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Battle of Waterberg
The Battle of Waterberg (Battle of Ohamakari) took place on August 11, 1904, at the Waterberg, German South West Africa (modern day Namibia), and was the decisive battle in the Herero uprising.
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. Some of them were armed with traditional close combat weapons called kirri.
From the beginning of the Herero uprising 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.
On the eve of the battle the Germans around the Waterberg were organized into six columns:
Trotha's headquarters, headed by his Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Martin Chales de Beaulieu, was in the south near Mueller's position.
Execution of Trotha's battle plan began on August 11, 1904, after a careful buildup of troops and supplies. 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 that fact 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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Battle of Waterberg
The Battle of Waterberg (Battle of Ohamakari) took place on August 11, 1904, at the Waterberg, German South West Africa (modern day Namibia), and was the decisive battle in the Herero uprising.
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. Some of them were armed with traditional close combat weapons called kirri.
From the beginning of the Herero uprising 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.
On the eve of the battle the Germans around the Waterberg were organized into six columns:
Trotha's headquarters, headed by his Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Martin Chales de Beaulieu, was in the south near Mueller's position.
Execution of Trotha's battle plan began on August 11, 1904, after a careful buildup of troops and supplies. 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 that fact 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.