Battle of Gurin
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The Battle of Gurin took place on 29 April 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 ...
in Gurin,
British Nigeria Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain a ...
near the border with
German 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 ...
. The battle was one of the largest of the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
forays into the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
colony. It ended in a successful British repulsion of the German force.


Background

By April 1915, British forces were concentrated mainly in southern and central
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 ...
, leaving much of the Nigerian border with the German colony relatively undefended. Following the failed siege of the main German outpost in northwestern Kamerun at the First Battle of Garua in August 1914, German forces in the area had substantial freedom of movement. This allowed Captain von Crailsheim, the German commander at Garua, to conduct a number of raids into British Nigeria. In late April, a force commanded by von Crailsheim joined with a smaller one commanded by Captain Schipper to attack the village of Gurin, just inside the Nigerian border.Baxter, 2011 The village of Gurin was protected by one circular fort and a garrison of 42 men consisting mostly of policemen commanded by Captain Derek Pawle.Hogan, 2011. p. 41


Battle

At daybreak on 29 April 1915, the German force surrounded and attacked the fort at Gurin. Early in the battle, the British commander Captain Pawle was killed in action, leaving Lieutenant Joseph F. J. Fitzpatrick to lead the defense of the fort. The Germans brought up five machine guns, which were able to damage the fort's defenses. Despite superiority in both manpower and weapons, the Germans did not succeed in capturing the fort at Gurin. At around midday, after seven hours of fighting, von Crailsheim and his force withdrew from Gurin. The British lost 13 men or approximately 30%Hogan, 2011. p. 42 of their force through the battle. The German unit lost 40 African and 5 European soldiers.


Aftermath

After the battle, Captain Schipper took wounded German troops southwards while von Crailsheim lead the rest back to Garua. British forces attempted to intercept the returning German units but failed. The engagement was technically a failure for the Germans but von Crailsheim did succeed in inflicting significant casualties on the force at Garin and surprising British military leadership by penetrating the border. The action that took place at Gurin made the Allied commander in western Kamerun, Colonel Cunliffe, uneasy about the freedom of movement that the German force stationed at Garua had.Wood et al. p. 1703 The garrison there had not been seriously engaged by Allied forces since the First Battle of Garua in August 1914. The battle at Garin set into motion another British and French attempt to finally take the German forts at Garua. Ultimately, this conflict resulted in a successful defense of Gurin and the Second Battle of Garua.


Notes


References

*Baxter, Peter
''The Fight at Gurin, The Cameroon Campaign 29 April 1915.''
Peter Baxter Africa RSS, 25 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Dec. 2012. *Hogan, Edmund M. ''Berengario Cermenati among the Igbirra (Ebira) of Nigeria: A Study in Colonial, Missionary and Local Politics, 1897-1925.''Ibadan, Nigeria: HEBN, 2011. *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: Grolier Society, 1920. *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: P.F. Collier & Sons, 1916. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurin, Battle of 1915 Battles of World War I involving Germany Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom History of Nigeria 1915 in Africa African theatre of World War I Battles of the African Theatre (World War I) Military history of Nigeria Military history of Cameroon Battles of the Kamerun campaign April 1915 events 1915 in Nigeria Nigeria in World War I