Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 9,001
"The Herero Nation As Such Must Be Exterminated!"
In 1904 the members of the Herero people rise up under their supreme "great man", Samuel Maharero ...
... against the German colonial rulers of the "protected area" German South West Africa (today: Namibia).
First and foremost, the rebellion is directed against the increasing land seizure by German farmers, who continue to narrow the grazing grounds of the Herero's only empire, their huge herds of cattle.
The fight is directed exclusively against the Germans - members of other nations, blacks and whites are expressly excluded, as it says in a written order from Samuel Maharero ...:
“To all the great people of my country. I am Samuel Maharero, chief of the Herero. I have made an order to all my people that they should not lay their hands on the following: Englishmen, bastards, Bergdamara, Nama, Boers. We won't touch any of these. Don't do this! I have sworn an oath that this decision may not be known, not even to the missionaries. "
The German governor of the colony, Colonel Theodor Leutwein ...
... succeeds with the few soldiers of the "Deutsche Schutztruppe" (= Gernman Protection Force) available to him ...
... and some quickly brought up marines of the "2. Seebataillon" ( = 2nd sea battalion) ...
... from the gunboat SMS "Habicht" ...
... just to achieve a military stalemate.
About 8000 Herero are opposed to a German contingent of just over 2000 men who, however, have light artillery and machine guns ...:
In particular, the marines - who are not used to the murderous climate - and none of them are mounted, turn out to be completely unsuitable for waging war.
The protection force received reinforcements from the colony itself by 1,141 reservists, members of the Landwehr, those obliged to take part in the Landsturm and some volunteers, but that is by far not enough to recapture the colony militarily!
On March 11, 1904, a German detachment under Major Franz-Georg von Glasenapp ...
... a downright defeat at a water point near the village of Onganjira and has to withdraw with high losses (32 soldiers and three officers).
When this news broke out in Germany, the nationally minded press, the colonial lobby and the military were furious, while the majority of the Reichstag, who opposed colonial adventures, could hear undisguised glee.
Kaiser Wilhelm decides to mobilize "My Army and Fleet" and send reinforcements to the "Südwest"!
15,000 men!
The emperor appoints Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha as their commander ...
... who is also supposed to replace the hapless governor Leutwein.
Here the emperor (far right) saying goodbye to the troops ...:
General von Throtha - personally instructed by the emperor - has clear orders. He should not only win, but wipe out the Herero as a people as completely as possible!
Trotha's own attitude is documented by his following words: "I believe that the (Herero) nation as such must be destroyed", a point of view that the Chief of the German General Staff, Alfred Graf von Schlieffen ...
... agrees…:
"The racial struggle that has flared up can only be ended by destroying one party!"
As soon as von Trotha went ashore and took over the command, on October 2, 1904, he issued an order that went down in history as the "extermination order" and which initiated the first genocide of the 20th century ...:
“Appeal to the Herero people
Abschrift zu O.K. 17290 Osombo-Windembe, den 2. Oktober 1904
Kommando der Schutztruppe.
J.Nr. 3737
I, the great general of the German soldiers, am sending this letter to the Herero people.
The Hereros are no longer German subjects. They murdered and stolen, cut off the ears and noses and other body parts of wounded soldiers, and now out of cowardice they no longer want to fight.
I tell the people: Anyone who delivers one of the captains (big men / chiefs, note M.R.) to one of my stations as a prisoner receives 1,000 marks, whoever brings Samuel Maharero receives 5,000 marks. The Herero people, however, have to leave the country.
If the people do not do this, I will force them to do so with the Groot Rohr (= Cannon). Within the German border every Herero is shot with or without a rifle, with or without cattle, I no longer take in women and children, drive them back to their people or have them shot at.
These are my words to the Hereros people.
The great general of the mighty German emperor.
This decree is to be communicated at the roll-call of the troops with the addition that the troops that catch one of the captains will also receive the appropriate reward and that the shooting at women and children is to be understood as being shot over them in order to kill them Forcing to run. I assume with certainty that this decree will lead to no more male prisoners being taken, but will not degenerate into cruelty against women and children. These will run away if they are shot twice over them. The troops will remain aware of the good reputation of the German soldier.
der Kommandeur
gez. v. Trotha, Generalleutnant.“
Here one of the two originals, written in the Herero language ...:
On August 11 and 12, 1904, General von Trotha tried in the decisive battle at the Waterberg ...
... encircle and destroy the Herero gathered there.
Here General von Throtha (standing) during the battle with his staff and a British "liaison officer".
On the far right sits Captain Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, who will make a name for himself during the First World War as the German commander of the colony "Deutsch-Ostafrika" (now Tanzania) ...:
**continued next post**
In 1904 the members of the Herero people rise up under their supreme "great man", Samuel Maharero ...
... against the German colonial rulers of the "protected area" German South West Africa (today: Namibia).
First and foremost, the rebellion is directed against the increasing land seizure by German farmers, who continue to narrow the grazing grounds of the Herero's only empire, their huge herds of cattle.
The fight is directed exclusively against the Germans - members of other nations, blacks and whites are expressly excluded, as it says in a written order from Samuel Maharero ...:
“To all the great people of my country. I am Samuel Maharero, chief of the Herero. I have made an order to all my people that they should not lay their hands on the following: Englishmen, bastards, Bergdamara, Nama, Boers. We won't touch any of these. Don't do this! I have sworn an oath that this decision may not be known, not even to the missionaries. "
The German governor of the colony, Colonel Theodor Leutwein ...
... succeeds with the few soldiers of the "Deutsche Schutztruppe" (= Gernman Protection Force) available to him ...
... and some quickly brought up marines of the "2. Seebataillon" ( = 2nd sea battalion) ...
... from the gunboat SMS "Habicht" ...
... just to achieve a military stalemate.
About 8000 Herero are opposed to a German contingent of just over 2000 men who, however, have light artillery and machine guns ...:
In particular, the marines - who are not used to the murderous climate - and none of them are mounted, turn out to be completely unsuitable for waging war.
The protection force received reinforcements from the colony itself by 1,141 reservists, members of the Landwehr, those obliged to take part in the Landsturm and some volunteers, but that is by far not enough to recapture the colony militarily!
On March 11, 1904, a German detachment under Major Franz-Georg von Glasenapp ...
... a downright defeat at a water point near the village of Onganjira and has to withdraw with high losses (32 soldiers and three officers).
When this news broke out in Germany, the nationally minded press, the colonial lobby and the military were furious, while the majority of the Reichstag, who opposed colonial adventures, could hear undisguised glee.
Kaiser Wilhelm decides to mobilize "My Army and Fleet" and send reinforcements to the "Südwest"!
15,000 men!
The emperor appoints Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha as their commander ...
... who is also supposed to replace the hapless governor Leutwein.
Here the emperor (far right) saying goodbye to the troops ...:
General von Throtha - personally instructed by the emperor - has clear orders. He should not only win, but wipe out the Herero as a people as completely as possible!
Trotha's own attitude is documented by his following words: "I believe that the (Herero) nation as such must be destroyed", a point of view that the Chief of the German General Staff, Alfred Graf von Schlieffen ...
... agrees…:
"The racial struggle that has flared up can only be ended by destroying one party!"
As soon as von Trotha went ashore and took over the command, on October 2, 1904, he issued an order that went down in history as the "extermination order" and which initiated the first genocide of the 20th century ...:
“Appeal to the Herero people
Abschrift zu O.K. 17290 Osombo-Windembe, den 2. Oktober 1904
Kommando der Schutztruppe.
J.Nr. 3737
I, the great general of the German soldiers, am sending this letter to the Herero people.
The Hereros are no longer German subjects. They murdered and stolen, cut off the ears and noses and other body parts of wounded soldiers, and now out of cowardice they no longer want to fight.
I tell the people: Anyone who delivers one of the captains (big men / chiefs, note M.R.) to one of my stations as a prisoner receives 1,000 marks, whoever brings Samuel Maharero receives 5,000 marks. The Herero people, however, have to leave the country.
If the people do not do this, I will force them to do so with the Groot Rohr (= Cannon). Within the German border every Herero is shot with or without a rifle, with or without cattle, I no longer take in women and children, drive them back to their people or have them shot at.
These are my words to the Hereros people.
The great general of the mighty German emperor.
This decree is to be communicated at the roll-call of the troops with the addition that the troops that catch one of the captains will also receive the appropriate reward and that the shooting at women and children is to be understood as being shot over them in order to kill them Forcing to run. I assume with certainty that this decree will lead to no more male prisoners being taken, but will not degenerate into cruelty against women and children. These will run away if they are shot twice over them. The troops will remain aware of the good reputation of the German soldier.
der Kommandeur
gez. v. Trotha, Generalleutnant.“
Here one of the two originals, written in the Herero language ...:
On August 11 and 12, 1904, General von Trotha tried in the decisive battle at the Waterberg ...
... encircle and destroy the Herero gathered there.
Here General von Throtha (standing) during the battle with his staff and a British "liaison officer".
On the far right sits Captain Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, who will make a name for himself during the First World War as the German commander of the colony "Deutsch-Ostafrika" (now Tanzania) ...:
**continued next post**
