Surrender of Mora
Cameroon campaign (First World War) · Mora, Cameroon
Summary
The German garrison of Mora, entrenched on an impregnable hill since 1914, finally capitulated for lack of food and ammunition. This last German bastion in Cameroon was neutralized after several months of blockade.
Historical context
Fort Mora had resisted since the start of the conflict, isolated but symbolic. Exhaustion of supplies, morale, and lack of reinforcements led to surrender without a final battle. Captain Ernst von Raben held Mora rock from August 1914 with ~300 German soldiers and Askaris, tying down disproportionate Franco-British forces.
Tactics
Land blockade, harassment at range, continuous negotiations. The final assault was avoided by German capitulation. Raben repelled Allied attacks from the summit of the Mora massif; on 15 February 1916, informed that the Schutztruppe had taken refuge in neutral territory, he negotiated honorable surrender terms with Brigadier Cunliffe.
Consequences
End of German military presence in Cameroon. The territory was then divided into Franco-British occupation zones. Last Kamerun stronghold to surrender (18 February 1916), more than a year after the bulk of German forces withdrew to neutral Spanish Guinea.