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African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa
The incredible true account of General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and his exploits in World War I Africa with the legendary "Schutztruppe."
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the continent of Africa was a hotbed of international trade, colonialism, and political gamesmanship. So when World War I broke out, the European powers were forced to contend with one another not just in the bloody trenches, but in the treacherous jungle. And it was in that unforgiving land that General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck would make history.
With the now-legendary Schutztruppe (Defensive Force), von Lettow-Vorbeck and a small cadre of hardened German officers fought alongside their devoted native African allies as equals, creating the first truly integrated army of the modern age.
African Kaiser is the fascinating story of a forgotten guerrilla campaign in a remote corner of Equatorial Africa in World War I; of a small army of loyal African troops led by a smaller cadre of rugged German officers—of white men and black who fought side by side.
It is the story of epic marches through harsh, beautiful landscapes; of German officers riding bicycles to battle through the bush; of rhino charges and artillery duels with scavenged naval guns; of hunted German battleships hidden up unmapped river deltas teeming with crocodiles and snakes; of a desperate army in the wilderness cut off from the world, living off hippo lard and sawgrass flowers—enduring starvation, malaria, and dysentery. And of the singular intercontinental voyage of Zeppelin L59, whose improbable four-thousand-mile journey to the equator and back made aviation history.
But mostly it is the story of von Lettow-Vorbeck—the only undefeated German commander in the field during World War I and the last to surrender his arms.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the continent of Africa was a hotbed of international trade, colonialism, and political gamesmanship. So when World War I broke out, the European powers were forced to contend with one another not just in the bloody trenches, but in the treacherous jungle. And it was in that unforgiving land that General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck would make history.
With the now-legendary Schutztruppe (Defensive Force), von Lettow-Vorbeck and a small cadre of hardened German officers fought alongside their devoted native African allies as equals, creating the first truly integrated army of the modern age.
African Kaiser is the fascinating story of a forgotten guerrilla campaign in a remote corner of Equatorial Africa in World War I; of a small army of loyal African troops led by a smaller cadre of rugged German officers—of white men and black who fought side by side.
It is the story of epic marches through harsh, beautiful landscapes; of German officers riding bicycles to battle through the bush; of rhino charges and artillery duels with scavenged naval guns; of hunted German battleships hidden up unmapped river deltas teeming with crocodiles and snakes; of a desperate army in the wilderness cut off from the world, living off hippo lard and sawgrass flowers—enduring starvation, malaria, and dysentery. And of the singular intercontinental voyage of Zeppelin L59, whose improbable four-thousand-mile journey to the equator and back made aviation history.
But mostly it is the story of von Lettow-Vorbeck—the only undefeated German commander in the field during World War I and the last to surrender his arms.
436 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2017
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April 22, 2017
This book is part of my reading project about World War One. This book takes place in Africa rather than Europe. I remember the Germans in the movie “African Queen”. Little seems to have been written about WWI in Africa.
Germany was one of the colonist nations in Africa. They had German East Africa. The author tells about the life of General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck (1870-1964) but most of the time about his African campaigns. Gaudi goes into depth about how he created his fanatically loyal Schutztruppe. They were a small colonial infantry consisting of some black and white soldiers. They were trained into a highly efficient fighting force, aggressive and completely self-supporting. Gaudi states it was the first racially integrated army in modern history. They were cut off from the world by the British Blockade. They were outnumbered by British, South African, Belgian and Portuguese armies but they could not be caught or beaten. Gaudi provides a brief review of colonialism in Africa and tosses in a myriad of odd facts. Gaudi compares Lettow-Vorbeck to Glylippus from Thucydides in the Peloponnesian Wars.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. The book reads like a novel instead of a dry history book. Gaudi does a great job with the descriptions of the naval and military actions. Von Lettow-Vorbeck had a brief romance with Karen Blixen who is better known as Isaak Dinesen, author of “Out of Africa”. Von Lettow-Vorbeck was the only undefeated German General of WWI and a recipient of the German Pourle Merite and the Blauer Max. This would be the equivalent of the Medal of Honor. He lived to oppose Hitler and died in 1964.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book was about 18 hours long. Paul Hodgson does a good job narrating the book. Hodgson is a classically trained British actor and audiobook narrator.
Germany was one of the colonist nations in Africa. They had German East Africa. The author tells about the life of General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck (1870-1964) but most of the time about his African campaigns. Gaudi goes into depth about how he created his fanatically loyal Schutztruppe. They were a small colonial infantry consisting of some black and white soldiers. They were trained into a highly efficient fighting force, aggressive and completely self-supporting. Gaudi states it was the first racially integrated army in modern history. They were cut off from the world by the British Blockade. They were outnumbered by British, South African, Belgian and Portuguese armies but they could not be caught or beaten. Gaudi provides a brief review of colonialism in Africa and tosses in a myriad of odd facts. Gaudi compares Lettow-Vorbeck to Glylippus from Thucydides in the Peloponnesian Wars.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. The book reads like a novel instead of a dry history book. Gaudi does a great job with the descriptions of the naval and military actions. Von Lettow-Vorbeck had a brief romance with Karen Blixen who is better known as Isaak Dinesen, author of “Out of Africa”. Von Lettow-Vorbeck was the only undefeated German General of WWI and a recipient of the German Pourle Merite and the Blauer Max. This would be the equivalent of the Medal of Honor. He lived to oppose Hitler and died in 1964.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book was about 18 hours long. Paul Hodgson does a good job narrating the book. Hodgson is a classically trained British actor and audiobook narrator.
