CAMEROONS, OPERATIONS IN. The German forces in the Protectorate at the outbreak of the World War were com manded by Colonel Zimmerman, an able and resolute soldier, and consisted of approximately 200 Europeans and 1,55o natives in the military force and 4o Europeans and 1,255 natives in the police force. Some hundreds of settlers were available, as were a number of sailors from ships which made for the Cameroons estuary when war was declared. Considerable numbers of natives were trained as askaris during the campaign, and to some extent local levies co-operated, though the natives generally were hostile to their German masters. These forces were scattered, the main portion of them being about Duala, the chief port.
The offensive was initiated by the Allies. Bonga and Singa, the most advanced enemy posts in the two salients, were captured by the French on Aug. 6 and 7, 1914, a German offensive being thus forestalled. Two French columns were then despatched : the one (Hutin) north along the Sanga, with Lomie as its objective, the other (Morrison) moving west on Dume from Singa along the Lobaye. These enemy posts were in the centre of the Cameroons. On Sept. 21 General Largeau in the north occupied Kuseri in the Lake Chad region.
British Movements.—Meanwhile British forces had moved from Nigeria, and a column under Captain Fox crossed the fron tier on Aug. 25, and unsuccessfully attacked Mora, a hill post in the north. A French column (Brisset), sent to co-operate with Fox, occupied Marua south of Mora on Dec. 12, with the result that the Lake Chad region was cleared of the enemy, except the garrison of Mora, which gallantly held out through all the cam paign, surrendering upon terms at its conclusion.
Two other British columns invaded the Cameroons on Aug. '25 only to meet with repulse.
Anglo-French Offensive.—About the middle of September an Anglo-French expeditionary force, 4,300 strong, formed in equal proportions from British and French negro troops, and under the British commander-in-chief, General Dobell, embarked at different ports, and, forcing the barrier at Duala, bombarded that port on Sept. 26. On the surrender of the port on the following day 400 Germans and 30,915 tons of shipping were captured. Colonel Zimmerman withdrew to Edea, 4om. to the south-east. Three columns were at once directed in pursuit of the enemy at Edea which, after continuous opposition, was occupied on Oct. 26. A French garrison under Colonel Mayer was installed at Edea, the German commander-in-chief having retired to Yaunde, loom. east, on a plateau beyond the forest belt.
Mayer, owing to the weakness of his force, being condemned to passive defence, the British forces proceeded to clear the country between the Cameroons estuary and Nigeria. By the end of 1914 the whole of the northern railway and Buea, the enemy administrative capital, had been occupied. On Jan. 5, 1915, Mayer beat off an attack on Edea with heavy loss to the attackers. Else where the Allied offensive had almost ceased, Hutin's column alone had made some progress, and he had been joined by a small Bel gian contingent. Reorganization was effected and Brig.-Gen. Cun liffe was appointed to command the Allied troops in the north, where the enemy was taking the offensive. Reinforcements reached Gen. Dobell at Duala in February.
A concentric advance upon Yaunde was decided upon, but was begun prematurely, largely in consequence of the usual difficulties which beset allies who endeavour to co-operate for the first time. The force was strongly opposed in the dense bush and when Yaunde was still 4om. distant, dysentery became rife, leading to a withdrawal to the Edea district. On the same date, however, June 28, Cunliffe occupied Ngaundere, some 3oom. north-east of Yaunde. Here, simultaneously with the withdrawal to Edea, a halt was called. Hutin occupied Lomie—I5om. south-south-east of Yaunde—on June 25 and Morrison took Dume a month later.
The general Allied offensive was resumed, and by early October General Dobell was moving in from the west, Cunliffe from the north and Hutin and Morrison from the east. The maximum Allied strength, about 15,000, was now disposed against the enemy, whose forces were estimated at Io,000 (inclusive of 700 Euro peans) . The opposition was, as before, vigorous and protracted.
The British force emerged first from the forest belt and on Dec.
17 were at Mangas in open country and about 5om. west of Yaunde. On Dec. 21 the French column, which had had severe fighting and many casualties, reached Mangele's tom. south-east of Mangas. The British troops were instructed not to await the French arrival at Mangele's, and accordingly pushed straight on for Yaunde, which Colonel Gorges entered unopposed on Jan. I, 1916.
Conclusion of the Campaign.—From Dec. 22 opposition by the enemy had ceased. Colonel Zimmerman, as soon as he knew that the Allied columns were clear of the forest, decided to give up the contest. He evacuated Yaunde and, together with the governor and 823 Germans, including civilians and his troops and carriers, headed south-west for Spanish Guinea, of which the nearest point was 125m. distant. He was pursued, but although forced to fight a rear-guard action on Jan. 8, he eluded the columns which had been sent to the borders of Spanish Guinea and were waiting to bar his entry into neutral territory. The first part of his forces, quickly followed by the rest, entered Spanish territory on Feb. 4 and with the surrender of the gallant garrison at Mora on Feb. 18, the conquest of the Cameroons was complete.
See E. Dane, British Campaigns in Africa 0919); H. C. O'Neill, The War in Africa (i919) ; Sir C. Dobell, The Campaign in the Cameroons, 1914-16 (1922).