OUR SUCCESS IN EAST AFRICA

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2544, 19 August 1915, Page 5

OUR SUCCESS IN EAST AFRICA

R THE SURRENDER OF GARUAB Bi Telegraph.—Pieis Association-Copyright . London, August 17. On officer with the Britishforce in East Africa describes the surrender of Garuab. Te says:—"We kept up a. wellregulated bombardment of the three lt forts overlooking Garuabj also the old fort on the plain below. The enemy at t the outset replied with lively field-gun fire, but only .wounded three or four men. • "On. Juno 10 the enemy's forts suddenly displayed tho white nag. TheGerman commander offered to '.urrender on "j. condition that his command irere. allowJ ed to march out with the honours cf war and rejoin the German forces fark. ther south. "Our commander demanded an mtocnj_ ditional. surrender within two hours, and to tliis the Germans agreed. They ask;o ed to he allow.ed to retain their arms, ~ :0 and also asked us to promise that tho native inhabitants would bo protected from pillage and rape, which we agreed to. "Holding Von Cranzelhsim, the Gerib man Commandant, as a hostage, wo en--1- tered the town. Wc took prisoner 37, id European and 270 native troops, four field guns, ten Maxims, several hundred rifles, half a million cartridges, and much-material. A . Demolished by Shell Fire. "The Germans state that our melinite and lyddite shells demoralised their troops. . One shell penetrated a bombproof shelter and killed twenty of the defenders, who became mutinous and rejg fused to man the forts. A number of cavalry seized their horses and rifles and bolted. Many dropped ivhile ciossing the river, and some were killed fcy our f pursuit. "Garuab contains 10,000 inhabitants. The forts are exceedingly, well bu'lt and ~ equipped. Two thousand labourors.were engaged for sis months fortifying the , place. There are many bomb-proof shell.e ters of brick and cement, and plenty of well-filled storerooms. • The forts' are protected by entanglements, and other devices, including broad deep pits filled with' spears sticking -upright, and carefully covered by a layer of earth. It is incredible that we captured the place without the loss of a single life.'*!