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Myth vs Reality: Britain’s African Army In WW1's Toughest Campaign

Redcoat History

160,218 views

The King’s African Rifles began the First World War as a relatively small colonial force, but by 1918 they had become some of the British Empire’s most experienced frontline soldiers.

In this video we follow the KAR through the brutal East African Campaign, from desperate fighting at Latema Nek and Mahiwa to the extraordinary story of RSM George Williams DCM and Bar, while also looking at who the askaris were, why they joined up, and the formidable German Schutztruppe they faced.

It’s a story of disease, endurance, bayonet charges and forgotten battles fought across some of the toughest terrain of the entire First World War.

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20 Comments

@redcoathistory Creator 1 month ago Pinned

Hi all. Please comment below which other little-known regiments/conflicts you would like to see me make a video on. PS It's been great to see the positive feedback and interest in this subject (despite a few negative people as always). . .

@joereilly1519 1 month ago

I read about a African soldier who served with the Germans in East Africa. In the applied for to the Germans for a military pention, in the 1960s. To prove he was a veteran, they asked him preform the German manual of arms. He did so flawlessly and was granted the pension.

@johnphair333 1 month ago

An interesting story told about the German Askaris, was in the early 60s , the surviving veterans of Kaisers army were told to gather at a certain spot.nobody had records so it was decided to put them through some arm's drill and square bashing.the one's who knew how to drill were given a small reward for there service

@billbarton9046 1 month ago

My uncle served in No5 Army commando and fought in the Arakan battles ,he really rated both 81st & 82nd West African infantry Divisions.He said that they were hard and steady soldiers, especially during the advance in the mountains.

@idomalion6167 1 month ago

Many men from my tribe/ clan fought for Britain in WW1 against the German Kameroons , then later in the East African campaign. In WW2 they served in Palestine and Burma with the RWAFF. My Great Grand Uncle passed away at the age of 111years in 2023. He served in Palestine along with other members of my clan. They enlisted on mass. He was the last WW2 veteran in our clan. We are a warrior clan and he is buried near the gods of war. His motto was "Man passes man. God passes everyone". It was a reflection of all the battles he had experienced. He came to the conclusion; no matter how tough you are (or brave), there are others better than you and survival is down to the divine.

Thanks for honouring these men, with this video.

@rashidahmad7830 1 month ago

Both German Askari and British King’s Africa Rifles were superb. The Askaris were loyal to Lettow Vorbeck and served until the end. Lettow Vorbeck sureendered months after the armistice. He fought a fine campaign despite shortages and cut off from Germany.
The King’s Africa Rifles finest hour was in Burma in WW2. They were in the 11th East African Division, which fought in central Burma, after Imphal, all the way down the Irrawaddy.

@FixedBayonets1916 1 month ago

Cracking video! You really nailed this one and it's awesome to see coverage of the East African campaign in such granular detail. I especially liked the way you blend archival footage and interviews with on-the-spot reporting. Great work as always!

@chrischristie1486 1 month ago

When I was a little boy I inherited an Airfix style soldier the like of which I had never seen before. A tall black man with a towering red fez like hat, a white uniform with long shorts and a Lee Enfield type rifle. From that day to this I had no idea who he was or who he fought for. Puzzle solved. Thank you Chris.

@tokoloshimampara9932 1 month ago

The Rhodesian African Rifles were a formidable force who served with honour across a number of theatres. What's more they were all volunteers and yet constituted up to 70% of the Rhodesian army.

@johnkilmartin5101 4 weeks ago

The number of bearers that died during the East African Campaign is thought to exceed 100 000. Almost all of the bearers were conscripts , whereas the askaris on both sides were volunteers.

@bremnersghost948 1 month ago

Great to see the KAR getting some Love, Most people think of the Gurkhas, Maoris and Zulus as the Warrior Tribes that served the British Empire, but don't know about the Masai, Nandi, Simburu, Turkani etc that didn't just fight in Africa but on many Fronts.

@philhawley1219 1 month ago

My grandfather's elder brother served in East Africa in the First WW.
His unit ended up in a very remote area and they didn't get news of the end of the war until February 1919.

@Scott-jm2sv 1 month ago (edited)

Tunakwenda. Tunashinda - We are going. We are winning (victorious). It's from the verbs Kukwenda (go) and Kushinda (win). The Tuna- prefix is the 3rd person present tense "We are.."

@andrewrodgers2180 1 month ago

Most interesting episode. The campaign in German East Africa was a hard slog. Thanks to the brave men of the KAR for their service. They were just the right type of troops the Brits needed for that situation. Also thanks for shedding some light on this relatively unknown unit.

@VictorRobertson-o9n 1 month ago

Thanks for covering the KAR Chris. The African front is an under covered aspect of the great war. Remember starting a book about it years ago now Can't remember the name of it. Thanks for keeping their stories alive 🙏