Ninth Brigade

The East African National Defense Army built many bunkers along the banks of the Turkana River. Some were erected directly near the riverbanks, with machine-gun embrasures positioned to block the waterway, especially at the river bends.

South Africa had not yet entered its rainy season in April, so the Tugela River was not at its fullest, but neither had it run dry. Influenced by the Drakensberg Mountains to the west, the region received abundant orographic rainfall, and its dry season was not as pronounced as in other parts of East Africa. This gave the Tugela River a considerable volume of water.

This was also an important reason why Lesotho had become South Africa's "water tower" in the previous life. The Republic of South Africa's water diversion projects had bought water from Lesotho to supplement the needs of its northern industrial regions.

Overall, the British army had chosen a good time to cross the river. It was precisely the low-water season of the Tugela River, though the crossing still posed some difficulties. For East Africa, however, defending the Tugela River was no easy task.

The Tugela River was extremely winding due to the terrain, with many large bends. This lengthened the river channel and meant the defensive line had to be stretched very long as well.

The Ninth Brigade of East Africa had a total strength of more than 5,700 men. Before East Africa's expansion of its armed forces, that number had exceeded the manpower of some East African divisions.

Yet the Ninth Brigade's defensive sector alone stretched for more than two hundred kilometers. Fewer than six thousand troops had to defend such a long border, so against the British forces in Natal Colony, East Africa's Ninth Brigade was bound to be unable to hold out for long.

As long as