More mounted opposition ....

 More mounted opposition for the French Foreign Legion completed (converted plastic Afghan figures). With the rest they make up a good size force....

Ntumbe Junction...

After occupying the port of Manga the Germans fought a small action at Patimbobo with a British scratch force to take control of the telegraph station and the river bridge on the branch line to Manga.  A British sea landing to take Manga was bloodily repulsed. The Germans are advancing along the branch line to the port towards the railway Junction at Ntumbe....

---oXo---

A quiet day at Ntumbe junction; a train stops to let of a few passengers, then is soon off down the line..

Off on the spur line a short train manned by British troops move some ammo up to a location for a defensive position...

---oXo---

British forces have taken up positions to defend the vital railway junction. BSAP hold the larger hill to the left of the railway line..

An advance screen of BSAP Askari...

Indian Sikh troops hold the hill on the right of the line and the telegraph building....

The command of British forces receives a status report....

---oXo---

 Meanwhile a German force approaches, comprising two field companies...

Otto von Tiddenheim, in command of the force, receives a report about the terrain ahead....

---oXo---

The German forces continue their advance...

soon they can glimpse Ntumbe junction in the distance

The mountain gun sets up and prepares to fire.....

The BSAP defenders on the hill stand to, as movement has been spotted in the mid-distance...

The askaris by the rail line can see part of the advancing German force.....

The German mountain gun and machine gun targeted the hill on the British left but to little effect....

The Germans infantry advance toward the hill and open fire

The screen of BSAP askaris came under heavy pressure and took casualties....

eventually the askaris retreated taking cover with the Sikh infantry on the British right....

The German attack on the hill has slowed down and the advancing infantry halt and take cover in the bush....

The Germans switch the focus of their attack to the British right flank.....

Things settled down to a 'shooting match' , both sides exchanging rifle and machine gun fire; with the German mountain gun laying down a somewhat ineffective fire to the British held hill to their front; then the mountain gun got the range and wreaked havoc..... 

The mountain gun then switched targets to the hill held by the Sikh infantry...

The Germans advance to take the hill, the surviving British had retreated ....

The Sikh infantry and some remaining BSAP askaris fell back, onto the top of the hill have sustaining heavy casualties....

The Germans moved over the hill and engaged what was left of the British in the centre

Overwhelmed the remnants of the British defending force retreated up the road....

A win for the Germans, they now have control of Ntumbe junction

---oXo---

Notes:

1. Forces and losses :

• Germans : starting total 50, losses 17
• British: starting total 35, losses 26

To the Mission at Npoto...

 Laura Lambert has put together a small team; this includes her friend Lady Penelope,  Kit Campion (ace investigative reporter), his dog Ruffles and Captain Pollock.  They will travel 'on safari' with a Police escort to their first stop the Mission at Npoto.   After that they will travel on to meet Jungle Man (aka Tarzan) who will lead them to a hidden mining operation he has found. Their aim is to investigate the mine and rumours of Dr Weevil's presence in the area.

---oXo---

Laura Lambert and company set off on their journey, with an armed police escort ...

meanwhile Stirling and Sterling arrange some more assistance...

Sterling & Stirling say their goodbye's to the local police officer, they have hired a jalopy to take them onwards.... 

After some miles Laura Lambert & co spotted a couple of eland ahead....

They continued on their way for a while, after a short rest they encountered a couple of rhinos..

they moved upwind and further away from them...

An hour or so later, in the distance they could see the mission buildings at Npoto, they would soon be there.

---oXo---

All was quiet at the mission

and the nearby tribal village....

But trouble was on its way, a group of ruga-ruga led by two Europeans...

they took up positions quietly, to spring an attack when Laura Lambert & co arrived....

As Laura Lambert & co approached the mission, the owner gave them a wave;  for some reason Kit Campion's dog Ruffles ran barking towards a bit of scrub near the small building at the edge of the mission compound....

The attackers emerge from cover and opened fire, Ruffles runs back ....the party take cover in some light scrub and return fire...

The bearers run back and shelter by the Baobob trees, while both sides exchange fire....

The armed police's accurate fire starts to tell and the attackers are being picked off; Laura Lambert also gets one of the attackers with her trusty SMG.

Some attackers try to flank their position, coming out of the long grass....

Lady Penelope,  Kit Campion and Captain Pollock fired off their pistols at some attackers coming out of the long grass - one attacker goes down.

The attackers have had enough and hastily withdraw, Ruffles runs after them barking furiously...

They have at last reached the mission, the armed police check all is safe & secure.....

---oXo---

The next morning, their escort for the next leg of the journey arrived... they would be riding with a detachment of the East Africa mounted rifles....