The first shots of the Great War had hardly detonated across Europe
when their echoes were heard in Africa. The war fever began to hover
over Germany's colonial possessions in Africa--Togoland, the
Cameroons, German Southwest Africa, and, greatest of all, German East
Africa. Each of these colonies became in turn the scene of armed
invasions and fierce conflicts, as important to the small forces
involved as the great campaigns on the continent across the seas.

When Great Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, and the
news flashed across the world to the official representatives of the
warring nations in Africa, the British acting governor of the Gold
Coast and the French governor of Dahomey planned a concerted campaign
by land in cooperation with the warships to be found in African
waters.

The first blow was struck on August 8, 1914, in Togoland, a country
about the size of Ireland, lying between French Dahomey and the
British Gold Coast. It is populated by a million Hausas and about 400
whites. At the beginning of the war the military force of Togoland
could not have exceeded 250 whites and 3,000 natives. Hemmed in on
three sides by French and British territory, with a coast line easily
approached by warships, the colony was not in a position to offer much
resistance if attacked.

On August 8, 1914, a British cruiser appeared before Lome, the capital
of Togoland, and the town was surrendered without a shot being fired.
But before the British force landed, the little German army of about
60 Europeans and 400 natives fell back to Atakpame, 100 miles in the
interior.

While this was happening at Lome an expeditionary force composed of
the Gold Coast Regiment, with British officers and commanded by
Captain F. C. Bryant, R. A., crossed the frontier in motor cars on
August 8, or 9, 1914, and a French force entered Togoland from the
other side. A few days later the Allies had possession of all the
southern part of Togoland, and advanced together toward Atakpame to
capture an important German wireless station at Kamina in the same
region.

The only real fighting in this campaign took place on August 25, 1914,
when Captain Bryant and his forces had crossed the Monu River. The
Allies drove the enemy from his intrenchments, seized the wireless
station, and occupied Atakpame. Their losses were two officers and 21
men killed and about 50 wounded.

On August 26, 1914, the Germans surrendered unconditionall