Battle of Namakura

[cj]

Hello gentlemen,

Im looking for details on the battle of Namakura. I know it was after von Lettow led his forces into Portuguese East Africa, and after British reinforcements arrived to support the portuguese. Which units were involved, on all sides. I think it was a single KAR battalion for the British if memory serves, sadly Im away from my library until August. German Companies? Portuguese Companies? Beyond that I know it resulted in a massive entente collapse and retreat into a river and a large number of casualties due to crocadiles. Portuguese and British Commanders? German company commanders?

thanks a ton
CJ Anderson

[CharlesRollinsWare]

CJ;

Do you have a specific date? I can look up what Boell has, but the German names for battles seldom match the Allied names and without a date to link with my limited translation abilites, I might be giving you bad info!

Mark E. Horan

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

Hello CJ


My name is Cristiano, i´m brazilian and the language of my country is portuguese.

sorry for some error in translation, i used the google translator to help me.


"The Battle of NHAMACURRA"
tranlated
http://www.arqnet.pt/portal/portugal/gr ... cam04.html



The communiqué of allies on December 4, 1917, said: "A small German force refuge themselves in Portuguese territory and has been taken all precautions for their persecution." In that time the colonel Sousa Rosa received order to evacuate Porto Amélia, which constitute a new base of the British forces, which, while cooperating in the defense of our colony, there would be not subordinated to Portuguese Command.

As the report of General Van Deventer, commander in chief of the Allies, the situation was interpreted by him as the Germans, assuming that their proposals would extend the campaign, avoiding engage in the fund, to last for another time while on the side of the allies plan of the campaign effect in the first months of 1918, after the rains that normally finished in March, would surround the Germans who remained at the heart of the territories of the Company of Niassa, between the Rovuma river and Lúrio river.

The December 13, 1917, British transport arriving to Porto Amelia and starts to slow organization of a English column, under the command of Colonel Rose, while the general Van Deventer will the Lourenço Marques confer with the governor general of our interim colony because the governor Alvaro de Castro return for Portugal. In mid April 1918 all British forces landed in Porto Amelia are under the command of General Edwards and make contact with the Germans, who fought successively on all fronts with sensitive losses on both sides, sometimes reaching a tenth of efectives. In May the siege the Germans is tighter, the Portuguese still in Chomba and Lúrio river, while the generals Edwards and Hawthorn, the coming of Niassa, connect with each other. But the Germans manage to escape to the south across the Lúrio river in several shallow places and abandoning two ambulances full of sick and injured to make its forces more mobile, and thus, in June surprised some Portuguese forces already in the district of Quelimane, saying in his memoirs the master - "[size=150]that the officers were taking coffee on the balcony of the post[/size]" .

Ignorance of the service of patrols was our biggest deficiency tactics, leaving us with surprising frequency and weakening us the movements. Similarly the British suffered much the same lack of their troops.

Because of the threat on German Quelimane, the device ally move to the South The Colonel Sousa. Rosa change his HQ for Quelimane and General Edwards transfers to your Mozambique. The cruisers' Adamastor "and" Thistle "protect the town of Quelimane, and there the Portuguese reinforced by a battalion of three companies indigenous English(KAR).

The Germans marched with a group of three companies in the vanguard followed by the bulk of the forces for a day of marches and guard the rear two steps later. The instructions for Von Lettow had finally seek ammunition.

Our security service still delivered to the provisional English officer, which at June 30, the eve of battle Nhamacurra, said: "There is no news of the enemy. The Licungo river is not crossed ". For the following day, July 1, the Germans crossed the vanguard of the Licungo river; truth is that the men had water by the neck and operation of the crossing of the river took hours to perform.

Nhamacurra, 40 kilometres to the north of Quelimane, is a large deposit of a Sugar Company, station of the rail transport of Quelimane, deposit service also gone for a navigable river, the deposits had three hundred tons of sugar and other foodstuffs.

The command of the allied forces belonged to a Portuguese major, but finally had a English lieutenant-colonel Brown, promoted at the time . The position of the trenches, with three kilometres of development, was felled by a difficult line of water, and was manned by three Portuguese companies and two English. As the report of the commander in chief Van Deventer, on the afternoon of July 1, the area west of position was surprised and flanked and, although the Portuguese officers and sergeants have fought for three hours with bravery , the entire sector, two pieces of cannon shot fast, crashed into power of the enemy, and the Portuguese two officers and a sergeant killed, many injured and eleven official prisoners.

On day 2 the Germans to attack again, with the bulk under the command of Von Lettow, but are repelled. At 6 hours of the morning of day 3, repeat the attack with greater intensity in the 15 hours open fire with artillery , causing the emergence of civil disorder in the trenches, and panic busts fleeing troops to the river, where drown the commander Brown and many soldiers, due to the strong stream and the width of the river measured at 80 meters. Two Europeans were prisoners, almost all wounded, 5 English and 117 Portuguese, circumventing getting up at night about 55 Portuguese. Apart from the two pieces dismantled, the Germans took 7 heavy machine guns and 350 Portuguese and English rifles.

After this heavy fight of Nhamacurra, still appeared up the river a steam ship with ammunition and supplies, which was also captured by the Germans, no longer had chargers that could carry as valuable prey.

The Germans did after running the rumour that ranged attack Quelimane, thus disturbing the situation of the town, where he was immediately given order for boarding the ship cruisers, women and children as well as the values of the Bank, and were taken provisions for defence, against the possibility that attack.


RESULT

In Nhamacurra the commander Von Lettow verifed that many of the indigenous British soldiers were already recruited in German East Africa, including many former German soldiers , where proof the ease with which a african soldier can enlist under different flags, continuing to be good soldier.


For us(PORTUGUESE), there was the difficulty of fighting this cooperation with the British, resulting from our unfortunate mutual ignorance.

The fight for Nhamacurra was the last major action of the Portuguese period at the command of Colonel Sousa Rosa, which in July 7 come back the Portugal . He was appointed commander in its place the general Gomes da Costa, months before returning to France, which, however, only reached taking command on December 21, 1918,after the armistice.



Cheers

Cristiano de Souza Oliveira Campos
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil.

[cj]

wow, thanks. May I ask where you got that from, and the map? Do you have a larger map?

Thanks again

CJ

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

Hi

I got all these information in these website, included the map. I don´t have a large map.

i translated for you the chapter about nhamacurra battle. Ican tranlate others chapters.


http://www.arqnet.pt/portal/portugal/gr ... ocam04.htm

Cheers

Cistiano.

[cj]

Christiano,

could you maybe find out if the Portuguese units were composed of all native soldiers or were they from those sent from Portugal?

thanks

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

Hi Cj

During Battle of Nhamacurra i believe the portuguese units are all african companies with portuguese officers and NCO


Cheers

Cristiano