The battle of Dorodoom pass

  As a correspondent for the Zanzibar Times I was privileged to be attached to her Majesty's forces in Africa during the recent joint British and German punitive expedition into the wild and un subjugated territories to the west.  Speaking both languages German and English and I might mention Arabic, Farsi, Swahili, Zulu, Pigeon, French, and six other languages fluently I made myself useful as an interpreter for both sides, soon winning the freedom to roam as I would through the long column of forces heading towards Dorodoom fortress.

Our long column set out from the coast early in the morning of January 17, 1880.  After traveling for six days covering almost 300 mi. we made camp and were joined in the morning by a long column of Imperial Prussian troops.  Among the many troops was one of the Kaiser's new MARK IV land ships!  Quite a sight, very impressive, one can only hope that it does all that the Prussian aristocrat Col. von Stopengoof says it is capable of.  During the first night of our combined encampment the crews of several of the German vehicles including the MARK IV land ship played a lively game of soccer with the crews of several of the British steam spiders.  It was a rare sight indeed to see these men so used to being on opposite sides of the battlefield laughing and joking, drinking and smoking as if they were brothers.  Truly war makes strange bedfellows!

After being encamped for two days while orders of march were issued and the commanders of the different imperial forces discussed their battle plans and issued orders we moved out in a long column towards destiny and Dorodoom!  It was at this point after wonderful brunch of Bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potato pancakes, liberally doused with several pints of German beer I was invited to spend the day riding with the Prussian section of the left column.  The British column paralleled us on the right separated by only a couple hundred meters. Most of the day passed uneventfully with discussions on the battle to come, and wonderment at the marvelous terrain we are passing through dominating our time.  It was near four o'clock as we approached one of the last passes in what were several rings of small mountainous hills approaching the plain of Dora.  Once we reach the plain the fortress would be but a day's march off.  It was at this point that we received a message from the British column requesting a halt for a “brew up” or tea.  My host the Prussian general Gottlieb von Bustenhalter grumbled at the delay especially since we were now in a pass that invited an ambush.  He also  knew however that the stubborn British would stop no matter what for their tea.  He replied that at the first suitable spot he would call a halt to his column.

It was at this point that the serene quiet of this beautiful pass was split asunder with the screams of native warriors and  immediately to our front dozens of them emerged from the thick brush and swarmed around the Prussian Mark VI land ship.  I spurred my horse up onto a hill on the column's right for safety and a better view since I was a noncombatant and only armed with a pistol for my personal protection.  As I reach the top of a hill I could hear and see the British column about 100 yd. to my right crossing over this small hill and descending into the pass whose bottom contained a small river.  My eyes returned to the head of the Prussian column where a dozen or so natives threw spears and fired arrows at the Mark VI.  It carried no heavy offensive armament and I am told was mainly constructed to safely transport troops and provide a firing platform for those troops.  I was assured that a heavier version is currently being built in Germany.  The Prussian shutztruppen under the command of Captain von Luck and accompanied by Col. Stopengoof returned fire dropping several of the natives.  The natives fire however was not without effect, one shutztruppen with a spear threw his neck fell to the ground.