Byron Farwell The Great War in Africa, 1914-1918

£6.00

Norton, 1989. 382 pages Hardback Dust Jacket. Condition Nearly New. £6 ( £3 book + £3 p&p)

Remote from the main events of World War I the Allied campaigns against the German colonies in Africa have sometimes been dismissed as “side shows”. But there were fascinating side shows indeed. They were fought with spears and aeroplanes knobkerries and armoured cars, with pangas, machine guns and bare hands. Had they taken place at any other time these encounters would have riveted the attention of the world. Among the events described here are the stalking of the German cruiser on the Rufiji River by an elephant hunter; the true story behind C. E. Forester’s African Queen; the tale of L59 a Zeppelin that made the world's longest sustained flight from Bulgaria to central Africa and back; a battle where both armies were routed by killer bees; and the adventure of Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German commander so admired by his enemies that captured British officers often asked to shake his hand.

Byron Farwell’s account of World One in Africa is a colourful, anecdotal narrative that brings military history to life with a cast of splendid eccentrics.

Norton, 1989. 382 pages Hardback Dust Jacket. Condition Nearly New. £6 ( £3 book + £3 p&p)

Remote from the main events of World War I the Allied campaigns against the German colonies in Africa have sometimes been dismissed as “side shows”. But there were fascinating side shows indeed. They were fought with spears and aeroplanes knobkerries and armoured cars, with pangas, machine guns and bare hands. Had they taken place at any other time these encounters would have riveted the attention of the world. Among the events described here are the stalking of the German cruiser on the Rufiji River by an elephant hunter; the true story behind C. E. Forester’s African Queen; the tale of L59 a Zeppelin that made the world's longest sustained flight from Bulgaria to central Africa and back; a battle where both armies were routed by killer bees; and the adventure of Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German commander so admired by his enemies that captured British officers often asked to shake his hand.

Byron Farwell’s account of World One in Africa is a colourful, anecdotal narrative that brings military history to life with a cast of splendid eccentrics.