Information issued by the War Office last night shows that detachments of enemy troops are scattered over a very wide area in East Africa, in some cases 600 miles apart. Apart from the presence of an isolated, and unimportant, party in the extreme north of the country, fighting is reported from regions 300 or more miles from one another. In the south the Germans marching across Portuguese territory reached the British border east of Lake Nyasa.
The penetration of Portuguese East Africa by the Germans had previously been reported; it was then stated that they were foraging for food. British and Portuguese columns from the south have already driven back the invaders over 60 miles. The chief fighting is reported from the coast district south of Kilwa and in the region between Lake Nyasa and the Central Railway. As the result of British successes, what is presumably the main German force is retreating south, into the area between the sea and the northern end of Lake Nyasa. There are indications of a German concentration around Liwale, a place 120 miles south-west of Kilwa.
The following is the text of the War Office communique: Telegraphing on June 30, the GOC-in-C, East Africa, reported that the strongly-held enemy positions south of the Ngaura River (south and south-west of Kilwa Kissivani), extending from Kimamba Hill (on the shore of Beaver Hafen) to Makangaga (12 miles inland), had been evacuated in consequence of the pressure of our forces advancing from Kilwa [a port 20 miles north of Kilwa Kissivani]. The enemy forces in this area, after retreating a distance of seven to nine miles, have now been located on the line Lunyu-Mnindi-Utigeri astride the tracks leading south and south-west towards Lindi, Liwale, and Massassi [all places on the route to Lake Nyasa or the Portuguese frontier]. In the Lindi area our troops advancing inland from that port have been engaged with strong enemy detachments to the west and south-west of the town. In the Iringa area [which is roughly midway between Lake Nyasa and the Central Railway] our columns have advanced south-eastwards and are engaged with minor enemy detachments on the Ruipa River 46 miles south-east of Iringa).
In the Songea area [Songea lies east of Nyasa, 60 miles north of the Portuguese border] a considerable German force, after a half-hearted attempt to engage our forces concentrating at Likuju (49 miles east-north-east of Songea), fell back along the road leading to Liwale.
In the extreme north of the German Colony, in the direction of Ikoma [east of Victoria Nyanza and 50 miles south of the frontier of British East Africa] Belgian troops from the Congo, acting in cooperation with ours, are en- gaged in the pursuit of a small enemy force which has for some time been at large in this area.
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In Portuguese East Africa, to the east of Lake Nyasa, our troops advancing from Fort Johnston at the southern end of the lake, are operating against German detachments which, having entered Portuguese territory by the Luchulingo Valley [which runs some 50 miles east of Nyasa] had penetrated to Mtengula (on the shore-of Lake Nyasa) and to the [British] Nyasaland border [110 miles from the German frontier]. These German forces have now been driven back to Mwembe [65 miles north-east of the British border].
A Portuguese contingent is cooperating in this area from the direction of Mlanje [which is south-east of Lake Nyasa], and further Portuguese forces are concentrating on the coast south of the Rovuma River.