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The Battle of Sandfontein was a combat engagement, fought between the Union of South Africa and German Southwest Africa on 26 September 1914. The battle took place in Sandfontein, modern day Namibia. The battle was fought during the first stage of the South-West Africa Campaign of World War I, ending in a German victory. ==Background== The outbreak of World War I led to the transfer of the British Imperial garrison from South Africa to France. Expecting the war to finish quickly,a large number of South Africans also departed for Europe, aiming to take part in the combat. The Union Defence Force took the responsibility of independently protecting South Africa from a possible German offensive. In the meantime, prime minister Louis Botha found himself in the middle of a confrontation between British loyalists supporting full involvement in the war and Afrikaner nationalists advocating neutrality.〔 German colonial troops in South-West Africa numbered 140 officers, 2,000 regulars and 2,500 reservists organised into eight mounted companies, a single camel corp, four field batteries and an air wing. 1,500 policemen and 200 Boer rebels could also be potentially mobilized.The majority of the army consisted of non Askaris, being resented by the aboriginal population due to their conduct during the Herero Wars, despite their unpopularity the German Schutztruppen were well organised and disciplined.The UDF had the ability to mobilize as many as 100,000 troops, yet it had a heterogeneous structure and lacked experienced staff officers.〔 A large portion of the South African - German borderline, consisted of a ragged open desert characterised by the absence of water. The difficult terrain enabled the German army to create a defensive frontier along the line of Windbuk and Keetmanshoop, troops were also stationed adjacent to the two regional railroads. Having a limited number of troops in his possession German commander Joachim von Heydebreck ordered his troops to assume defensive positions and observe predefined routes. The area of Sandfontein held a high strategic importance due to the presence of the only high quality water wells in a 75 kilometer radius, thus being a crucial supply point for any large scale operation. The South African military was well aware of the complicated geographic conditions, possessing a variety of prewar journals and reports concerning German South-West Africa's topology.〔 On 7 August 1914, Britain requested Botha to capture the German communication stations of Windhoek, Swakopmund and Lüderitzbucht. On 10 August, following intense negotiations the Botha government reluctantly agreed to the creation of a volunteer expeditionary force, only after the approval of the parliament. Mobilization and troop maneuvers ensued even prior to the parliament's decision, as the government enforced censorship on the press to suppress the spread of rumors. On 21 August 1914, the expeditionary force took its final form. A column consisting of 1,200 soldiers and six artillery pieces known as Force C was to strike Lüderitzbucht. A column consisting of 1,800 soldiers and eight guns known as Force A would land at Port Nolloth, in support of Force C. Finally the 1,000 man Force B would invade from the eastern direction, attacking Upington. The plans regarding the invasion were revealed during a 9 September parliament session, gaining approval. On 14 September 1914 South Africa officially entered the war, however the situation was soon complicated by the outbreak of the Maritz Rebellion the following day. The revolt led to the resignation of several high ranking commanders involved in the expeditionary force, who now rose in an open rebellion against their former colleagues and had to be hastily replaced. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Sandfontein」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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