This is a great read on the campaigns in and around German East Africa, todays Tanzania, during the First World War. I loved that the maps, glossary and Dramatis Personae were at the start of the book. All books should be like this as it makes finding things easier, it also means that you know that those parts of the book exist right from the start. The book is only about East Africa and not about Africa as a whole, as the cover strongly suggests. But that coverage is extensive, it is excellent military history. It is primarily the story of the Allies campaign, with the Germans receding into the background at times. Which I guess adds to the feeling that the Allies had during the campaign. The book covers the Belgian and Portuguese experiences as well as the experiences of the local Africans. They might not get the coverage that the British, South Africans or Indian troops get, but much of that is due to the better records that still exist for them. Overall I highly recommend this book if your interested in the military history of Africa or of the First World War. ( )

Zambia

A good comprehensive study of the Great War in East Africa - not "Africa" as the sub-title suggests. Paice only touches briefly on the war in other parts of the continent. It makes interesting reading. Although it is mainly a book about Europeans, Paice includes some discussion on the effects of the war on the indigenous populations, and has taken the trouble to interview one of the last African survivors.

The book would be easier to read if the maps were more comprehensive, and if the text gave some hint as to which map was relevant at which point. I found myself constantly having to leaf through several of the maps, turning the book sideways and scanning names in small print, to find which one we had now reverted to. Some locations referred to in the text did not seem to appear in any map. I know most of the areas in which the action took place - I can imagine it would be even more difficult for a reader who doesn't. At least one typographical error in which the author got his compass directions mixed up made it more difficult and, when desperately searching for some obscure place on the map, made one wonder whether there was another error. ( )