Forgotten heroes: How African soldiers fought in the World War II

Russia Today

15-03-2025

It is no mere exaggeration to say that World War II left an indelible impression upon every continent on Earth. Land, air and naval battles, a war of intelligence, the mass movement of thousands of people, growing conscience, reevaluation of the very essence of existence – the lives of peoples of all races and colors would never be the same. The latter depicts the situation in Africa more than anything else.
From a Western point of view, in relation to WWII Africa lies somewhere on the fringes of history (bar the North African Campaign) because the mainstream war narrative focuses primarily on the European and Pacific theaters. Though such a perspective is understandable, it's quite misleading.
Over a million common black Africans took part in the war, in every capacity, being combatant or non-combatant. Africans were deeply involved in every major theater of the war, in Africa and in Europe; in the Middle East, in India, in Myanmar. Many amongst them paid the ultimate price. Alas, unlike their European brethren in service, their deeds have rarely been acknowledged.
When World War II started, Africa was (save for certain exceptions) a tapestry of colonies. A third of the continent's expanse (just over 10 million square kilometers) was governed by the British Empire (in the form of colonies, unions and dependent territories) thus placing it upon the side of the Allies.
Next came France with her almost 9 million square kilometers of land (encompassing West and Central Africa, and Madagascar). In 1940 over half of the metropolitan country was occupied by German forces whilst the remaining portion was under the Vichy collaborationist government. Technically this might render French Africa an ally of the Axis, yet most colonies proclaimed their allegiance to Charles de Gaulle's Free France government in exile.
In a similar manner, despite the occupation of Belgium, Belgian Congo remained steadfast in its loyalty to Belgian government in London. Angola and Mozambique abided by neutrality since the Salazar regime in Lisbon proclaimed its stance as non-alignment. And two more large African territories – Tripolitania (Libya) and Africa Orientale (Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia) – were under Italian occupation.
The colonial powers were faced with human shortages and found themselves in dire need of African manpower, so Africans were called to service. African soldiers performed a variety of tasks: they fought in major battles, they transported munitions and provisions to the battlefield and other locations, they helped to save the wounded (and more often than not under fire), they built bases, strongholds, airfields and roads and guarded them.
In West Africa, Britain began to expand its Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) – from a small number of 18,000 men in 1939 it grew to 150,000 in 1945, producing 28 battalions and two divisions that saw service in East Africa and Far East.
For the first time a multitude of soldiers from Nigeria, the Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra Leone and the Gambia were dispatched from their native lands to other parts of Africa and the world – and that brought an invaluable experience for them. They saw people of other skin-colors; they engaged as comrades or saw them as enemies through riflescopes; they found out that despite the visible differences their blood was just as red and that friends and foes died just the same.
In British East Africa, the King's African Rifles Regiment (KAR) served as the nucleus for the soon-to-be-formed African units and detachments. The KAR, akin to its western counterpart the RWAFF, created a vast array of forces during WWII: over 40 infantry battalions and a lot of special services' sections such as transport, signals and logistics. Officers were Europeans (seconded from the Royal Army), yet the men-of-ranks and NCOs were Africans and came from Tanganyika (Tanzania), Kenya, Uganda and Nyasaland (Malawi).
In 1940-1941, African soldiers played a very important role in the East Africa Campaign – the liberation of the Horn of Africa countries from Fascist Italian occupation. 22% of Allied soldiers (that is 19,000 of the 88,500) were from East and West Africa, battling shoulder to shoulder with their brethren in arms from the Union of South Africa, Britain, India, Australia and New Zealand.
It is worth noting that the Nigerian Brigade was instrumental in the capture of Mogadishu (the capital of present-day Somalia) in May 1941. The campaign resulted in a crucial victory. Italian forces were either vanquished or surrendered and the liberation of Somaliland, Ethiopia and Eritrea was a grievous blow to Mussolini's ego.
In December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Burma (present-day Myanmar), which at the time was a British Colony. Every theater of war is hard but the South-East Asian one proved to be beyond extreme. Allied forces were met with unforgivable terrain, intolerant weather and the threat of tropical diseases. The British High command suggested that Africans who are accustomed to the tropical conditions would fight more effectively amidst the Indochina jungle than European troops.
All in all, British Empire forces were close to one million men in that campaign. Of that tally, 120,000 were Africans. Combat troops fought mainly in Western Burma, a strategically vital region that controlled major supply routes. Most of the Africans were infantry but many were in engineer units that built roads and bridges.
In some impassable areas where transport was of no use, Africans toiled in carrier groups, transporting up to 40kg of supplies on their heads along a 400-km jungle path. British expectations that Africans would do well in the climate of Burma proved correct. African troops had a lower rate of sickness than Indians and Europeans. Because of their health and stamina, as well as their combat effectiveness, black troops rendered crucial aid to the victory over the Japanese.
The contribution to the Allied war effort from the southern part of Africa deserves special mention. Two countries provided troops and servicemen for the cause – Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and the Union of South Africa.
During WWII Rhodesia, per percentage of its population, provided more soldiers (black and white) than any other country in the empire, even Britain itself. White Rhodesians fought in the Royal Air Force in Europe and as LRDG scouts in North Africa.
