An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir October 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | MAJOR GENERAL PAUL VON LETTOW VORBECK HISTORY'S MOST SUCCESSFUL GUERRILLA COMMANDER BY SEÁN EGAN M ajor General Paul von Lettow Vorbeck was descended from a famous Prussian military family. He saw action in the Boxer Rebellion in China and served in South West Africa from 1904 to 1908. But it is his exploits in East Africa during World War I, where he never lost a battle, for which he became renowned. At the outbreak of the Great War von Lettow Vorbeck was a colonel serving with the Imperial German Army in East Africa, with 218 white officers and 2,500 askaris (native troops) under his command. Taking the initiative, he decided to use hit-and-run tactics to tie down the much larger British East African forces, comprising 150,000 to 200,000 troops, and prevent them joining the fighting in Europe. While the British put an embargo on all information coming out of East Africa, news got back to Ireland through the network of Irish missionaries in the region, and Irish republican leaders such as Liam Lynch, Ernie O'Malley, and Ginger O'Connell were able to tell their men about von Lettow's exploits and his guerrilla tactics. The campaign began with a series of effective raids against British railways in Kenya in which 20 trains and miles of track were destroyed over a two-year period. The Battle of Tanga on the night of 3rd November 1914, is the most famous battle of the early years of the campaign, when, de- spite being outnumbered by more than eight to one, von Lettow's force repelled a British Indian amphibious assault with devastat- ing effect, inflicting more than 4,000 casualties with the loss of only 15 Germans and 54 askaris. The German commander had communications with Germany by radio, and three attempts were made to supply him, two by sea and one by airship. The first ship was intercepted by the British navy made and sank close to shore. Later, when von Lettow took control of the area, he successfully raised part of the arms cargo, which was so carefully packed and greased that it could still be used after cleaning. The second ship got through undetected, which von Lettowe regarded as the major mistake of his British opponents in the conflict. The Airship, L59, was brought from Germany to Bulgaria where it was loaded with supplies; even its external fabric was intended to be used if it completed its mission. It reached Africa, travelling over 4,000 miles (the first ever inter-continental flight), but had to return without completing its mission. For more than four years von Lettow fought without pause, covering, mostly on foot, an area larger than the eastern United States, and faced 130 different generals during the course of the war. He never had more than 12,000 troops at his disposal, and had great admiration for his askaris, who were fanatically loyal to him. In turn, he treated them with fairness and shared their hardships. The one luxury he permitted himself was a bicycle, on which he often led marches and even performed his own patrols. A German light cruiser, SMS Königsberg , commanded by Capt Max Looff, was operating off the East African coast. The warship's success in sinking ships off the African coast led to the British dis- patching two destroyers to deal with her. When the Königsberg took refuge in the Refutti Delta, which was too shallow for the destroyers, the British had to send to England for two Monitors, shallow-draft ships with heavy artillery. The ships arrived 12 months later, and after they entered the delta and disabled the Königsberg Capt Looff and his crew assisted von Lettow's troops in dismounting her naval guns, which they mounted on gun carriages in the railway works at Dar es Salaam. Painting of a company of Askaris enlisted in the ranks of the German Army in East Africa in 1913. © Die Welt General Paul von Lettow Vorbeck

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