1. WWI and the Colonies

2. Guiding Question
How did the colonial powers use their African territories to help fight the war?

4. German General Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck leads his troops

5. GERMAN EAST AFRICA (Tanzania)
The British and the Germans fight over what is today Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.
They both used local troops to fight (~250,000 men).

6. Why German East Africa? Britain wanted more land
The Germans wanted to keep Britain occupied and spending its resources

7. Longest Campaign of the war
German General von Lettow-Vorbeck
Commanded a force of local recruits.
Lived off the land and stole supplies from British camps.
Used hit and run tactics.
Fought the British for 4 years

8. Scenes of War: East Africa

9. Scenes of War: East Africa

10. German East Africa: Conclusion
Longest campaign of the war.
Germans were not defeated; they surrendered when WWI ended in 1918.
British lost many men trying to find and defeat the German forces.
In this campaign only a tiny minority of people were European. Almost all fighting men were colonial soldiers.

11. THE FIGHT FOR THE SUEZ CANAL

12. SUEZ CANAL
The British held the canal, and the Ottoman Empire wanted it.
British advantage – they had local troops nearby and an established navy.
Ottoman disadvantage - mainly a land power, cannot contend with British navy.

16. Camels were the only effective means of land transport

17. Camels were the only effective means of land transport

18. British Defense of the Canal
The Ottomans launched waves of attacks but were not able to defeat the British.

19. Key Points
In their colonial campaigns, European powers used mostly local troops with a small group of European officers.
The European powers used considerable resources and money in trying to defend or acquire new colonial territories.
Germany lost ALL of its overseas possessions to Britain and France when WWI ended

20. French Senegalese troops take a break

21. Indian troops under British command head off to fight the Germans

22. An anonymous group of North African French troops eating a meal

23. British Iraqi troops in the desert

24. French Algerian troops march through Paris in 1913

25. French colonial recruitment poster

26. The reality