"new project: ww1 east africa" Topic

Hello,
As said in the title we are on the lookkout for good books about this period, which figs to use (in 28mm I must add and as we are in Europe, European manufacturars) and rules (we have already old contemptibles). So please any advice, thanks.

I guess that rules out the very extensive range by Brigade Games then!

I do this in 10mm, but have had to convert quite a few figures. I believe FreiKorps are doing it in 15mm

Copplestone, Foundry and Brigade Games cover almost all you need.

In addition to Old Contemptibles, any semi-skirmish game would work such as Bolt Action, Men Who Would be Kings (WW1 version called Foch in the Facebook page files), Chain of Command.

Some books: Tip & Run, Mimi and Toutou Go Forth, My Reminiscences of East Africa by Lettow-Vorbeck, The East African Force 1915-1919, Blockade and Jungle, Smut's Campaign in East Africa, Taking Tanganyika, Military Operations East Africa and a novel called An Ice Cream War.

Battle in the Bundu. Recommended by Col Campbell here at TMP. He is quite knowledgeable about this theater and suggested this book. it is quite good.

Thanks.

John

Battle for the Bundu is an excellent book about the campaign.

If you can get hold of a copy, Tanganyikan Guerrilla is a simple paperback about the East African Campaign, and The Phantom Flotilla tells the story of the Spicer-Simpson Expedition that got RN gunboats from the UK to Lame Tanganyika.

a good general book is

TANGANYIKAN GUERRILLA: EAST AFRICAN CAMPAIGN 1914-18. [Introduction By Barrie Pitt]. [Ballantine's Illustrated History Of The Violent Century, Campaign Book No. 20] Paperback – 1971

Even as a European, you would be silly not to purchase the extensive line of gorgeous 28mm figures from Brigade Games.

I believe NorthSatr here in the UK carries some if not all of the Brigade Games figures that are suitable for East Africa. I picked up many for Back of Beyond and had an idea idea of doing just such a campaign but failed to find anyone locally interested.

I have also bought direct from brigade in the past, and they are very good.

Byron Farwell's "Great War in Africa" is an excellent read: about half of the book is devoted to German East Africa.
Bob

I second Farwell's "Great War in Africa. There are things recounted in that book that actually happened that a fictional writer couldn't have dreamed up! % thinbs up. Another good one (by Farwell, BTW, and if you can find a copy) is "The Encyclopedia of 19th Century Land Warfare". About 5 pounds of enjoyable reading and reference book! East Africa (all of Africa covered) there.

All the good books are mentioned. A game supplement is Skirmish Campaigns – Tanga. That battle is a good one for the East Africa.
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Also check the vast info on TMP
TMP link

Lots of useful skirmish rules for this. Our group has used Flying Lead and recently Congo from Studio Tomahawk. The latter not meant for battles, but it works quite well.

A useful board game as template for miniatures is Legion Game, Battle of Tangal, 1914.
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Ditto to positive comments about Brigade Games, also Copplestone has much too.

Thanks all for the info. Will try to locate at least some of the mentioned books and look at the sites/links .
As it will be a side project I wil slowy collect figures for the period. Europe based companies first but Brigade games will probably not forgotten although postage is imho high.
Greetings and thanks

Links to two blogs that I found helpful with many interesting ideas about East Africa – scenarios, figures, terrain, rules:

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This is a very useful site germancolonialuniforms.co.uk

Figure wise I notice if you look at Empress minis, WW1 range it lists Flanders and East Africa, now I'm not promising anything…but you never know!……