Battle of Salaita Hill The Battle of Salaita Hill was the first large - scale engagement of the East African Campaign of the First World War to involve British , Indian , Rhodesian and South African troops . The battle took place on February 12 , 1916 , as part of the three - pronged offensive into German East Africa launched by General Jan Smuts , who had been given overall command of the Allied forces in the region . Background . Salaita was a strategic lookout post close to the border town of Taveta . Its proximity to the border of German East Africa , and the belief that it was defended by only a small detachment of just 300 men without artillery made it an attactve initial objective for Smuts ' offensive . The advance into German East Africa was conducted by the 2nd South African Division , commanded by Brigadier General Wilfrid Malleson . Malleson had little combat experience , having served on the staff of British Field Marshal Kitchener and as part of the British military mission to Afghanistan prior to the outbreak of the First World War . Brigadier General Beves ' 2nd South African Infantry Brigade and the First East African Brigade were chosen to attack Salaita . Including an attached Indian artillery brigade , the force totaled 6 , 000 men . Despite British intelligence suggesting the contrary , however , Salaita was heavily defended by approximately 1 , 300 men under local commander " Major " Georg Kraut . Furthermore , unknown to Malleson there were six " Schutztruppe " field companies — numbering roughly 1 , 000 men — in the surrounding area . The battle . The Allied assault began on the morning of February 12 with a preliminary bombardment of German positions by 4 inch guns salvaged from the sunken cruiser HMS " Pegasus " . However , due to faulty intelligence , the barrage targeted German secondary trenches at the summit of Salaita Hill instead of the front line , which was further down the slope . It therefore alerted the defenders to the coming attack without disrupting their ability to oppose it . Two hours into the assault , when Malleson ' s men were from Salaita , German artillery began firing . Beves deployed his brigade with the 7th South African Infantry Regiment ( Lieutenant Colonel J . C . Freeth ) leading the assault , with the 5th ( Lt . Col . the Honorable J . J . Byron ) and 6th ( Lt . Col . G . M . J . Molyneux ) Regiments holding the left and right flanks respectively . The men deployed in a loose skirmish formation . The South African regiments succeeded in smashing through the German line , but were stopped and then forced to withdraw after suffering casualties from machine guns . As they retreated to their starting positions , they were out - flanked and attacked by a German relief column led by " Hauptmann " ( Captain ) Schultz from the nearby town of Taveta . Following this encounter , the force moved further north to Serengeti , having suffered 172 casualties , 138 of them South African . Aftermath . Racial tension between the 6th South African Infantry Regiment and the 130th Baluchis was a source of some concern . The South African unit was reluctant to serve alongside their Indian colleagues , calling them ' coolies ' . When the South Africans were put to flight by German askari s , the Baluchis held firm . They later sent a machine gun , abandoned by the white troops , back to them , with a note which said : " With the compilments of the 130th Baluchis . May we request that you no longer refer to our people as ' coolies ' " . As a result of the battle , " General " Paul von Lettow - Vorbeck — commander of German forces in East Africa — reinforced his units in the Kilimanjaro area . Almost half of Lettow - Vorbeck ' s forces were eventually redeployed to the region ( 800 Germans and 5 , 200 " Schutztruppen " ) .