Battle of Rufiji Delta

Battle of the Rufiji Delta
Part of the East African Campaign of the First World War
German cruiser “Königsberg” trapped by sinking of an English ship in the mouth of the Rufija River (illustration by P. Teschinsky, 1915)
Date October 1914 – 11 July 1915 Location Rufiji Delta, German East Africa (now Tanzania) 7°52′6″S 39°14′24″E / 7.86833°S 39.24000°E / -7.86833; 39.24000 Result British victory
Belligerents
German Empire	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Cdr. Max Looff	Cpt. Sidney Robert Drury-Lowe
Strength
1 light cruiser 1 supply ship 1 freighter (ex-British)	1 pre-dreadnought 4 cruisers 2 monitors various smaller craft 1 blockship 1 civilian & 9 naval aircraft
Casualties and losses
33 killed (mostly due to disease) 1 light cruiser sunk 1 supply ship sunk 1 freighter sunk	6 aircraft destroyed (1 civilian & 5 naval, mostly through attrition)

The Battle of the Rufiji Delta was fought in German East Africa (modern Tanzania) from October 1914–July 1915 during the First World War, between the German Navy's light cruiser SMS Königsberg, and a powerful group of British warships. The battle was a series of attempts, ultimately successful, to sink the blockaded German light cruiser.