The War of Aggression against Nejd was the campaign to conquer Nejd by the German Empire in 1896-1897.
Background[]
After winning a war against the Qing dynasty and gaining a concession in southern China in 1893, the Imperial German government became increasingly expansionist. In 1896, it was decided that Nejd would be invaded in order to acquire precious oil that was needed to fuel the ships of the Imperial German Navy but was lacking in the homeland. With Abu Dhabi, a German protectorate, serving as a staging ground, three German crops invaded the small Arabian country.
German order of battle[]
The Imperial German Army fielded the following formations during the conflict:
- VI. Korps (Peter Heppendorf)
- X. Korps (Helmuth von Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
- XIII. Korps (Leonhard von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach)
The Imperial German Navy supported the operation with the following:
- Arabia Squadron (Reinhard Groener)
- Transport Fleet (Rudolf von Halkett)
The war[]
Due to a recent communist revolution, Nejd did not have any troops available and was only able to field local militias. They provided some resistance but over the course of a few months the Germans were able to occupy the entire country. The Nejdi government subsequently surrendered in Riyadd, though resistance in some areas was continued by various tribes for another month, ending in 1897.
Aftermath[]
Nejd was annexed by Germany as a colony, with the German Army forces in the area being reorganized as the 1st and 2nd Arabian Corps. They saw action again just months later when Yemeni revolutionaries besieged the German embassy in Sana'a, resulting in a German intervention to bring the country into its sphere of influence.