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I spoke to a comrade who has seen war aforetime. He said he had never seen a more orderly occupation of a town. The first train to Windhuk. How we treat the German women. The conduct of the South African troops should assuredly be noted. The very confidence of these German townspeople that they had nothing to fear from the hated troops of the British Union of South Africa was eloquent.
Conference at Omaruru. The marvellous series of changes as one advances constitutes the most striking feature of the advance to Windhuk from the coast. I have never seen this feature of the veld so marked elsewhere in South Africa.
Now there is no electric light in this village of Windhuk, or Windy Corner, yet. What was the idea with this stupendous thing? And there are not enough Germans in the place or in the whole territory, if it comes to that to populate a good-sized town. There is also the usual telegraphic communication to the coast, etc. Yet the wireless. Its significance could be of one kind only: a military one.
General Botha hoisted the flag at Karibib and proclaimed it on the 6th of May, spent a few days settling matters at Karibib, and on the afternoon of the 11th set out for Windhuk by motor, formally to enter the capital.
The railway line between Swakopmund and Karibib, broken up by dynamited bridges, had been to a great extent repaired. The poorly rationed troops were now replenished. The horses, badly knocked up after the rush through to Windhuk, had had opportunity to mend a bit.
The place doesn't seem to have a single industry of its own; but then, as I said elsewhere, there is hardly an established industry in the Protectorate. There is one thing about Windhuk that grips your attention and holds it in no uncertain manner, too. One of the great objectives of the South-West campaign was to secure the Windhuk wireless station.
Animals took two hours to water in the bitterly cold morning air. The guards had not taken two steps on their beat before the sand was littered with sleepers that looked like dead men. These sleeping columns, some ninety to a hundred miles from the coast, were now half way to Windhuk. The rest of the Northern Army had trekked on with scarcely any pause.
First we were there for a period of some five weeks, from February 11 till March 18, whilst awaiting the first advance into the Namib Desert; then we were there for a further month, from the 27th of March till the 25th of April, whilst awaiting the general advance to Windhuk and Karibib. Garrison Sports at Swakopmund. Garrison Sports. It is difficult to write about Swakopmund.
On Sunday and Monday, the 25th and 26th of April, General Botha's forces left the coast: on the 5th of May they were outside Windhuk. Striking right across the desert through every kind of country, General Botha's army marched night and day, and in five of those days covered a minimum distance of a hundred and ninety miles. Many units did much more than two hundred miles over forty miles per day.
An officer spoke to me gruffly and told me to stand aside behind a wooden rail. I obeyed, and suddenly found Stumm's eyes looking down at me. 'You know German? he asked sharply. 'A dozen words, I said carelessly. 'I've been to Windhuk and learned enough to ask for my dinner. Peter my friend speaks it a bit. 'So, said Stumm. 'Well, get into the carriage. Not that one! There, thickhead!
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