40 Photos Of The Almost Forgotten African Soldiers Of World War Ii

“In those days, we were very loyal Brits - stupid as that may sound. We were brainwashed into being little brown Britishers.”

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1 of 41Ashanti troops in the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force, Ghana, circa 1940-1946.Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images 2 of 41Kenyan soldiers, or the King’s African Rifles, training in the bush, Kenya, 1944.Wikimedia Commons 3 of 41A British tank rolls past the Egyptian pyramids, April 21, 1939.Keystone/Getty Images 4 of 41A member of the East African Pioneers named Kisarishu in uniform, East Africa, Sept. 13, 1943.IWM via Getty Images 5 of 41Nazi German volunteers join the Italian forces in the invasion of Eastern Africa, Eritrea, October 1940.Weltbild/ullstein bild via Getty Images 6 of 41Ethiopian villagers sound the war drums to gather troops to fight the invading Italians, Ethiopia, circa 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images 7 of 41An Indian soldier on sentry duty at a desert camp, during training in the Egyptian desert, Egypt, circa 1941.Keystone/Getty Images 8 of 41Egyptian troops maneuver through the desert, Egypt, May 27, 1940.Keystone/Getty Images 9 of 41Invading Italian troops advance upon Somaliland, Aug. 15, 1940. Weltbild/ullstein bild via Getty Images 10 of 41Ras Seycum, commander of the Ethiopian army of the north, preparing for the Italian invasion, Adwa, Ethiopia, Oct. 4, 1935.Bettmann/Getty Images 11 of 41Ethiopian troops charge into battle against Italy during the second battle of Amba Alagi, Ethiopia, February 1936.Imagno/Getty Images 12 of 41The British cavalry charges into battle during the North African Campaign, circa 1940-1943.Three Lions/Getty Images 13 of 41An American C-47 cargo plane flies over the Egyptian pyramids, circa 1943.Time Life Pictures/US Signal Corps/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images 14 of 41An Egyptian soldier mans a searchlight, April 15, 1940.PNA Rota/Getty Images 15 of 41A mixed British and Ghanaian crew man the artillery, Ghana, circa 1940-1946. 16 of 41Ethiopian soldiers cross the Omo River, flags held high, to fight off the invading Italian army, 1941.Wikimedia Commons 17 of 41Ethiopian officers in traditional clothes during the Italo-Ethiopian War in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, circa 1936.Keystone/Getty Images 18 of 41Soldiers of the King’s African Rifles rest in the sun during the advance into Italian-controlled Somaliland, Feb. 13, 1941.Wikimedia Commons 19 of 41Ethiopian soldiers firing a salute to Emperor Haile Selassie as they prepare for war with Italy, circa 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images 20 of 41Soldiers from The Sudan Defense Force attached to Indian Infantry Brigade, hold advanced posts on the Eritrean frontier, Dec. 16, 1940. Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images 21 of 41Egyptians practice bayonet drills, preparing for battle against Italian troops, Aug. 7, 1940.Keystone/Getty Images 22 of 41Soldiers in the West African Frontier Force remove stones placed in their country by the invading Italian troops, Kenya, circa 1939-1945.Wikimedia Commons 23 of 41Indian army soldiers with an armored car on the frontline at the Battle of Keren in Eritrea, April 1941.Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images 24 of 41Men of the Kenyan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve man a Lewis gun while on a local river patrol, Kenya, Oct. 5, 1942.IWM via Getty Images 25 of 41Ethiopian soldiers conducting drills as they prepare for war with Italy, Oct. 5, 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images 26 of 41Ghanaian soldiers share a laugh with a British soldier, Accra, Ghana, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 27 of 41An American plane with a caricature of an Ubangi tribesman and the words: “UBANGI WEBANGI” painted on its side, Accra, Ghana, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 28 of 41A Gold Coast Regiment soldier shows off his muscles to a U.S. soldier, Ghana, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 29 of 41Ethiopian camel troops transporting supplies through the bush, Ethiopia, Jan. 22, 1941.F E Palmer/ IWM via Getty Images 30 of 41A Sudanese bugler in the Egyptian Camel Corps, mounted on a camel in the desert, Egypt 1941. Keystone/Getty Images 31 of 41Ethiopian troops marching before heading to the front, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 10, 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images 32 of 41Australian soldiers storm a German strong point on the African Front, Tunisia, circa 1939-1945.Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images 33 of 41An Italian soldier poses for a photograph next to the hanging corpse of an Ethiopian, Ethiopia, circa 1935-1940.Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images 34 of 41An American airman with a local soldier at the US Army Air Corps, Maiduguri, Nigeria, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 35 of 41An Ethiopian tribe that turned on Emperor Haile Selassie and joined the Italian forces, Ethiopia, circa 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images 36 of 41Libyan King Sayyid Muhammad Idris in Egypt, 1940.Hulton Archive/Getty Images 37 of 41Soldiers of the 11th East African Division in Shwegyin, Burma, December 1944.Wikimedia Commons 38 of 41Kenyan troops in the 11th East African Division stationed in Kalewa, Burma, circa 1939-1945.Wikimedia Commons 39 of 41An injured Ghanese soldier fighting abroad in the Kaladan Valley, Burma receives treatment as his comrades in arms look on, 1944.Wikimedia Commons 40 of 41Emperor Haile Selassie inspects his troops who, after Ethiopia fell to the Italians, ventured off to join the British in the ongoing war, March 21, 1941. 41 of 41Like this gallery?Share it:

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40 Photos Of The Million-Plus Forgotten Africans Forced To Fight In World War II View Gallery

Mein Kampf, said World War II veteran John Henry Smythe, was “a book which would put any black man’s back up.”

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1 of 41Ashanti troops in the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force, Ghana, circa 1940-1946.Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images

2 of 41Kenyan soldiers, or the King’s African Rifles, training in the bush, Kenya, 1944.Wikimedia Commons

3 of 41A British tank rolls past the Egyptian pyramids, April 21, 1939.Keystone/Getty Images

4 of 41A member of the East African Pioneers named Kisarishu in uniform, East Africa, Sept. 13, 1943.IWM via Getty Images

5 of 41Nazi German volunteers join the Italian forces in the invasion of Eastern Africa, Eritrea, October 1940.Weltbild/ullstein bild via Getty Images

6 of 41Ethiopian villagers sound the war drums to gather troops to fight the invading Italians, Ethiopia, circa 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images

7 of 41An Indian soldier on sentry duty at a desert camp, during training in the Egyptian desert, Egypt, circa 1941.Keystone/Getty Images

8 of 41Egyptian troops maneuver through the desert, Egypt, May 27, 1940.Keystone/Getty Images

9 of 41Invading Italian troops advance upon Somaliland, Aug. 15, 1940. Weltbild/ullstein bild via Getty Images

10 of 41Ras Seycum, commander of the Ethiopian army of the north, preparing for the Italian invasion, Adwa, Ethiopia, Oct. 4, 1935.Bettmann/Getty Images

11 of 41Ethiopian troops charge into battle against Italy during the second battle of Amba Alagi, Ethiopia, February 1936.Imagno/Getty Images

12 of 41The British cavalry charges into battle during the North African Campaign, circa 1940-1943.Three Lions/Getty Images

13 of 41An American C-47 cargo plane flies over the Egyptian pyramids, circa 1943.Time Life Pictures/US Signal Corps/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

14 of 41An Egyptian soldier mans a searchlight, April 15, 1940.PNA Rota/Getty Images

15 of 41A mixed British and Ghanaian crew man the artillery, Ghana, circa 1940-1946.

16 of 41Ethiopian soldiers cross the Omo River, flags held high, to fight off the invading Italian army, 1941.Wikimedia Commons

17 of 41Ethiopian officers in traditional clothes during the Italo-Ethiopian War in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, circa 1936.Keystone/Getty Images

18 of 41Soldiers of the King’s African Rifles rest in the sun during the advance into Italian-controlled Somaliland, Feb. 13, 1941.Wikimedia Commons

19 of 41Ethiopian soldiers firing a salute to Emperor Haile Selassie as they prepare for war with Italy, circa 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images

20 of 41Soldiers from The Sudan Defense Force attached to Indian Infantry Brigade, hold advanced posts on the Eritrean frontier, Dec. 16, 1940. Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

21 of 41Egyptians practice bayonet drills, preparing for battle against Italian troops, Aug. 7, 1940.Keystone/Getty Images

22 of 41Soldiers in the West African Frontier Force remove stones placed in their country by the invading Italian troops, Kenya, circa 1939-1945.Wikimedia Commons

23 of 41Indian army soldiers with an armored car on the frontline at the Battle of Keren in Eritrea, April 1941.Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

24 of 41Men of the Kenyan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve man a Lewis gun while on a local river patrol, Kenya, Oct. 5, 1942.IWM via Getty Images

25 of 41Ethiopian soldiers conducting drills as they prepare for war with Italy, Oct. 5, 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images

26 of 41Ghanaian soldiers share a laugh with a British soldier, Accra, Ghana, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

27 of 41An American plane with a caricature of an Ubangi tribesman and the words: “UBANGI WEBANGI” painted on its side, Accra, Ghana, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

28 of 41A Gold Coast Regiment soldier shows off his muscles to a U.S. soldier, Ghana, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

29 of 41Ethiopian camel troops transporting supplies through the bush, Ethiopia, Jan. 22, 1941.F E Palmer/ IWM via Getty Images

30 of 41A Sudanese bugler in the Egyptian Camel Corps, mounted on a camel in the desert, Egypt 1941. Keystone/Getty Images

31 of 41Ethiopian troops marching before heading to the front, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 10, 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images

32 of 41Australian soldiers storm a German strong point on the African Front, Tunisia, circa 1939-1945.Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images

33 of 41An Italian soldier poses for a photograph next to the hanging corpse of an Ethiopian, Ethiopia, circa 1935-1940.Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images

34 of 41An American airman with a local soldier at the US Army Air Corps, Maiduguri, Nigeria, June 1943.Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

35 of 41An Ethiopian tribe that turned on Emperor Haile Selassie and joined the Italian forces, Ethiopia, circa 1935.Underwood Archives/Getty Images

36 of 41Libyan King Sayyid Muhammad Idris in Egypt, 1940.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

37 of 41Soldiers of the 11th East African Division in Shwegyin, Burma, December 1944.Wikimedia Commons

38 of 41Kenyan troops in the 11th East African Division stationed in Kalewa, Burma, circa 1939-1945.Wikimedia Commons

39 of 41An injured Ghanese soldier fighting abroad in the Kaladan Valley, Burma receives treatment as his comrades in arms look on, 1944.Wikimedia Commons

40 of 41Emperor Haile Selassie inspects his troops who, after Ethiopia fell to the Italians, ventured off to join the British in the ongoing war, March 21, 1941.

41 of 41Like this gallery?Share it:

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40 Photos Of The Million-Plus Forgotten Africans Forced To Fight In World War II View Gallery

40 Photos Of The Million-Plus Forgotten Africans Forced To Fight In World War II

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Smythe was born in Sierra Leone, more than 4,000 miles away from Adolf Hitler’s seat of power in Nazi Germany. Nonetheless, he was determined to eradicate the dangerous ideas that the Führer espoused.

“We read what this man was going to do the blacks if he gets into power,” Smythe continued. “He attacked the British and Americans for encouraging the blacks to become doctors and lawyers.”

In 1939, the year World War II began, Smythe joined the Sierra Leone Defence Corps and shortly after left his home country to join the British Royal Air Force. And Smythe was but one of the more than 1 million Africans who took up arms over the course of the war.

These men were colonial subjects and they were treated like a lower form of humanity by those very Europeans powers that had started the war — the powers for whom they were fighting now. And yet they joined the fight anyway, each for his own reason and, for the first time in their lives, found themselves fighting side-by-side as brothers in arms with their colonizers.

The stories of these men are rarely told in Europe and North America, but in their home countries, they were tremendously impactful. Ultimately, whether their stories get the attention they deserve or not, the African veterans of World War II changed the course of that war and the history of an entire continent.

The Italo-Ethiopian War

For Africa, World War II began on Oct. 3, 1935. At 5:00 that morning, a vast Italian army under orders from fascist dictator Benito Mussolini crossed the Mareb River and into Ethiopia where they ordered the people of the country to turn on their Emperor Haile Selassie.

Those loyal to the emperor fought with all of their might to keep their country free from fascists, but the might of the Italian army was overwhelming. They deployed hundreds of tons of chemical weapons upon Ethiopia, choking soldiers and civilians alike.

