Battle of Nsanakong

Last updated
Battle of Nsanakong
Part of the Kamerun Campaign in World War I
Date6 September 1914
Location
Nsanakong, German Kamerun
Result German victory
Belligerents

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British Empire

Flag of the German Empire.svg German Empire

Commanders and leaders

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lieutenant Colonel C. T. Mair [1]


Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Milne-Howe [2] 		Reichskolonialflagge.svg Hauptmann Rausch Emil  †
Strength
~200 800 [2]
Casualties and losses
8 British officers [3]
160 Nigerians (95 dead, 16 wounded, 49 captured) [4] 		113 (43 dead, 70 wounded) [5]

The Battle of Nsanakong or Battle of Nsanakang took place between defending British and attacking German forces during the Kamerun Campaign of the First World War. The town of Nsanakong had been occupied by the British on 30 August 1914. On 6 September, German forces attacked, driving the British force over the border back into Nigeria.

British Empire States and dominions ruled by the United Kingdom

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It originated with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23% of the world population at the time, and by 1920, it covered 35,500,000 km2 (13,700,000 sq mi), 24% of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its political, legal, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, the phrase "the empire on which the sun never sets" was often used to describe the British Empire, because its expanse around the globe meant that the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories.

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.

Kamerun Campaign theatre of WWI that involved the British, French and Belgian invasion of the German colony of Kamerun from August 1914 to March 1916

The Kamerun Campaign took place in the German colony of Kamerun in the African theatre of the First World War when the British, French and Belgians invaded the German colony from August 1914 to March 1916. Most of the campaign took place in Kamerun but skirmishes also broke out in British Nigeria. By the Spring of 1916, following Allied victories, the majority of German troops and the civil administration fled to the neighbouring neutral colony of Spanish Guinea. The campaign ended in a defeat for Germany and the partition of its former colony between France and Britain.

Contents

Background

Forces from British Nigeria had attempted to move into German Kamerun from a number of points along the colony's northern border. Attempts to do this at the First Battle of Garua and Mora had failed. Further south, a British column from Ikom crossed the Cross River into Kamerun and occupied the station of Nsanakong, 5 kilometers from the Nigerian border on 30 August. [6]

First Battle of Garua

The First Battle of Garua took place from 29 to 31 August 1914 during the Kamerun Campaign of the First World War between German and invading British forces in northern Kamerun at Garua. It was the first significant action to take place in the campaign and resulted in the German repulsion of the British force.

Cross River (Nigeria) river in southeastern Nigeria

Cross River is the main river in southeastern Nigeria and gives its name to Cross River State. It originates in Cameroon, where it takes the name of the Manyu River. Although not long by African standards its catchment has high rainfall and it becomes very wide. Over its last 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the sea its flows through swampy rainforest with numerous creeks and forms an inland delta near its confluence with the Calabar River, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) wide and 50 kilometres (31 mi) long between the cities of Oron on the west bank and Calabar, on the east bank, more than 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the open sea. The delta empties into a broad estuary which it shares with a few smaller rivers. At its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean, the estuary is 24 kilometres (15 mi) wide. The eastern side of the estuary is in the neighbouring country of Cameroon.

Battle

A week following the British occupation of Nsanakong, at two o'clock in the morning on 6 September 1914, German forces surrounded the village. [6] The Germans, armed with machine guns, attacked. The British defenders successfully repulsed this initial attack but in the process exhausted their ammunition. Another German attack came at five o'clock in the morning, this time from higher ground. The British could not repulse this one due to their lack of ammunition and attempted to break out by conducting a bayonet charge. [7] The result was disastrous for the British. They lost about 100 men which was equivalent to approximately half of their force during the battle, including eight of their eleven British officers. [3] German losses were also heavy with 40 dead including the commanding officer, Captain Rausch Emil. [5] After suffering heavy casualties, the remaining British units successfully retreated back into Nigeria.

Aftermath

The few British soldiers who did escape faced harsh conditions during their retreat back into Nigeria. [7] German units pursued them over the frontier and occupied the British station at Okuri which they later abandoned. This failed invasion, along with the failures of other Allied columns along Kamerun's northwestern border with Nigeria, forced the British to go on the defensive. [3] German forces gained confidence as a result of this victory and patrols began to make intrusions into British Nigeria as far west as Yola.

Notes

  1. ↑ O'Neill 1918, p. 46.
  2. 1 2 Hilditch 1915, p. 20.
  3. 1 2 3 Strachan 2001, p. 522.
  4. ↑ Hilditch, 21
  5. 1 2 "Der Raubzug Gegen Unsere Kolonien"
  6. 1 2 Buchan 1922, p. 150.
  7. 1 2 Reynolds et al. 1916.

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References

Coordinates: 5°52.57′N8°58.48′E / 5.87617°N 8.97467°E / 5.87617; 8.97467

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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