Battle of Ngomano

Battle of Ngomano
Part of East African Campaign
Map showing the border between the Portuguese and German territories in 1917
Date 25 November 1917 Location Ngomano, Portuguese East Africa (present-day Mozambique) Coordinates: 11°25′42″S 38°29′37″E / 11.42833°S 38.49361°E / -11.42833; 38.49361 Result German victory
Belligerents
German Empire German East Africa	Portugal Mozambique
Commanders and leaders
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck	João Teixeira Pinto  †
Strength
1,500–2,000 men	900 men
Casualties and losses
light	200 killed and wounded 700 captured

 German Empire

Portugal

The Battle of Ngomano or Negomano was fought between the German Empire and Portugal during the East African Campaign of World War I. A force of Germans and Askaris under Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck had just won a costly victory against the British at the Battle of Mahiwa, in present-day Tanzania and ran very short of supplies. To find food, the Germans invaded Portuguese East Africa to the south, to escape superior British forces to the north and supply themselves with captured Portuguese materiel.

Portugal was part of the Entente and a belligerent, employing troops in France and a force under Major João Teixeira Pinto was sent to stop von Lettow-Vorbeck from crossing the border. The Portuguese were flanked by the Germans, while encamped at Ngomano on 25 November 1917. The battle saw the Portuguese force nearly destroyed, with many troops killed and captured. The capitulation of the Portuguese enabled the Germans to seize a large quantity of supplies and continue operations in East Africa until the end of the war.

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