Missing Gun from the SMS Königsberg

[CPT Bob]

I have read those same passages many times. I am certain that all of the European officers billeted in Tabora were professional and sociable. I am uncertain how long any Allied-led “Infantry” troops were billeted around Tabora.

General Hoskins was a “Logistical Expert”. During his time as the Commander, the railway from DAR to Tabora was repaired. Roads and bridges needed for supply-routes were improved. Material was stockpiled and maintenance depots were established. Proper care for all non-combatants was established. When all the logistical preparations were “complete”, General Hoskins was replaced by General van Deventer, who was a …..“Tactical Expert”. (?)

As the war progressed, most rear-echelon British Staff officers and logistical troops were replaced by South Africans.

I understand that large units of the Force Publique “redeployed” back into East Africa from “Rwanda and Burundi” for the offensive in later-1917.

Regardless of who was “el Hefe” in the town of Tabora, there is no evidence that the Belgians took the Itaga Gun back to the Congo and no one knows the provenance of the Pretoria Gun. I am simply offering one possible scenario of how it could have happened.

The Pretoria Gun appears to have been a “functional” cannon; it has brakes and the elevation mechanism. Compare it to the Mombasa Gun, which is simply a barrel sitting on a bare frame.

The Germans reported that the damaged Krupp Carriage from Kondoa-Irangi was repaired and re-used. We have accounted for all four of the Krupp Carriages, but not for the repaired K-I carriage. I believe it went to Kigoma Hill-Itaga-Pretoria.

Did General van Deventer take the gun when he redeployed home? Did Horace Byatt send it to Smutts as a “gift”? I have no idea, but this is where I am looking to find answers.

I have exchanged several e-mails with the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History. They eventually sent my inquiry to their “expert” on the Force Publique. I sent him several additional e-mails. He never responded.

Regarding the Mombasa Gun (a non-functional display-piece); when it was originally unveiled, the Kahe Barrel was a “Tourist Attraction” in DAR.

[Tanzania]

SOME REMARKS REGARDING THE POSITION OF THE TABORA-GUN ON 18. SEPTEMBER 1916


Long time ago we have made the assumption that Itaga doesn´t exist, because of the newly erected reservoir
at that exact spot. Maybe an error in reasoning?! Because a lake is always at the deepest; - and not on the highest
point (Itaga or the Ngeruka hill). Itaga is still an active Mission and the only constant fix point to the sketch below.
I think the battle-ground of Itaga and the Ngeruka hill where this Koenigsberg-gun was lost is still visible up today.









What if the still existing and working Mission would have some old records about historical events in their archives?

.

[Chris Dale]

Good work, Holger!

Cheers
Chris

[CPT Bob]

Excellent work!

More than a year ago I sent e-mails regarding the Itaga Gun to several people at the Archdiocese of Tabora. (No responses.) Photos of the old mission church are posted on their website with their “Tabora” postal address and other contact information. I mistakenly assumed that the old church was in Tabora.

[CPT Bob]

I have often read that the “Officers Dining Service” from the SMS Konigsberg was at the Kenya Railway Museum. I always assumed it was a set of Silver or a collection of plates. No! It is the furniture.

http://owaahh.com/how-salvage-from-a-wo ... ay-museum/

Kognisberg-2.jpg (59.49 KiB) Viewed 472 times

[CPT Bob]

A familiar photo appears on page 17 of this PDF file. The photo’s description is in French and I believe that is incorrect.

http://www.lavigerie.be/IMG/pdf/FM_N_2_2014.pdf

***C'est au Boma de Tabora que l'armee alliee retrouva un des dernier gros canons du Konigsberg.***(It is at the Boma of Tabora that the allied army found one of the last big guns of the Konigsberg.)

The statement is basically correct, but it is very misleading. The photograph does not portray Allied Soldiers and the location is not Tabora. (The report was not written by Military Historians and the report was not intended for Military Historians.) It does correctly identify the Itaga Mission another photograph.

incorrect.JPG (33.01 KiB) Viewed 456 times

[Tanzania]

Very good! An additional important piece of this giant puzzle, with many informations.

Currently I try to find informations in the Tanganyika Notes and Records
In my opinion there should be further relevant information in our theme aviable,
but I have not any idea where I can get it from?

[Chris Dale]

I know we have debated this one a lot already but I have a slightly new angle on this "Tabora 1916" photo...

We thought the history of the gun in this photo was Kigoma-Elephant Foot....Kondoa-Iringi 2nd Gun....Tabora-Itaga ... right? I'm having trouble with that. I do not doubt that a gun made that jounrey as recorded by many German records but I do not think it is the gun in this photograph.

Back to the old flange debates, the gun in this photo has no barrel flange. Therefore it is not the gun in the turret at Kigoma Elephant foot which certainly had a barrel flange for its turret fitting.

By the usual process of elimination, and for the usual reasons of flange/no flange, Dar carriages, etc... It cannot be the guns captured at-

Kahe- because that had no carriage
Jinja- because that had no carriage
Bagamoyo- because that had a flange
Mkyuni- because that had a Dar carriage
Korogwe (Goetzen Gun)- because that had a flange
Tabora/Itaga- because as discussed above, that had a flange
Kibata- because that had a Dar carriage
Mahiwa- because we think (though we're not 100% certain) that that had a flange, as we think it's in Mombasa.
Masasi- because that had a flange

This seems most likely to me to be the never seen before 1st Kondoa-Irangi gun, the one that was later buried in Dar, which we know did have a Krupp carriage and are unsure as to if it had a flange or not as we've never seen proven photos of it. Though I admit it is conveivable that it is possible that it is the gun later captured at Mahiwa.

