Battle of Tanga

Battle of Tanga
Part of the East African Campaign of World War I
"Battle of Tanga, 3rd–5th November, 1914" by Martin Frost (1875–1927)
Date 3–5 November 1914 Location Tanga, German East Africa Result German victory Invasion of German East Africa repulsed Schutztruppe acquire modern equipment after British retreat
Belligerents
German Empire German East Africa	British Empire  India
Commanders and leaders
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck Tom von Prince  †	Arthur Aitken Richard Wapshare Michael Tighe
Strength
250 (Initially) 750 (Reinforcements) Total: 1,000	4,000 (Initially) 5,000 (Reinforcements) 1 Astraea-class cruiser Total: 9,000
Casualties and losses
16 Germans killed[1] 55 Askaris killed[1] 76 Germans & Askaris wounded[1]	360 killed[2] 487 wounded[2] 148 missing[3]

The Battle of Tanga, sometimes also known as the Battle of the Bees, was the unsuccessful attack by the British Indian Expeditionary Force "B" under Major General A. E. Aitken to capture German East Africa (the mainland portion of present-day Tanzania) during the First World War in concert with the invasion Force "C" near Longido on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was the first major event of the war in Eastern Africa and saw the British defeated by a significantly smaller force of German Askaris and colonial volunteers under Lieutenant Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. It was the beginning of the East African Campaign of World War I, and is considered one of the greatest victories of the Schutztruppe in Africa. The British retreat enabled the Schutztruppe to salvage modern equipment, medical supplies, tents, blankets, food and a number of Maxim machine guns which allowed them to successfully resist the allies for the rest of the war.