Battle of Waterberg

Battle of Waterberg
Part of the Herero Wars
Surviving Herero after the escape through the arid desert of Omaheke
Date 11 August 1904 Location 20°31′0″S 17°14′0″E / 20.51667°S 17.23333°E / -20.51667; 17.23333Coordinates: 20°31′0″S 17°14′0″E / 20.51667°S 17.23333°E / -20.51667; 17.23333 Waterberg, German South West Africa (present day Namibia) Result Decisive German victory
Belligerents
Germany	Herero
Commanders and leaders
Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha	Samuel Maharero
Strength
2,000	3,500 - 6,000 warriors with their families
Casualties and losses
26 KIA and 60 WIA	unknown, but high

The Battle of Waterberg took place on August 11, 1904 at the Waterberg, German South West Africa (modern day Namibia), and was the decisive battle in the German campaign against the Herero.

The German Imperial Forces were under the command of Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha and numbered just over 1,500. They were armed with 1,625 modern rifles, 30 artillery pieces and 14 machine guns.

The Herero were under the command of Samuel Maharero and – in expectation of peace negotiations – had assembled some 3,500-6,000 warriors along with their families. The total number of Hereros in the area is estimated at 25,000 to 50,000. The rest were armed with traditional close combat weapons called kirri.

From the opening of the Herero Revolt in January 1904 until June 11, 1904, the German military efforts had been directed by colonial Governor Colonel Theodor Leutwein. Leutwein combined a policy of military pressure with communication with the Herero to negotiate a settlement to the hostilities. The Germans achieved moderate military success in a series of skirmishes before cornering the Herero at the Waterberg Plateau. However, the Kaiserreich replaced Leutwein with Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha, expecting Trotha to end the revolt with a decisive military victory.

The Waterberg Plateau where the Herero concentrated lay 100 km east of the railhead source of German supplies, so Trotha spent nearly three months (June, July, and part of August) transporting troops and supplies by ox-drawn carts to the site of the expected battle. In the meantime, the Herero, estimated around 60,000 men, women, and children, with an equal number of cattle, drew on meager grass and water supplies while awaiting overtures from the Germans.

Execution of Trotha’s battle plan began on August 11, 1904. The German commander intended part of his force to squeeze the Herero south of the Plateau with columns from the east and west while two more columns would seal off the escape route to the south and southeast. The commander of the southeastern blocking column, however, failed to maneuver his troops into position in a timely fashion, and to communicate his tardiness to Trotha. Meanwhile, the western advancing column did not stop at the appointed line and pressed the Herero through the unclosed gap created by the failure of the southeastern troops. The bulk of the Herero and their cattle escaped eastward into the Omaheke desert.

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Wikipedia