Union forces were not
provided with aeroplanes, which would have proved invaluable in
scouting.

Pforto, a station on the line where the Germans occupied a strong
position, was surrounded by a column led by Colonel Alberts. The enemy
had two large guns and a number of Maxims. A charge by the Union force
and the effective work of their battery soon silenced the enemy's
artillery. The Germans had lost twenty killed, of whom three were
officers, when they surrendered unconditionally. There were 210
prisoners taken, four guns and a large quantity of ammunition.

General Botha was engaged in April and May, 1915, clearing the railway
system of the enemy. To prevent any flank attacks it was necessary to
hold the two main lines, which run from Swakopmund north to
Grootfontein, Tsumeb, and to Windhoek. This line being cleared for
fifty miles, Colonel Skinner and the Kimberley Regiment were stationed
at Trekopje, which became the Union railhead.

On April 26, 1915, about 700 Germans and a dozen guns vigorously
assailed this encampment and for four hours the fight raged with
varying consequences. The Germans under a withering fire from their
batteries tried to surround the Union trenches to enfilade them, but
were forced to retire, when they had got within 150 feet of their
objective, leaving twenty-five killed and wounded behind them. The
Union force lost eleven men, of whom three were officers, and forty
wounded.

Meanwhile, the southern army was actively engaged. Sir Duncan
Mackenzie's column had dispersed the Germans and taken some booty from
one or two places near Luederitz Bay, and had seized many miles of
railway. On February 22, 1915, his advance guard occupied Garub, a
station seventy miles inland. Here a company of Union scouts pushed
after the retiring Germans, and in a skirmish with mounted men
protecting a troop train their leader was wounded. They were forced to
retire, leaving one of their comrades a prisoner in the hands of the
enemy. The British camp at Garub was also attacked by a hostile
aeroplane which dropped hand grenades and shells, but there were no
casualties.

Aus, an important station fifteen miles from Garub, was next occupied
by Mackenzie. The place was evacuated without a struggle, but it
showed that much work had been done to fortify it, and that the enemy
had intended to resist. Owing to the rapid movements of the British
force the Germans had abandoned everything, though several mines
explo