Review by Booklist Review
Early in World War I, Britain and South Africa easily captured Germany's African colonies, with the exception of modern Tanzania. There, in then-German East Africa, they encountered a commander rated highly by historians of the war: Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. Paice's chronicle of the four years that von Lettow-Vorbeck's outnumbered force eluded Allied pursuit should reinforce the German's military reputation as it illuminates for readers the factors in his success. Disposing of German officers and men numbering a few thousand, von Lettow-Vorbeck depended vitally on African soldiers and porters for his guerrilla-style campaign. Capitalizing on his advantages, such as interior lines that enabled him to concentrate his force, and great space in which to retreat, von Lettow-Vorbeck also benefited from annual rainy seasons that mired military operations. A thorough researcher, Paice attends to Allied exertions to defeat the Germans with a pointed comparison of the suffering entailed by prosecuting an African war (more than 100,000 died) with dubious strategic significance to a war that would be decided in Europe. Without doubt, Paice has written the benchmark book on WWI in East Africa.--Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Paice, a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, has written what is by a significant margin the best book to date on the Great War in East Africa. Paice integrates an impressive spectrum of archival and printed sources into a comprehensive analysis based on the premise that, for economic and emotional reasons, "Africa mattered to the European powers." Paice accurately and evocatively describes a campaign in which modern technology was consistently frustrated by terrain, climate and disease. He acknowledges the tactical brilliance of German Gen. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. He demonstrates as well that the Germans sustained their operations through systematic brutality that has led too many historians to mistake Africans' fear for loyalty. In that respect there was in practice little difference among the combatants. In East Africa horse transport was ineffective; supplies had to be moved by humans. Among more than a million Africans recruited by Britain alone, at least a tenth died. Subsistence economies were wracked by famine and disease, culminating in the influenza epidemic of 1918. While the voices of East Africa's Great War remain largely Western, the burdens were disproportionately borne locally. 16 pages of photos; maps. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
This very detailed history of the World War I African campaigns focuses on the Allied efforts--ultimately unsuccessful and at great human cost--to root out a stubborn German colonial force. Numerous historians have examined the remarkable exploits of Gen. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, commander of the German East African campaign, who outthought a series of Allied commanders with many times his own force and denied masses of materiel and men to the European front. British historian Paice (Lost Lion of Empire: The Life of `Cape-to-Cairo' Grogan) manages to bring into focus the immense logistical problems, hostile terrain, startlingly high casualties, and political disruption of a battleground that stretched from South Africa to Somalia. Readers will be particularly interested in the complex situation faced by General Smuts, Britain's South African commander, both in the field and on the highly charged home front, where the Boer War had not been forgotten. The author does an excellent job of untangling tactical issues while not losing sight of the big picture. Highly recommended for most libraries with interest in Africa or military history.--Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Masterly study reconfirms the significance and staggering human cost of the 1914-18 campaigns in East Africa. Considered by many then and now as a "sideshow" to World War I's European theater, the battle waged by Great Britain and its allies against the Germans in their respective East African colonies claimed more than 100,000 lives and cost a veritable fortune (£2.8 billion in today's money). And not everyone thought it was a minor field of conflict: "The Great War was more occasioned by conflicting colonial ambitions in Africa than by German and Austrian schemes in the Balkans and Asia Minor," argued British explorer Harry Johnson in 1919. It started badly for the British, who ran into immediate German resistance when they tried to secure the coast for shipping. Determined not to let the British cross the border into German East Africa, Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck rebuffed them in the famous battle of Tanga. For four years, the German commander defied incursions by Allied troops in vastly superior numbers led by British generals Arthur Aitken, Michael Tighe and Reginald Hoskins, as well as South African commander Jan Smuts. He did not surrender until November 25, 1918, two weeks after the European armistice. English scholar Paice, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, puts enormous amounts of research to excellent use in his first book. The intricate narrative shows South Africans overcoming their resentment from the Boer War to join with the opportunistic Portuguese on the side of the British. In addition, a million able-bodied Africans were pressed into work as carriers for these armies over difficult, insect-ridden terrain. At least 95,000 died, alongside 11,189 British troops. An authoritative summing-up of a grim, complex and little-known part of World War I. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
