The Strangest Warship Battle of WW1 - Africa's Lake Tanganyika
377.9 هزار بار بازدید -
4 سال پیش
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The WW1 battle for control
The WW1 battle for control over Central Africa and access to the region’s vast natural resources pitted Germany’s Kaiserliche Marine against Britain’s Royal Navy in one of the war’s most unusual strategic locations. Situated between what was then the Belgian Congo and German East Africa, Lake Tanganyika is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by volume. It had been dominated by German forces since the start of the conflict thanks to the deployment of two small warships. German naval control of the lake had effectively prevented any British offensives into German East Africa, and a new development threatened to put Allied territory at risk.
In April of 1915, John R. Lee, a British big-game hunter in Africa, observed Germany working a new vessel that would make the Germans nearly invincible on Tanganyika. The Graf von Goetzen was a converted and armed passenger ferry that was over 30-times the size of the warships Germany already had patrolling the area. Capable of carrying nearly 1,000 troops, the vessel could transport German Army units to any point on the lake, cutting transit time to hours versus the weeks it would take Allied forces to maneuver on land.
Together with Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, Lee came up with a bold idea to send two British steamboats on a treacherous journey to Africa to counter the threat. Sailed from Britain, packed on rail cars, dragged by oxen, and floated down a river, the makeshift warships would fulfill, as Admiral Jackson put it, [QUOTE] “the duty and the tradition of the Royal Navy to engage the enemy wherever there is water to float a ship...”
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Dark Docs brings you cinematic short military history documentaries featuring the greatest battles and most heroic stories of modern warfare, covering World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and special forces operations in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.
In April of 1915, John R. Lee, a British big-game hunter in Africa, observed Germany working a new vessel that would make the Germans nearly invincible on Tanganyika. The Graf von Goetzen was a converted and armed passenger ferry that was over 30-times the size of the warships Germany already had patrolling the area. Capable of carrying nearly 1,000 troops, the vessel could transport German Army units to any point on the lake, cutting transit time to hours versus the weeks it would take Allied forces to maneuver on land.
Together with Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, Lee came up with a bold idea to send two British steamboats on a treacherous journey to Africa to counter the threat. Sailed from Britain, packed on rail cars, dragged by oxen, and floated down a river, the makeshift warships would fulfill, as Admiral Jackson put it, [QUOTE] “the duty and the tradition of the Royal Navy to engage the enemy wherever there is water to float a ship...”
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Dark Docs brings you cinematic short military history documentaries featuring the greatest battles and most heroic stories of modern warfare, covering World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and special forces operations in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.
4 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1399/04/06 منتشر شده
است.
377,913
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