A naval battle in the middle of Africa, the Battle of Lake Tanganyika!

There are times in war when the actual fighting is an anti-climax, it is the logistics of getting a fighting force to the place of action, that wins it.

An example of this is the first world war Battle of Lake Tanganyika.

Where was the Battle of Lake Tanganyika held?

Just think of this.  Lake Tanganyika is in the middle of the African continent, surrounded by Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  It was a strategically important lake, dominated by the German navy, which meant that the British needed to control it.

However, the British had no ships on the lake and the Germans did!  With two ships, the Kingani and the Hedwigi, they controlled the lake, as it had no access to any sea.  The Germans had built their ships on site!

What could the British do, it was in the middle of the African continent, miles from any water? 

How did the british get ships to the Battle of Lake Tanganyika.

Well, as they usually do in these situations, the British chose an egotist, a liar, a hot head, but one who knew the region, spoke French and German and most importantly was available and a bit mad, Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Spicer-Simson!

Simson chose two 40-foot armed motor launches, which he named as HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou along with 27 men, put them on a boat to Africa. 

On arrival at Cape Town, he had the boats loaded onto a train bound for Fungurume.

Now we get to the amazing bit, well, you could say, the mad bit.  The 27 men then pulled the two boats 150 miles! They did this by rolling them on logs, using oxen, occasionally steam tractors, but mostly with their own brute strength.  Finally, they reached Sankisia, where they gratefully found a train to put them on, which took them the rest of the way to Lukuga, where they launched them onto Lake Tanganyika.

Once on the arrived what happened at the Battle of Lake Tanganyika?

Of course, the Germans weren’t expecting them, which meant that when on December 1, 1915 they spotted the German ship Kingani.  It only took minutes to capture it.  They now had another ship! This one they named Fifi, I couldn’t guess why!

If you think this shows how unprepared, the Germans were.  They were more unprepared than that!

You see the German commander, Gustav Zimmer, didn’t even investigate the Kingani’s disappearance until a month and a half later, when he sent the Hedwig to look for it!

Naturally, the British were waiting and as the Hedwig approached, they fired, her boiler blew up and she went down.   Our three ships picked up the survivors, as prisoners of war, and most interestingly they captured a German Naval Ensign, they became the first Royal Navy ship in WW1 to capture one.

We now controlled the Lake.

To me what makes this victory so incredible were the logistics of getting the ships there, as once they got there, victory was inevitable.  That is why logistics are so important in warfare.

Isn’t History Fun?

10 questions to discuss:

1. 1. 1. Motivation: While the blog emphasizes controlling the lake for strategic reasons, were there additional factors motivating the British to challenge German dominance?
      2. Alternative Strategies: Before choosing motor launches, did the British consider any other, potentially less “mad” approaches to gain control of the lake?
      3. Opposition: The blog paints the Germans as unprepared. Did they face any internal challenges or external factors contributing to their lack of readiness?
      4. Logistics Details: Beyond mentioning oxen and tractors, can you elaborate on the specific challenges and solutions encountered during the 150-mile boat transport?
      5. Morale and Motivation: How did the grueling journey to the lake affect the morale and motivation of the British force? Were there any instances of mutiny or discontent?
      6. Intelligence Gathering: How did the British gather intelligence about the German ships and their activities on the lake?
      7. Casualties: While mentioning captured Germans, are there any records of casualties (injured or killed) on either side during the engagements?
      8. Long-Term Impact: Beyond immediate control of the lake, what were the long-term strategic and political consequences of the Battle of Lake Tanganyika?
      9. Beyond Logistics: While acknowledging the importance of logistics, can you share other crucial factors that contributed to the British victory (e.g., tactics, leadership, technological advantages)?
      10. Historical Legacy: How is the Battle of Lake Tanganyika remembered today? Did it have any lasting influence on naval warfare or military logistics?

These questions delve deeper into various aspects of the battle, encouraging a more nuanced understanding of its causes, logistical challenges, and historical significance.

For more about this go to: