However, the KAR also served as the "cradle of nations." When independence arrived in the early 1960s, the KAR didn't simply vanish; it was partitioned. Its battalions became the foundational cores of the national armies of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi. Many of the first generation of African military and political leaders, for better or worse, had their characters forged in the KAR.
They endured the grueling East African Campaign, chasing General von Lettow-Vorbeck’s forces through thousands of miles of bush. The King's African Rifles: A Study in the Milit...
The study of the King’s African Rifles is more than a study of battles; it is a study of the transition from colonial subjects to national citizens. It remains a testament to the skill and endurance of the African soldier, who fought across continents for a Crown that was, simultaneously, their protector and their occupier. However, the KAR also served as the "cradle of nations