The Battle of Kahe was the final engagement before German forces abandoned the Kilimanjaro region, marking a turning point in the East African Campaign of WWI.
Key Facts
- Date
- 18 March 1916
- Theater
- East African Campaign, World War I
- Location
- Kahe, south of Mount Kilimanjaro
- German artillery captured
- Large artillery pieces seized by Entente forces
- Outcome
- German retreat into interior of German East Africa
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the East African Campaign of World War I, British and South African forces advanced into German East Africa and maneuvered to encircle German defensive positions near Kahe, south of Mount Kilimanjaro, pressing the German colonial forces into a vulnerable situation.
On 18 March 1916, Entente forces engaged German troops at Kahe in the last major confrontation in the Kilimanjaro area. The British and South African forces inflicted considerable casualties on the Germans and captured large artillery pieces, though they also sustained significant losses of their own.
Following the battle, German forces retreated from the Kilimanjaro region further into the interior of German East Africa. This withdrawal effectively ceded the strategically important Kilimanjaro area to the Entente and altered the subsequent course of the East African Campaign.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent