Occupation of Angola

September 20, 1888.

The main force of East Africa's Southern Military Region, assembled at Volksrust, began attacking the British forces in the eastern Southern Frontier Province, relying on the former 512th Division's strongholds and passes in the Drakensberg Mountains.

At the same time, under the General Staff's direction, the garrison of New Hamburg City also began attacking the British forces outside the city.

With New Hamburg City reopened to shipping, the newly mixed division there had in fact long since completed its personnel expansion and replenishment of equipment and supplies.

East Africa launched offensives against the British from both east and west. The British, already exhausted to the bone, simply lacked the strength to resist, and worst of all, they had no defensible terrain to hold.

The only city that could have served as a shield, New Hamburg Port, had remained unconquered, while the Drakensberg Mountains route had been firmly sealed off by East Africa.

Unless the main British force in Mozambique came to reinforce them, the entire Southern Frontier Province would likely return to East African hands.

Although the British in the Southern Frontier Province did receive reinforcements from Count Roberts, it was merely a cup of water against a blazing cartload of fire, utterly incapable of changing the course of the battle.

For just as the campaign to recover the Southern Frontier Province began, East Africa launched another massive offensive from the north and west. Count Roberts had no choice but to withstand the pressure and prevent the entire defense line from collapsing. Under such circumstances, he had no spare troops to support the south.

This was despite the fact that, after the Mozambique Allied forces had once again contracted their defense line a month earlier, the British defensive pressure had eased somewhat.

East African troops streamed eastward