Happy Birthday Don Boose - Page 2

**Kevin WS** · #11 09-20-2019, 10:14 AM

Don - referring to the "card" I did above...

Why did I choose this?

Well, it is a unique piece - one of a kind actually and I thought the back-story may intrigue you and lead you on to some more interesting research!

The gun itself is an 88mm Schiffskanone from the SMS Konigsberg - a German Light Cruiser, destroyed in East African in 1915 after she was trapped in the Rufiji by ships of the Royal Navy.

Some guns from the ship were saved by the surviving crew and carried to Dar-es-Salaam (in what was then Tanganyika), where the Railway Workshops then fabricated gun carriages from scratch to enable the guns to be used on land.

The gun in the photo is one of these guns and was one of only two 88mm guns kept originally in the hold of the Konigsberg for arming merchant ships.

It was then used successfully in the East African War, being used in Lieutenant Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's guerrilla campaign, before being abandoned in September 1916 between Kisaki and Morogoro after a shell exploded in the barrel.

It was kept by British South African Forces and later ended up in South Africa as a souvenir, where today it lives in the SA War museum where it is being well looked after.

So it is both a unique piece, with a unique history!

The history of the amazing campaign in East Africa conducted by von Lettow-Vorbeck is well worth following.

May I recommend to anyone interested...

Battle for the Bundu: The First World War in East Africa – by Charles Miller and published in January 31, 1974

(P.S. I tried to edit this into the original post but was too late, as I was called away and went outside the 60 minute edit window! If one of the admins wants to stick this in the original post after the pic, feel free....!)

**KCStephens** · #12 09-20-2019, 10:33 AM

Sending Happy Birthday wishes your way. Enjoy!!!

**Don Boose** · #13 09-20-2019, 11:02 AM

Hey, Miles! Thanks for kicking off the birthday greetings.

Thanks to Fred and Fred, Doug, Kacper, and Olo for thinking of me.

Thanks to you, Flyboy, and best wishes from this superannuated dogface!

Thanks to Rick, Greg, and Kevin Stephens. I am proud to be in your company as the four plank holders of the Paper Modelers at Army Heritage Days event.

And thanks Kevin WS for that unique artillery image. I have, in fact, read Battle for the Bundu. Von Lettow-Vorbeck's East Africa campaign is studied at the U.S. Army War College from time to time.

Given my age, I wonder if there is some subtle additional meaning to the field gun with the burst barrel?

Don