The Military History Society of New South Wales Incorporated presents
The Battle of Lake Tanganyika
by Dennis Weatherall, Councillor of the Society
Loading one of the main guns on the SMS Graf von Goetzen.
Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world, and a natural wonder but one of the strangest battles of WWI took place on its placid waters.
Lake Tanganyika sits between Tanzania (then German East Africa) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Belgian Congo). The Allies wanted to capture German East Africa, but they needed to control the lake to do so. The Germans, however, dominated the lake due to their ship the SMS Graf von Goetzen.
British troops were able to push into German territory from the sea and coast, but the great lake severely hampered their inland movements. German control of the lake meant they were able to move troops along it and redeploy behind British lines, thwarting any invasion.
The battle for control of the lake is a fascinating and little known story involving some of the most eccentric personalities and surprising feats of endurance encountered in modern warfare.
Come and hear Battlefield Guide Dennis Weatherall’s detailed and well researched account of this feat of arms.
Dennis is an appointed Justice of the Peace (JP), a qualified Travel Manager (TM) and an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Travel and Qualified Travel Licence holder (AFAITT- L), Qualified Military Historian and Accredited member of the Guild. He is also a Member of RUSI (Royal United Services Institute – known now as “The Institute for Defence and Security Studies of New South Wales”), as well as being an active member of his Sub-Branch of the “Returned and Service League (RSL) of Australia”, a member of Navy League of Australia and Ex Navalman’s Association of Australia and a Member of the Military Historic Society of New South Wales.
Saturday 3rd March 2018, 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Carmichael Room, Level 1, Sydney Mechanics School of Arts (SMSA), 280 Pitt Street, Sydney CBD
Entry is free. RSVP is essential by Wednesday 28 February 2018 as numbers are restricted.
Call the President (Clinton Reilly) on 0418 671 582 or email rsvp@militaryhistorynsw.com.au
The Battle of Lake Tanganyika
