WWI in East Africa

In 2012 we travelled to Kenya and Tanzania. When we were driving from Arusha to the Serengetti I remembered the story of how the guns of the cruiser Koenigsberg were taken from the ship and distributed to various German units in German East Africa. My imagination soon began to run away and I as we drove along I gathered ideas for wargames terrain in the rich farmlands.

Some snapshots of the terrain in Tanzania between Arusha and the Ngorongoro, perhaps 60kms west of the battlefield near Taveta in 1916 and near where the Wintgens-Naumann raid passed in 1917.

On my return home I purchased Edward Paice's book "Tip and Run" and developed the idea more, but it only remained conceptual. When a friend of mine gave me a batch of painted Sikh infantry for my birthday, my interest was further piqued, but still iIdid not progress the idea - mainly because the Russo-Japanese project (followed by the Early WWI project) got in the way and the Sikhs remained in their box. But now in mid-September, while I wait for my next order from Northstar - three weeks and counting - and with everything cleared from the painting tray (well almost cleared), I decided to base up those Sikhs. Here is the result. 

This, combined with the fun we had with our recent 1914 and 1918 games, has got me keen. I can see a few command figures, a gun and an HMG team coming soon...