COLONIAL ARMIES IN AFRICA 1850-1918: Organisation, Warfare, Dress and Weapons (Armies of the Nineteenth Centu) [Hardcover]

Peter Abbott (Author)

Book Description

Series: Armies of the Nineteenth Centu | Publication Date: November 2006

In the second half of the 19th century, European-led columns began to fan out across the African continent from their coastal footholds, smashing whatever forces could be brought against them, no matter how brave or determined the latter were. The process began at different dates in different parts of the continent, but much of the main activity was concentrated into the two decades between 1881 and 1902, subsequently but accurately nicknamed the 'Scramble for Africa'.

By 1914 the Europeans had overrun the greater part of the continent, and, remarkably, had managed to do so without clashing with each other in the process: conflict between them only occurred after 1914 because what was essentially a European power-struggle was inevitably projected on to the African landscape. The armies responsible for this extraordinary period of expansion have seldom been surveyed as a whole, and never in the organisational detail attempted here.

As well as including an outline of the principal campaigns of the period, military historian Peter Abbott examines in detail the structure, dress and armament of the colonial armies fielded by the Congo Free State, the Belgian Congo, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, and includes in his text an unprecedented amount of order of battle material. Illustrations include 229 drawings of soldiers, 58 other illustrations, and two maps.

REVIEWS

"This book....designed for wargamers, is of practical value to family historians.",,,You will learn a lot about what the regiment did, where it fought, and what the soldier wore. This is a good resource for researchers..."FGS FORUM. Fall 2007

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Foundry (November 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1901543072
• ISBN-13: 978-1901543070
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,913,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars shedding light on "The Dark Continent", September 11, 2008

By 

dominick j. lo conte (illinois,usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: COLONIAL ARMIES IN AFRICA 1850-1918: Organisation, Warfare, Dress and Weapons (Armies of the Nineteenth Centu) (Hardcover)

Another great entry in an great series. This book is a bit larger than the others, seeing as it has a lot of ground to cover. The artwork is particularly nice in this one.The reason I rated this four instead of five stars is the text is a bit dryer- the author will not cover the campaigns in this period,as he feels(rightly or wrongly)that it would take away from the topic- military organization-and boor the reader with page after page of colonials mowing down poorly armed,disorganized natives.
There are chapters for the Belgians,GreatBritain,France,Germany,Italy,Portugal and Spain.
Two things that are strikingly shown in this work, are that from about 1500 to 1850, the Europeans sat on the coasts of Africa,held in check by numbers,terrain and disease. But starting by about 1850,superior technology,(esp. breachloading magazine repeating rifes and machine guns)organization and disipline, the European powers carved up Africa in less than 50 years.
The other is that the conquest( Or theft, if you prefer.)of the continent was largely done by African troops led by European officers. White troops died like flys,from disease and the climate.