‘Through Bush, Across Desert and Over Mountains’

Abstract

During the Second World War, the East African theatre was marked by extreme variations in terms of climate, terrain, communications, and disease ecology. The planning, scope and conduct of the Allied offensive operations in the theatre was largely determined by the physical environment. The deployment of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade (1 sa Bde) to East Africa occurred across three distinct operational environments – the deserts of north-eastern Kenya, the bush country of Somalia, and the mountains of Ethiopia. The distinct changes in the physical environment influenced the combat operations of 1 sa Bde, which alternated between highly mobile, combined arms, operations across favourable terrain to somewhat static operations dominated by infantry and artillery over exceedingly difficult terrain. This article investigates the varied combat operations of 1 sa Bde in East Africa, and critically reflects on the influence that the physical environment exerted on the unfolding South African offensive operations.