Unlike South Africa, racial tensions in Southern Rhodesia were comparably scant and that is why there was almost no objections to form an African combat unit led by white officers. From black Rhodesians they raised a regiment of Rhodesian African Rifles, which took part in the Burma campaign, battling against the Japanese. Reflecting on their performance, a British officer said with a great deal of amazement: 'The conduct of the Africans, most of whom had never experienced enemy fire before, deserves a lasting tribute.'
In South Africa, however, there was another matter. The policy of apartheid was yet to be introduced officially, but it was de-facto in force. The state policy regarding military matters was strict: 'Slegs Wit Weermag!' ('White Army only!') Thus, no African could be enlisted as a combat soldier. But suddenly, the government faced problems.
There was no mandatory military service in the country and the Union Defense Force (as the South African Army was called then) was volunteer and thus relatively small: numbering only 5,000 men in 1939. Die Afrikaner Volk (white population of Dutch, French and German ancestry) was strongly opposed to war with Germany and few decided to join the UDF.
Facing severe shortages with auxiliary units, the government permitted the enlistment of the Coloreds (the official term for those of mixed lineage) and the Indians. They were inducted as drivers and engineers. Still, the UDF was in need of workhands so the Native Military Corps was raised from black South Africans. Initially they were tasked with labor and guard duties but later they were employed as drivers, dispatchers, medic and clerks.
South Africans fought with extreme bravery. They played a significant part in the East African campaign against Italians. They helped to liberate Madagascar from Vichy French Forces. South African units were engaged in ferocious battles in North African Campaign and in Italy. Black soldiers fought alongside their white counterparts. Some fell captive as POWs, whilst others became KIAs. Of 330,000 South Africans who saw service in WWII, 77,000 were black.
One must not focus the story on British subjects only. France had a corps of colonial infantry since the Second Empire (the mid-XIX century). Although men-of-ranks came from all the corners of French Africa, they adopted the common name for the force - Senegalese Tirailleurs(Senegalese Riflemen).
When WWII broke out, some Tirailleurs' regiments were stationed in mainland France and fought the Wehrmacht onslaught – and that actually drove Germans mad, as 'white Aryans' were compelled to fight the black race, which in the Third Reich was considered as untermenschen (subhumans). German soldiers often murdered captured Senegalese – as a grim lesson to others. Interestingly, the German attitude towards African POWs from British colonies was far more lenient – they considered English-speaking black soldiers as nothing but slaves who knew their place and were thus deemed harmless.
After France's fall, Senegalese Tirailleurs continued to fight on other fronts. General Jacques Leclerc with 10,000 soldiers in Chad marched through the desert to assail Italian positions in southern Libya and went further north to meet up with Allied forces in Tripoli. Tirailleurs' major campaign was the liberation of France with the French 1st Army. They conquered Elba and from there landed in southern France, fighting their way northward to Alsace.
When the Germans took Belgium, its colonial authorities joined the Allies, and naturally, colonial troops, Force Publique, were on that side too. They fought against the Italians in Ethiopia, safeguarded Nigeria from possible Axis invasion and served in Egypt as the strategic reserve.
When the war was over the veterans were demobilized. White soldiers came home in a blaze of glory decorated with medals and were met with triumph. For Africans it was another matter. If the British bothered to give medals to Africans (albeit fewer than to their white counterparts) and to honor their heroism in the form of victory celebrations (as in the 1946 Victory Parade in London), the French and Belgians just let their soldats-noirs go with meagre pension and without any words of comfort.
But the war years had a profound effect on African veterans. First, service in the army meant a completely new outlook on life. Not only was their general horizon widely extended, but, in many cases, they acquired considerable technical and mechanical skills, and specialized occupations. They were now familiar with a world of machines and knew how to operate them. They had learned trades which they hoped would enable them to earn a better living once they returned home.
Unfortunately, upon their return, many of them found themselves out of work, and their lives still controlled by Europeans. There was a general feeling of disillusionment, for they believed that colonial powers owed them a great deal for the sacrifice they had made. From this sprang a sense of being let down and the first seeds of dissent were sown.
Africans started to reassess their racial opinions. Before the war Europeans were considered as almost divine beings. During the war Africans had to shoot these superhumans in German and Italian uniforms and found out they were nothing but mortals with muscle, blood and bones. Thus, the myth of European invulnerability was shattered.
Political awareness also awakened. Many Africans learned to read and write while in the ranks and started to read newspapers, for they knew firsthand that affairs in distant lands could affect their own lives. They started to tell their observations to illiterate friends and neighbors. In a hushed voice questions were asked: 'If it was wrong for the Germans to rule the French, then why is it okay for Europeans to rule Africans? Are we so bad and dumb to rule our own country as whites say – or is the reason entirely different?'
African troops stationed in India and Ceylon had a chance to look around, to talk with people and to know about the Indian independence movement. As the tide of Asian nationalism was expanding and gaining success, the stories of it were inspiring to African nationalists. The successes that Asia experienced in gaining independence helped Africans gain confidence in yearning for their freedom.
Furthermore, Africans met their brethren: West Africans met East Africans; people from one colony met people from another colony; people from different tribes within a colony met each other. This brought new experiences and ultimately promoted the pan-Africanism movement.
WWII, as bloody and destructive as it was, was instrumental in helping Africans to attain their freedom and independence. The realm of politics had shifted worldwide when the war was over. Perspectives on colonialism were transforming on the global stage, and these fresh views were not in favor of European colonial countries. The struggle for African liberty and independence was long and tiring, yet Africa triumphed.