Battle of Ngomano

Battle of Ngomano
Part of East African Campaign
Breakthrough of the Schutztruppe at the Rovuma
Date 25 November 1917[1] Location Ngomano, Portuguese Mozambique 11°25′42″S 38°29′37″E / 11.42833°S 38.49361°E / -11.42833; 38.49361 Result German victory
Belligerents
Germany East Africa	Portugal Mozambique
Commanders and leaders
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck	João Teixeira Pinto †
Strength
1,500–2,000 men	900 men
Casualties and losses
4 killed Few wounded	200 killed and wounded[2] 700 captured

The Battle of Ngomano or Negomano was fought between Germany and Portugal during the East African Campaign of World War I. A force of Germans and Askaris under Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck had recently won a costly victory against the British at the Battle of Mahiwa, in present-day Tanzania and ran very short of food and other supplies. As a consequence, the Germans invaded Portuguese East Africa to the south, both to supply themselves with captured Portuguese materiel and escape superior British forces to the north.

Portugal was part of the Entente and a belligerent, employing troops in France and Africa; so a force under Major João Teixeira Pinto was sent to stop von Lettow-Vorbeck from crossing the border. The Portuguese were flanked by the Germans, while encamped at Ngomano on 25 November 1917. The battle saw the Portuguese force nearly destroyed, with many troops killed and captured. The capitulation of the Portuguese enabled the Germans to seize a large quantity of supplies and continue operations in East Africa until the end of the war.