Battle of Ngomano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Ngomano
Part of East African Campaign
Breakthrough of the Schutztruppe at the Rovuma
Date 25 November 1917 Location Ngomano, Portuguese Mozambique 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 700 captured

The Battle of Ngomano was a fight between Germany and Portugal during World War I. It happened as part of the East African Campaign. A German force, led by Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, had just won a tough battle. But they were very low on food and supplies.

So, the Germans decided to invade Portuguese East Africa (modern-day Mozambique). They wanted to take supplies from the Portuguese. They also wanted to get away from stronger British forces to the north.

Portugal was on the side of the Allies in World War I. They sent troops to stop the Germans. Major João Teixeira Pinto led the Portuguese force. On November 25, 1917, the Germans surprised the Portuguese at Ngomano. The Portuguese force was almost completely destroyed. Many soldiers were killed or captured. This victory allowed the Germans to get lots of supplies. They could then keep fighting in East Africa until the war ended.

Why the Battle Happened

Map showing the border between Portuguese and German territories in 1917

By late 1917, the German army in East Africa was in a tough spot. They were greatly outnumbered. Their forces were also split into different groups. The two largest groups were completely cut off from each other.

One German group, led by von Lettow-Vorbeck, had won a battle against the British. But they had lost many soldiers. They had also used almost all their modern ammunition. With only old weapons and no way to get new supplies, von Lettow-Vorbeck made a big decision. He chose to invade Portuguese East Africa. He hoped to get enough supplies there to keep fighting.

This attack was allowed because Germany and Portugal were already at war. Portugal had seized German ships in 1916. Because of this, Germany had declared war on Portugal in March 1916.

Von Lettow-Vorbeck's group reached the Rovuma River. They were very short on supplies. So, the German general sent away many of his African soldiers (called Askaris) and camp followers. He couldn't properly equip them. With his smaller force, von Lettow-Vorbeck planned to attack the Portuguese army. This army was across the river at Ngomano.

The Portuguese force was made up of local soldiers led by European officers. Major João Teixeira Pinto, an experienced officer, led them. The Portuguese had arrived at Ngomano on November 20. Instead of building defenses, they started building a large camp. Pinto had about 900 soldiers. They had six machine guns and a large supply of goods. But his soldiers were not experienced. They were no match for von Lettow-Vorbeck's force. The Germans crossed the river with between 1,500 and 2,000 experienced soldiers. They also had many porters (people who carry supplies).

The Battle

On the morning of November 25, at 7:00 AM, the Portuguese at Ngomano got a warning. A British officer told them an attack was coming. But even with the warning, they were not ready.

To distract the Portuguese, the Germans fired shells at the camp from across the river. While the artillery attacked, the Germans moved their soldiers upstream. They crossed the Rovuma River where Pinto and his men could not see them. The Portuguese did not try to stop the Germans from crossing. They stayed in their camp at Ngomano.

The Germans easily moved around the Portuguese positions. They completely surrounded them. Six German infantry companies attacked the camp from the south, southeast, and west.

The Portuguese commander had been warned about the attack. He had started to get ready. But he expected the attack to come from the front. When the Germans attacked from behind, he was completely surprised. The Portuguese tried to dig into rifle pits. But they became confused after Pinto and other officers were killed early in the fight.

The Germans had very few heavy weapons. They had gotten rid of most of their artillery and machine guns because they lacked ammunition. Despite this shortage, von Lettow-Vorbeck moved four machine guns close to the rifle pits. He used them only at close range to save ammunition.

The Portuguese soldiers' lack of experience was their downfall. They fired over 30,000 rounds of ammunition. But German casualties were very light. Only one German officer was hurt. The Portuguese suffered many casualties. They had lost their commander. They were also greatly outnumbered. So, the Portuguese finally surrendered. This happened even though they had enough military supplies to keep fighting.

After the Battle

The Germans had very few casualties. Only a few African soldiers (Askaris) and one European soldier were killed. The Portuguese, however, suffered a huge defeat. They failed to stop von Lettow-Vorbeck's force from crossing the Rovuma. This allowed him to continue his campaign until the war ended.

The number of Portuguese casualties varies in different reports. Some say over 200 Portuguese were killed or wounded. Nearly 700 were taken prisoner. Other reports say about 25 Portuguese were killed, along with 162 Askari soldiers. Almost 500 were captured.

The Germans used the captured prisoners as porters. They carried the 250,000 rounds of ammunition, six machine guns, and several hundred rifles that were also captured. With this equipment, the Germans completely restocked their supplies. Von Lettow-Vorbeck got rid of most of his German weapons. He had no ammunition for them. Instead, he armed his troops with the captured Portuguese and British weapons. They also used Portuguese uniforms taken from the prisoners. These replaced the Germans' old, worn-out uniforms.

Von Lettow-Vorbeck did not stay at Ngomano for long. He soon marched his force south to attack more Portuguese positions. He left only one company of soldiers at Ngomano. This group stayed behind to protect against the British following him into Portuguese East Africa. His force won several more victories. They captured even more supplies and ammunition. Then, in 1918, they moved back into German East Africa.