But the photograph is labelled as Tabora and is from Belgian files. We know from the German uniformed crew in the photo that it was taken by a German during its operation, rather than after its capture by a Belgian. So the Belgians captured this photo from a German. How did they capture a photo of the 1st gun from Kondoa-Iringi?

At this stage the Mahiwa option becomes less likely. That went South from Dar with its commander Wenig, away from the South African-British advance towards Dar. It was abandoned near Mahiwa in 1917 and found by advancing South African-British troops. Wenig was one of the last of the Schutztruppe surrendering to the British at Abercombe in Nov 1918. There doesn't seem to be much chance of the Belgians getting a photo of that gun 1916.

The commander of the 1st Gun at Kondoa was Reinhold Kohtz. After it misfired, he also commanded the 2nd Gun at Kondoa which had come from Kigoma (with its flange- so it's not the one in this photo). Kohtz continued to command that 2nd gun as it went back West and was eventually captured by the Belgians at Tabora/Itaga in September 1916. Kohtz's entry in the "Offizeirkorps der Schutztruppe" (which I bought recently), shows that he was also captured by the Belgians at Tabora in September 1916!

Quite possibly in his possesion was a photo of his 1st Kondoa gun, which the Belgians took from him and labelled it "Tabora 1916" not realising it was not the same gun as found at Itaga!!!!!

That leaves the 2nd Kondoa gun, captured at Tabora/Itaga as the hot favourite to be the Pretoria gun in my mind, although I agree that I don't know it got from Belgian hands to the South African capital. We just need those South Africans to tell us where they got their gun from originally!

Cheers
Chris

[CPT Bob]

At this time last year, I studied the two photographs, Google Earth, LT Kohtz and the Kondoa-Irangi Gun. I continue to contend that the photos were taken at Dodoma and it is LT Kohtz is in both photos. I also agree that all Krupp carriages are accounted for. (I posted this a slightly different version of this “graphic art” in March 2015 on page 23.)

LT Kohtz commanded the gun at K-I until the barrel accidentally exploded while firing at the Enemy. He was later reassigned to command the gun that was removed from the Goetzen, mounted on a DAR carriage and used in the northwest against the advancing Belgians until it was abandoned at Kologwe.

LT Kohtz withdrew to Itaga and, being the senior “gunnery officer”, assumed Command of the remaining gun until it was also abandoned. LT Kohtz was very sick at that time and when the Germans consolidated their forces at Tabora, LT Kohtz was hospitalized. He was a Patient in the Hospital when the Force Publique entered Tabora and he became a POW of the Belgians.

[Chris Dale]

I'm being slow here, aren't I?

"The barrel is pointing East" from Dodoma????

I'm maybe a bit lost here... did the gun fire that way down the railway? I thought it was retreating from the Belgians in the West?


Cheers
Chris

[CPT Bob]

I will fire a flare into the sky; let me know if you can see it. Ha!

I concede that my theory is only a “Theory”. Although I do consider the photos’ attached captions, our shared experiences have shown that "captions" are often incorrect. We acquired the photos from two different sources; their attached descriptions differ and both lack credibility.

I see soldiers in “mixed-uniforms” (we agree that they are Germans and not Belgians) posing around a gun without a Flange mounted on a Krupp carriage that is parked at a railway depot. The gun has been slightly repositioned between photos; the barrel points toward the railway tracks in one photo and away from the tracks in the other.

One photo shows the soldiers posing as if they were firing the gun. If it were an actual “combat” photo, the man on the right would be knocked from the large wedge by the recoiling gun's wheel and most of the men would not be huddled around the breech. (They would likely be leaning away with eyes closed and mouths open.)

I believe that the two photos show the gun soon after it was unloaded from a train at the Dodoma depot (located on the North side of the railway); prior to it being hauled to Kondoa-Irangi. I think that the gun is facing to the East simply because that is how it was unloaded from the train and not for any Tactical reasons.

If it is the K-I gun at the Dodoma depot, then it must be LT Kohtz in the photos.

Maybe!

Dodoma Depot I.jpg (77.58 KiB) Viewed 397 times

[Chris Dale]

I understand now...

And yes, I agree Dodoma is a likely place for this photo and those men do not look ready to fire a gun now you come to mention it!

Thanks for explaining it so well...

Cheers
Chris

[danebrog]

To say it with Sherlock Holmes:
You see, but you do not observe.

[CPT Bob]

I searched Google Images for "Mombasa Coca-Cola". The first result was the vendor next to the Konigsberg Gun at Fort Jesus. Notice the green sign behind the Ice Cream.

kiosk-with-coca-cola-advertising-in-old-town-mombasa-kenya-bp7509.jpg (110.6 KiB) Viewed 361 times

[Tanzania]

I searched Google Images for "Mombasa Coca-Cola". . . .

We should also look for "Mahiwa Coca Cola" or "Korogwe Coca Cola" . . . . .