Were African Troops Inferior as Combatants during WWI & II?
"Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter" -Chinua Achebe
DURING THE CONQUEST OF AFRICA, which would inevitably see the Continent embroiled in the two Great Wars, colonial mentality authenticated by caricatures of John Bull (Great Britain) and Uncle Sam (U.S) led to the obnoxious belief that the ethical and cultural values of the colonizers were inherently superior to those of the indigenous Africans. Further, many colonizers thought Africans did not have the fighting capability and were intellectually inferior as combat troops.
This would explain why later, the British for example, were initially reluctant to deploy 'indigenous' Africans on the battlefield during WW I, having had little faith in the Africans fighting capabilities. However, this belief was not entirely rational and perhaps based more on egocentricity than anything else. This is because prior to WW I, most European countries had witnessed first had the fighting spirit of Africans and the African warrior tradition. This spirit would further be demonstrated by the gallant acts of indigenous African soldiers or Askari from the 1st Battalion of the NRR during deployment in Abyssinia.
Deployment in Abyssinia
The 1st Battalion of the NRR first called to substantive duty in Somaliland after 1940. The Battalion moved by ship from Mombasa to Berbera, a journey that took four (04) days and became part of the force that would resist the fascist aggression into North
Africa. Their task once they landed, was to deny the Tug Argan gap (eight kilometres wide ), which was the
main gateway from the interior to Berbera. The
Battalion occupied four defended localities based on high features to deny the
gap. The defended localities overlooking the Tug Argan river bed
were code named: Observation Hill, Mill Hill, Knobbly Hill and Black Hill.
Castle Hill and Kings Hill were the two localities in the rear of the
above-mentioned defended localities.
Distinguished Record of the 1st NRR Battalion
The NRR battalion in Abyssinia was grouped with a machine gun company of the Somaliland Camel Corps and the 1st East Africa Light Battery. It is on record that the Battalion held its own and defended the Tug Argan gap very bravely. The enemy launched two Brigade attacks supported by heavy artillery fire but on both occasions failed to penetrate. From Sunday 11th August 1940 to 15th August, though outnumbered, outgunned and subjected to continuous aerial bombardment, the Battalion fought back bravely. But by 15th August, Observation Hill had capitulated with several casualties. After a hard-fought battle a total of 114 troops from 'A' company who had been fighting continuously for four days and nights with little water, and no sleep managed to withdraw across the country to Berbera - a distance of Eighty-eight kilometres.
Orders were later passed for the remaining troops to withdraw tactically to Berbera starting from 16th August. The Battalion once safe at Berbera boarded a ship to leave Somaliland which marked the end of the first phase of the Italian East Africa campaign. The Battalion suffered serious losses but equally managed to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy and contributed greatly to ultimately driving the Italians out of the African theatre. Historians puts the total casualties at the Tug Argan gap at forty-four killed in action and thirty-nine wounded while fifty-seven were taken as prisoners of war.
Bravery of the Askari
The number of decorations awarded to Askari from the 1st NRR and some of the citations accompanying them exemplified the spirit with which the indigenous African troops fought. To Askari, five Distinguished Conduct Medals and Forty-two East Africa Force Badges were awarded. The splendid spirit with which the Askari fought is exemplified by the gallant acts of Private Mutale from Chinsali District (recruited 1930).
According to narratives, Mutale of his own initiative ran over open hillside over 100 yards under extremely
heavy fire from two enemy machine-guns to retrieve the Lewis gun and crawled
back wounded in the neck and mouth. He continued firing until he became too
weak from massive blood loss. For his brave actions, Mutale received the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry in action.
Another example of bravery by the Askari was demonstrated by Corporal Mwelega. During the withdraw of 'D' company, Mwalega who was in charge of the anti-tank section found his line of withdraw cut due to enemy's rapid advance. His route was barred by tanks and armoured vehicles as the rest of the company withdrew. Using his initiative, Mwalega made a wide detour covering over 100 kilometres south and in totally unknown terrain. En route he ran into three more men from 'D' company who had lost their way. Because of his determination, he eventually arrived at Tug Argan with the other troops.
The Northern Rhodesia Regiment (3rd NRR)
Just as the 1st battalion of NRR was engaged in their last stages of the Burma campaign, the 3rd battalion was arriving at Chittagong to come and enter the war. The Battalion had several tasks including road and drop zone clearance and patrolling which they executed professionally.
The next task for the Battalion was a landing on the mainland at Ru-Ywa beach-head where they took over from Allied troops who had maintained contact with the enemy. There in the Arakan, the Japanese made extensive use of mines to slow down the Battalions' advance. The Japanese had already been driven out of Taung-up by the 26th Indian Division. At that time, they were holding a pass which was the escape route for the Japanese across the Arakan Yomas to Prome. Later, with some changes in the order of battle, after the withdraw of the 26 Division, the 22nd Brigade (of which the 3rd NRR was a part) was attached to the 82nd Division.
Bravery of the Askari
The role of the 3rd NRR was mainly patrolling the Tang-up-Prome road. It is during one of these patrols that Lieutenant Herold Booth an indigenous of Kasama was killed by fire from a Japanese machine gun nest. It was then that Sergeant Bwalya assumed command of the platoon and skilfully manoeuvred the rest of the men forward to ensure they recovered the officer's dead body.
Another indigenous Northern Rhodesia soldier also only identified as Private Nyirenda equally performed heroic acts during the same period. He was a member of a section patrol which came under heavy fire. When the Section Commander and his Second in Command were both wounded, Private Nyirenda carried them both to safety and concealed them in a bamboo shelter. Nyirenda returned to his company headquarters and later guided a patrol and stretcher bearers to recover the two wounded men.
Indeed, Askari from the NRR were not only feared as combatants, they were also known for their compassion towards the local people. Numerous stories account for how Askari would share their food with local villagers in distress and how the locals would aid the troops on their campaign. There are also stories of a few Japanese soldiers whose lives were spared by the Askari who did not consider the Japanese as enemies and did not know the motives behind the war and the mass killings.
All in all, indigenous African troops were no less competent than their white counterparts on the battlefield. Moreover, African troops were more adapted to the African terrain and the similar jungles of Burma which constituted some of the bloodiest battlefields during WWI and II. There are several other stories of bravery of both the Northern Rhodesia Regiment troops and other laborers. Including the story of a cook who at his own request was given a rifle and went into the firing line. All this only serve to affirm the old truth, that European colonialists introduced neither war nor military strategy to Africa. Long before the first European stepped on the Continent, Africans had already developed their own military structures and fighting skill.
If you wish to learn more about Northern Rhodesia Askari and the Two Great Wars, you can get more details from a book I've co-authored. You can get a copy of the book from Bookworld Manda Hill in Lusaka or go to Books and Resources to order a signed copy.