By May 5, 1936, the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa fell to the Italians. Emperor Selassie was forced to flee the country and begin an exile that would carry on for years.

Africa had just been given its first taste of the war to come. In June 1936, Selassie appeared before the League of Nations and gave the world a chilling warning: “It is us today, it will be you tomorrow.”

How The War Brought Change To Africa

As Selassie predicted, war began in Europe when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, and in June 1940 it spilled further into Africa. The fascist armies launched their North and East African campaigns and, in September, moved into West Africa as well. Africa became a battleground in a war that had nothing to do with them, with tanks and bombers devastating their countryside.

In response, the men of Africa signed up to fight. More than 1,355,000 Africans fought in World War II with most joining the armies of the colonial powers that had invaded their countries just years before. To the Allies and the Axis, Africa represented little more than a strategic position. And after years of colonialism, many of the African men had started to accept their place in life as colonial subjects.

“In those days, we were very loyal Brits - stupid as that may sound,” Joe Culverwell, a Zimbabwean soldier who volunteered to fight the Italians in Somalia, told the BBC. “We were brainwashed into being little brown Britishers.”

World War II, some believe, was when that kind of thinking finally changed. When the war ended, revolutions swept throughout Africa. In the 1950s and 1960s, nearly every African country saw a battle for independence.

It’s no coincidence that the decolonization of Africa followed World War II. Those African soldiers came back home with different ideas about themselves and their world.

“As a colonial soldier I had very rough treatment,” Marshall Kebby, a Nigerian veteran of World War II said. “At that time we hadn’t even a single Nigerian officer, all were British. We used to have long chats about the color problem and we were determined that we were not going to be treated that way anymore.”

Those conversations become even more heated once the Italian invasion ended. For many African soldiers, getting the Axis out of their homeland didn’t represent the end of the war. They were Allied soldiers now, ready to fight to the ends of the earth to stop the Axis, and so many went on to Burma and India to fight against the Japanese.

The fighting there was hell. They were in a foreign land, fighting for foreign people, dragging themselves through unfamiliar jungles with the threat of Japanese soldiers using guerrilla tactics leaping out at any moment.

Many died fighting on foreign soil, but those who survived came back with a new sense of their own self-worth.

“Initially, I saw the white man as someone better than me,” Nigerian World War II veteran Hassan Sokoto recalled. “But after the war, I considered him an equal.”

Revolutions After The War

The colonial powers promised many things to the African veterans of World War II. They were promised medals, awards, and military pensions.

But when the war ended, few actually received those medals or pensions. In Ghana, that betrayal started the first African revolution for independence.

In February 1948, Ghana’s World War II veterans marched on the governor’s residence and demanded the pensions they’d been promised but never received. A force of British Colonial Police, however, blocked their way. The stand-off between African veterans and British colonialists turned into a bloodbath when a Police Superintendent opened fire into the crowd, killing three veterans before they had the chance to react.

The city erupted into chaos. The African veterans and the British police broke into a battle that ended with 60 veterans dead. But the Ghanaian veterans wouldn’t let it end there. As one of the men present, Kalimu Glover, told the BBC, “After the shooting, we said we should damage all British things in the city. We got stones, sticks to break down shops. We broke them all down.”

For five days, the people of Ghana rioted. In the wake of that massacre, the riot had become something bigger: a revolution for independence. Ghana was soon allowed to draft its own constitution and by 1957, granted full independence from the British Empire.

Their success inspired a continent. By 1970, 45 African countries had won their independence. “We came back with improved ideas about life,” Kebby said. “We, the ex-servicemen, gave this country the freedom it’s enjoying today. We gave this freedom and handed it over to our country.”

Next, find out about the Harlem Hellfighters, the African-American soldiers of World War I. Then, check out these photos of Africa before colonialism.

“In those days, we were very loyal Brits - stupid as that may sound. We were brainwashed into being little brown Britishers.”#

The Italo-Ethiopian War#

How The War Brought Change To Africa#

Revolutions After The War#

“In those days, we were very loyal Brits - stupid as that may sound. We were brainwashed into being little brown Britishers.”

The Italo-Ethiopian War

How The War Brought Change To Africa

Revolutions After The War