck approaching over the horizon.
“The water is too shallow, making it difficult to approach any further. We need to lower the boats here.”
Forebeck was already aware that a safe landing was impossible, although there were some waves.
The colonel, considering the unfavorable conditions of the rough waves at night, boarded the boat with specially selected Ascaris and Europeans.
“If we fail, immediately turn back.”
The colonel ordered the bilge pump to ensure the safety of the cruiser.
“Do not worry.”
Max Roup and naval officers saluted on the deck of the cruiser. Porebeck also nodded briefly in response. Whether it was because of the waves or the currents, the boat was moving slower than expected.
As the soldiers quickly lost their stamina, Porebeck took turns with them, gripping the oars and cutting through the water. Battling the sea and the fierce waves, he took out his pocket watch and saw that it was already past halfway through the night.
Porebeck felt his mouth drying up.
“This is driving me crazy.”
But he couldn’t show impatience in front of his subordinates who were watching. Then, the current changed.
Just a little while ago, they had to row ten times to make progress, but now, even with just two strokes, they moved forward smoothly.
Thanks to the sudden change in the current, Porebeck reached the coast at a not-so-late hour.
Only four boats had arrived at the sandy beach. The rest were still nowhere to be seen, perhaps pushed off course and stranded in unexpected places.
“Now what should we do?”
As the attention of his subordinates focused on him, Porebeck made a decision.
“If we delay, we will all perish. There was no way out the moment we boarded the boat.”
The expeditionary force estimated the direction of the fortress with the light and swiftly began to move. As they battled the rough sea and raced towards the sand dunes, some soldiers complained of muscle pain.
“Each commander, confirm only the personnel available for combat.”
When they finally reached near the fortress and rechecked the personnel, there were barely 70 soldiers available for combat.
“Only 68. It’s gloomy.”
“What will you do?”
“They say Napoleon said that. In my dictionary, there is no such thing as impossible. I am the same. Swiftly suppress the enemy!”
The colonel led this small group of personnel to launch a surprise attack on the fortress. Although the thick walls held, there were no defending soldiers, so they did not hinder the attackers. No matter how sturdy the fortress walls were, they were useless without someone to guard them.
“Come on. Steady your balance from the bottom.”
“Step on their heads gently.”
The soldiers built a human ladder and swiftly climbed over a wall that was over 3 meters tall.
“What, what is this?”
A soldier who was briefly dozing off on top of the wall looked surprised when he saw the unexpected intruders.
He knew that the German navy could attack, but he never imagined that the enemy would land and launch an attack, so his reaction was somewhat clumsy.
“Kch. Grr.”
A German soldier who swiftly approached stabbed a Frenchman in the chest with a knife.
The wounded soldier tried to scream, but he died quietly without being able to warn his comrades.
After silently dispatching the Frenchmen on the wall, the attackers entered the fortress. The defense was too weak, so the attack on the fortress was easier than Forebeck had imagined.
Thinking that the job was done, the soldiers relaxed for a moment, and then a French soldier discovered them and blew a horn.
Beep!
“Oh no.”
They had to kill without a chance to respond, but this diminished the element of surprise. As French soldiers rushed out from various places, the Germans began openly shooting.
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out, and the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air, making the severity of the situation evident. The French officers, realizing this belatedly, abandoned their complacency and rushed out of their rooms.
“The infiltrators are few! Gather your wits and defend your positions! The bastards can’t withstand gunfire. Just buy some time!”
They began to organize the scattered soldiers who were resisting here and there, and started to resist the attackers in a more organized manner.
“Mother. Mother.”
As the counterattack took shape, the bloody trenches seemed even dirtier. While the German attack faltered, the number of French soldiers joining from various fortresses continued to increase.
“The enemy is over there!”
“Wipe them all out! How dare they attack our fortress!”
Now the defenders’ numbers were starting to encircle the attackers.
It was an inevitable problem, as the number of German soldiers participating in the attack was small.
Porebeck made a decision.
“Blow up the ammunition depot!”
Porebeck wanted to take the fortress intact if possible, but he did not cling to the impossible.
Soon, a tremendous explosion occurred in the center of the fortress.
Kwaaang!
With a loud noise, a huge mushroom cloud bloomed, and fragments flew in all directions. While the French were half-dazed by the unexpected massive explosion, the Germans quickly subdued them.
Soon, dozens of French soldiers, who had put down their weapons and raised their hands, were dragged out to the chaotic open space of the fortress and knelt down.
Just as the French soldiers who had been out on leave rushed back in a hurry after seeing the mushroom cloud over the fortress, the German battleship and expeditionary force proudly revealed themselves against the backdrop of a sunrise that dyed the horizon red.
“W-What is that?”
“It’s a German battleship!”
The remaining French soldiers were stunned by the grandeur of the German battleship, the Köln, which was boldly pushing forward.
“Let’s give those frog bastards a proper greeting.”
When the main gun of the battleship fired, even the French soldiers who still held weapons began to raise their hands.
Since the fortress had fallen, there was no means to resist the firepower of the battleship alone.
As Forebeck ran towards the fortress, he realized the long battle had ended when he saw the French soldiers who had stopped in their tracks.
“Damn, it was tough.”
Feeling intense fatigue, he collapsed on the spot and started to breathe heavily.
The fall of Toamasina itself dealt a fatal blow to the French colonial organization in Madagascar.
The German army’s victories were not limited to this.
From far away in Cameroon, Karl Heinrich Zimmermann led a small German defense force that defeated the French expeditionary force.
Under the command of Graf Spee, the German East Asian Fleet attacked the Indian Federation and then advanced to disrupt France’s trade in the Indian Ocean.
Unfortunately for the negotiating countries, they were unable to achieve victory even in the colonies.
The situation was turning out to be more disadvantageous for them than they had thought.