Armies in East Africa 1914–18

Osprey Men at Arms #379

by Peter Abbott, Raffaele Ruggeri (Illustrator)

One of the least-published campaigns of World War I (1914-1918) was that fought in East Africa by forces of colonial troops – British Empire, Belgian, Portuguese and German. Short of resources, many European, African and Indian soldiers recorded epics of endurance as they hunted the outnumbered but brilliantly led German colonial forces across a disease-ridden wilderness.
The achievements of Paul von Lettow Vorbeck – the last German commander in the field to lay down his arms – brought him fame and respect comparable to that won by Rommel in World War II. The events and the forces are described here in concise detail, and illustrated with rare photographs and striking colour artworks.

Genres: History, Military History, Africa, World War I, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2002

Reviews

[Almantas]

Osprey Publishing Men-At-Arms publication.

[Grant]

Abbott provides a solid overview of the East Africa campaign with Osprey's usual lavish illustrations.

[Jimmy]

The bulk of the book actually covers the military operations in German East Africa in contrast with the usual format of the Men-at-Arms series. However, it also tends to use untranslated foreign terms and words rather than their English equivalents.