The South African mobilisation of 1914 and the 1st invasion of German SW Africa
This talk by Ian van der Waag was delivered 'live' to an online audience. In this, Ian discusses the German South-West Africa campaign and the battle at Sandfontein.
This battle marked the first foreign deployment of the Union Defence Forces (UDF), as well as its first active participation in a war – both of which are almost forgotten. Yet, this was an important campaign and a significant first-battle experience. Sandfontein was significantly unlike subsequent military operations in the German South-West Africa and the wider South African participation in the First World War.
This presentation uses the South African mobilisation and the first phase of the campaign as a lens through which to view the nature and organization of the UDF in 1914 and to assess the difficulties the South African staffs faced.
Becoming a member of The Western Front Association (WFA) offers a wealth of resources and opportunities for those passionate about the history of the First World War. Here's just three of the benefits we offer:
Identify key words or phrases within back issues of our magazines, including Stand To!, Bulletin, Gun Fire, Fire Step and lots of others.
The WFA's YouTube channel features hundreds of videos of lectures given by experts on particular aspects of WW1.
Read post-WW1 era magazines, such as 'Twenty Years After', 'WW1 A Pictured History' and 'I Was There!' plus others.
Other Articles
