Naulila Incident
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Naulila Incident
| width =
| partof = German campaign in Angola
| image = Dt-pt-grenzkrieg1914-15.svg
| caption = Location of the Portuguese forts Cuangar and Naulila on the border with German Southwest Africa.
| date = 19 October 1914
| place = Naulila, Portuguese Angola
| result = Portuguese victory
| combatants_header = Belligerents
| combatant1 = {{tree list}}
- {{flagicon|First Portuguese Republic}} First Portuguese Republic
- {{flagicon|Portuguese Angola}} Portuguese West Africa{{tree list/end}}
| combatant2 = {{tree list}}
- {{flagicon|German Empire}} German Empire
- {{flagicon|German South West Africa}} German South West Africa{{tree list/end}}
| combatant3 =
| commander1 = {{flagicon|First Portuguese Republic}} Manuel Álvares Sereno
| commander2 = {{flagicon|German South West Africa}} Hans Schultze-Jena{{KIA}}
{{flagicon|German South West Africa}} Alexander Lösch{{KIA}}
{{flagicon|German South West Africa}} Kurt Röder{{KIA}}
{{flagicon|German South West Africa}} Carl Jensen{{POW}}
{{flagicon|German South West Africa}} Andreas{{KIA}}
{{flagicon|German South West Africa}} Hugo{{KIA}}
| strength1 = 1 patrol
Unknown number of men
| strength2 = 6 men
| casualties1 = None reported
| casualties2 = 5 killed
1 captured
| image_size = 300px
}}
{{campaignbox Portuguese colonial campaigns}}
{{Campaignbox South West Africa Campaign}}
The Naulila Incident was a violent confrontation between Portuguese forces and a German delegation on October 19, 1914, near Naulila in southern Portuguese Angola. This incident later led to the German attack on Naulila, on December 18.
Background
On October 17, 1914, during the early stages of World War I, a small German delegation led by Dr. Hans Schultze-Jena crossed into Angola from German South West Africa without notifying Portuguese authorities.{{sfn|Matias|2010|p=32}} The delegation included two German officers, two native attendants, and a Danish interpreter. Their stated mission was to pursue a deserter, but they also sought to negotiate food supplies and the transport of German mail, which had been blocked by British forces. Portugal, although officially neutral, had declared martial law in southern Angola, restricting German movement and ordering the disarmament of any foreign troops entering its territory.
On October 18, the German delegation encountered a Portuguese patrol commanded by Lieutenant Manuel Álvares Sereno near Naulila. Despite initial tension, the two groups camped together overnight. The following morning, Schultze-Jena agreed to accompany the Portuguese patrol to Naulila to meet the local administrator but grew suspicious of Portuguese intentions.Augusto Casimiro, Naulila : 1914. Lisboa : Seara Nova : Anuário do Brasil, 1922. - XV, 240, [3] p., [3] map. desdobr. : il. ; 19 cm.
==Incident==
On October 19, at Naulila, the Germans discovered that the Portuguese administrator was absent. Schultze-Jena, believing he was being lured into a trap, attempted to return to his camp with his group, refusing Portuguese orders to disarm. Tensions escalated when Schultze-Jena reportedly aimed his carbine at Álvares Sereno, who was unarmed, while another German officer drew a pistol. Álvares Sereno ordered his men to open fire, resulting in the deaths of Schultze-Jena, two other German officers, and their two attendants. The interpreter, Carl Jensen, was captured and held by the Portuguese until November 1919.{{sfn|Matias|2010|p=32}}[http://www.namibiana.de/namibia-information/who-is-who/personen/infos-zur-person/hans-schultze-jena.html Namibiana: Hans Schultze-Jena].
Aftermath
The incident caused outrage in German South West Africa, where it was viewed as a deliberate Portuguese ambush. German authorities and media condemned the killings, referring to the deceased as the "five murdered at Naulila” ({{langx|de|der fünf Ermordeten von Naulila}}). The event grew tensions between Portugal and Germany, leading to a German retaliatory attack on Naulila on December 18, 1914, known as the Battle of Naulila.{{sfn|Matias|2010|p=32}}
A Portuguese inquiry into the incident concluded that Álvares Sereno acted in self defense. This assessment was later supported by the International Tribunal of Lausanne in 1928 when Portugal claimed damages from Germany for the retaliatory attack. The arbitrators ruled that Sereno's actions were justified given the perceived threat posed by the armed Germans. Portugal was awarded compensation.[http://www.publico.pt/culturaipsilon/noticia/angola--a-frente-esquecida-1668060 João Manuel Rocha, "Angola: a frente esquecida". Público, 08/31/2014].[https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e178 Naulilaa Arbitration (Portugal v Germany)]
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite web|date=2010|first=Diogo|last=Matias|title=As operações militares de manutenção do Império Português em África: Uma visão sobre as tácticas usadas na perspectiva da doutrina actual|url=https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstream/10400.26/6913/1/CORPO%20DO%20TRABALHO%20-%203.pdf}}
- Historicus Africanus", Der 1. Weltkrieg in Deutsch-Südwestafrika 1914/15", Volume 2 "Naulila", Glanz & Gloria Verlag, Windhoek 2017; ISBN 978-99916-872-3-0
{{coord missing|Angola}}
Category:Battles of World War I involving Portugal
Category:1914 in German South West Africa
Category:Battles of World War I involving Germany
Category:Battles involving Portuguese Angola
Category:Battles involving Namibia