Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
| Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck | |
|---|---|
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
|
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| Nickname(s) | Der Löwe von Afrika The Lion of Africa |
| Born |
20 March 1870 Saarlouis, Rhine Province, Prussia |
| Died | 9 March 1964 (aged 93) Hamburg, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (1890–1918) Weimar Republic (1919–20) |
| Service/branch | Prussian Army |
| Years of service | 1890–1920 |
| Rank | General der Infanterie |
| Unit |
4th Foot Guards Schutztruppe of German South-West Africa XI Corps |
| Commands held |
2nd Sea Battalion Schutztruppe of German East Africa |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite mit Eichenlaub |
| Other work | Public speaker, writer |
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 – 9 March 1964), known as the Lion of Africa, was a general in the Prussian Army and the commander of its forces in the German East Africa campaign. For four years, with a force that never exceeded about 14,000 (3,000 Germans and 11,000 Africans), he held in check a much larger force of 300,000 British, Belgian, and Portuguese troops. Essentially undefeated in the field, Lettow-Vorbeck was the only German commander to successfully invade imperial British soil during the First World War. His exploits in the campaign have been described by Edwin Palmer Hoyt "as the greatest single guerrilla operation in history, and the most successful."
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck was born into the Pomeranian minor nobility, while his father was stationed as an army officer at Saarlouis in the Prussian Rhine Province. He was educated in boarding schools in Berlin and joined the corps of cadets at Potsdam and Berlin-Lichterfelde. In 1890, he was commissioned a Leutnant into the Imperial German Army.
In 1900, Lettow-Vorbeck was posted to China as a member of the international alliance forces to quell the Boxer Rebellion. He did not like fighting against guerrillas and considered the war detrimental to the discipline of the German Army. He returned from China in 1901 and became a member of the German General Staff.
Beginning in 1904, he was assigned to German South-West Africa (now Namibia), during the Namaqua and Herero insurrection. He did not participate in the subsequent genocide: having suffered injuries to his left eye and chest, he was evacuated to South Africa for treatment and recovery.
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