Battle of Kusseri

Last updated
Battle of Kusseri
Part of the Kamerun Campaign in World War I
DateLate August – 25 September 1914
Location Kusseri, German Kamerun
Result French victory
Belligerents

Flag of France.svg France

Flag of the German Empire.svg German Empire

Commanders and leaders
Flag of France.svg Colonel Largeau [1] Flag of the German Empire.svg Lieutenant Siegfried Kallmeyer
Strength
Flag of France.svg 250
1 gun
Flag of the German Empire.svg 37
Casualties and losses
23
1 gun [2]
12 [3]

The Battle of Kusseri between German and French forces took place from late August to 25 September 1914 in Kusseri, northeastern Kamerun during the Kamerun Campaign of World War I. The action resulted in the French capture of the Kusseri fort and the German garrison's retreat to Mora.

German Empire empire in Central Europe between 1871–1918

The German Empire, also known as Imperial Germany, was the German nation state that existed from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918.

French Third Republic Nation of France from 1870 to 1940

The French Third Republic was the system of government adopted in France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 after France's defeat by Nazi Germany in World War II led to the formation of the Vichy government in France.

Kamerun West African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916

German Cameroon was an African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon. German Cameroon also included northern parts of Gabon and the Congo with western parts of the Central African Republic, southwestern parts of Chad and far eastern parts of Nigeria.

Contents

Background

Upon the outbreak of World War I, French forces under the command of Colonel Largeau, across the border from German Kamerun in French Equatorial Africa stationed at Fort Lamy, invaded the colony. Their goal was to capture the German fort at Kusseri, near Lake Chad which would allow French forces to assist British ones in their attacks on German forces in western Kamerun. The German garrison, under Lieutenant Kallmeyer consisted of 31 men. Five more were recruited from the town of Kusseri when it became known that the French were invading. [3] Kallmeyer surrounded the fort with thick thorny bushes in preparation for the oncoming attack.

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

French Equatorial Africa federation of French colonial possessions in Central Africa

French Equatorial Africa, or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are today the countries of Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.

Lake Chad lake in Africa

Lake Chad is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the Global Resource Information Database of the United Nations Environment Programme, it shrank by as much as 95% from about 1963 to 1998, but "the 2007 (satellite) image shows significant improvement over previous years." Lake Chad is economically important, providing water to more than 30 million people living in the four countries surrounding it on the edge of the Sahara. It is the largest lake in the Chad Basin.

Battle

The French had sent 250 riflemen and one artillery piece to capture the German fort in late August. [2] The initial French assaults on the fort were repelled by German machine guns and resulted in heavy casualties. Additionally, the lone French artillery piece was destroyed by the Germans. After these failures, the French withdrew to Fort Lamy, but returned with reinforcements on 20 September 1914. Considering the size of his force in comparison to the French one, and the fatigue that had come about after continual attacks, Kallmeyer decided that staying to fight was futile and that retreat was the only option.

Aftermath

Shortly after midnight on 25 September, following a strong French attack on the fort, German soldiers made a fighting retreat from Kusseri. In the chaos and thick bush, the force got separated. They made their way to the German stronghold at Mora, approximately 150 kilometers to the southwest and arrived there from 28 September to 9 October. 25 soldiers remained of the 37 that had originally made up the German garrison at Kusseri. [3] The rest had been killed in battle, captured during the retreat, or deserted. The remaining members of the detachment would later participate in the Siege of Mora. The French renamed the fort at Kusseri, Fort Foureau following its capture on 25 September. [1]

Mora, Cameroon Place in Far North Province, Cameroon

Mora is a town in northern Cameroon. Mora has a population of 55,216 making it the 5th biggest city in Far North.

The Siege of Mora or Siege of Moraberg, between Allied and besieged German troops, took place from August 1914 to February 1916 on and around the Mora mountain in northern Kamerun during the Kamerun Campaign of the First World War. After more than a year of siege German forces on the mountain surrendered, following the escape of many German troops to the neutral Spanish colony of Rio Muni.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Strachan 2004. p. 34
  2. 1 2 Fecitte
  3. 1 2 3 Damis 1929

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References

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Coordinates: 12°05′N15°02′E / 12.083°N 15.033°E / 12.083; 15.033

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

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