The Battle of Ngaundere or Battle of Ngaoundéré was a small engagement fought between

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and

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forces on 29 June 1915 during the Kamerun campaign of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It resulted in a German defeat and British occupation of the town.

Background

Following the

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victory and German surrender at the

Second Battle of Garua The Second Battle of Garua took place from 31 May to 10 June 1915 during the Kamerun campaign of the First World War in Garua, German Kamerun. The battle was between a combined French and British force and defending German garrison and resulte ...

, the commander of French and British forces in the area, General Cunliffe, was confident in pushing deeper into the German colony of

Kamerun Kamerun was an African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon. Kamerun also included northern parts of Gabon and the Congo with western parts of the Central African Republic, southwestern p ...

. He moved a detachment of his force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Webb-Bowen 150 miles southeast to the town of Ngaundere on the road leading from the north of the colony to the central plateau where the new German capital and concentration of military forces was.Bryce 1920, p. 410.

Battle

The small advance unit under the command of Captain Fowle arrived at Ngaundere on 29 June 1915 after marching through a severe storm that produced a tornado. When the main body of the unit arrived, the storm still lingered over the town. As a result, the British troops were able to surprise soldiers stationed at many of the German outposts and take them captive before any fighting occurred.Dane 1919, p. 182. At some of the outposts however, fighting did occur resulting in light casualties to the British unit. After the German force had been driven from Ngaundere, it launched a counterattack which the British repulsed."Germans in East and West Africa." Journal of the African Society 15 (1915): 1-10.Google Books. 11 Aug. 2007. Web. 2 Jan. 2013.

Aftermath

The expulsion of German forces from their outposts in Ngaundere meant that significant resistance in the north of

would be absent. It allowed General Cunliffe's columns the freedom to move further south into the central plateau of the colony. The British did pursue the German forces who had once occupied Ngaundere who withdrew to Tangere. The British took this position without a fight on 12 July and repulsed a German attempt to recapture it on 23 July. The German force withdrew once again in the direction of

Tibati Tibati (Fula: Tibati 𞤼𞤭𞤦𞤢𞤼𞤭) is a town and commune in Djérem, Cameroon. The town and region are reigned by a local monarch, the Lamido. The most notable economic activity in the region is the fishery industry. The fish comes fr ...

. However, due to heavy rains and the remaining German stronghold at

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, Cunliffe would not continue his advance southward until October. His force arrived on 23 August to assist in the Siege of Mora which would last until the end of the campaign.Dane 1919, p. 183.

Notes

References

*Bryce, James B., Holland Thomson, and William M.F. Petrie. The Book of History: The Causes of the War. The Events of 1914-1915. Vol. 16. N.p.: Grolier Society, 1920. Google Books. 30 Oct. 2007. Web. 28 Dec. 2012. *Dane, Edmund. British Campaigns in Africa and the Pacific, 1914-1918,. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1919. Google Books. 12 June 2008. Web. 2 Jan. 2013. . *Hilditch, A. N. Battle Sketches, 1914–1915. Oxford University Press, 1915. *Wood, Leonard, Austin M. Knight, Frederick Palmer, Frank H. Simonds, and Arthur B. Ruhl. The Story of the Great War: With Complete Historical Record of Events to Date. Ed. Francis J. Reynolds, Allen L. Churchill, and Francis T. Miller. Vol. 6. N.p.: P.F. Collier & Sons, 1916. Google Books. Web. 28 Dec. 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngaundere, Battle of 1915 Battles of World War I involving Germany Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom 1915 in Africa African theatre of World War I Battles of the African Theatre (World War I) Military history of Cameroon Kamerun Battles of the Kamerun campaign Conflicts in 1915 June 1915 events 1910s in Kamerun