December 22, 2017
Definitely not a straight up two stars but I can’t quite give it three.
When I was a boy, there was a book in my father’s basement about mercenaries – mercs – that I would often pull out and read when me and my siblings visited on the weekends. It was a pretty “cool” book to a twelve-year-old boy. A few years later, I was a teen-ager finishing high school and moving on to college. I was more mature and my horizons were expanding; and I realized that the mercs I had been reading about were primarily white men from the colonial states of Rhodesia and South Africa and that their opponents were anti-colonial rebels. Or – after the Europeans had left – they worked for the corrupt, authoritarian, if native, regimes that too often replaced them. Not men who deserved adulation.
I was reminded of that book (whose title I wish I could remember so I could add it to the GR library) after I finished African Kaiser and was wondering what to write. Unlike those mercs I had been reading about, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck does have admirable qualities. For example, he had no difficulties working with black Africans and accepting them as competent, intelligent fellow humans. [Though it was a very paternalistic acceptance. The black African was as intelligent and as capable as any white European but he needed the trappings of civilization (particularly German civilization) to be fully human. And, of course, it didn’t extend to having any black officers in his army.]
But…he was a complicated man. He led a Freikorps company (precursors of the Nazi’s SA thugs) after the war when conservative elements in Germany brutally suppressed Leftist opposition. He was cashiered and his pension stopped for participating in a monarchist coup. And, though he despised the Nazi’s and they had no fondness for him, three of his sons died fighting for them in World War 2.
The greatest weakness of this book is that it lacks that sense of complication. It’s a hagiography of von Lettow that glosses over any less-than-admirable qualities about the man to focus on his “adventures” in Africa.
That said, African Kaiser is a spirited, eminently readable account of Germany’s war in Africa and how its successes were largely due to the commitment and intelligence of one man – Paul von Lettow. It’s not solely about von Lettow, however; we do meet some of the other actors – on both sides – in the theater. The Oberstleutnant had an uncanny ability to become the obsessive focus of the commanders he fought against, even if they were sitting in a London office 7,000 miles away (Churchill). And von Lettow did achieve his objective – pinning down men and matériel better used against the Fatherland on the Western Front. The author also brings to light some of the more unusual events of the war, such as the abortive Zeppelin flight that attempted to get supplies to von Lettow’s army or the 252-day naval siege of SMS Königsberg.
Gaudi’s writing can be florid, and I thought the battle scenes often went on a page or two too long but recommended if you have any interest in World War 1 and/or forgotten theaters in major wars.
When I was a boy, there was a book in my father’s basement about mercenaries – mercs – that I would often pull out and read when me and my siblings visited on the weekends. It was a pretty “cool” book to a twelve-year-old boy. A few years later, I was a teen-ager finishing high school and moving on to college. I was more mature and my horizons were expanding; and I realized that the mercs I had been reading about were primarily white men from the colonial states of Rhodesia and South Africa and that their opponents were anti-colonial rebels. Or – after the Europeans had left – they worked for the corrupt, authoritarian, if native, regimes that too often replaced them. Not men who deserved adulation.
I was reminded of that book (whose title I wish I could remember so I could add it to the GR library) after I finished African Kaiser and was wondering what to write. Unlike those mercs I had been reading about, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck does have admirable qualities. For example, he had no difficulties working with black Africans and accepting them as competent, intelligent fellow humans. [Though it was a very paternalistic acceptance. The black African was as intelligent and as capable as any white European but he needed the trappings of civilization (particularly German civilization) to be fully human. And, of course, it didn’t extend to having any black officers in his army.]
But…he was a complicated man. He led a Freikorps company (precursors of the Nazi’s SA thugs) after the war when conservative elements in Germany brutally suppressed Leftist opposition. He was cashiered and his pension stopped for participating in a monarchist coup. And, though he despised the Nazi’s and they had no fondness for him, three of his sons died fighting for them in World War 2.
The greatest weakness of this book is that it lacks that sense of complication. It’s a hagiography of von Lettow that glosses over any less-than-admirable qualities about the man to focus on his “adventures” in Africa.
That said, African Kaiser is a spirited, eminently readable account of Germany’s war in Africa and how its successes were largely due to the commitment and intelligence of one man – Paul von Lettow. It’s not solely about von Lettow, however; we do meet some of the other actors – on both sides – in the theater. The Oberstleutnant had an uncanny ability to become the obsessive focus of the commanders he fought against, even if they were sitting in a London office 7,000 miles away (Churchill). And von Lettow did achieve his objective – pinning down men and matériel better used against the Fatherland on the Western Front. The author also brings to light some of the more unusual events of the war, such as the abortive Zeppelin flight that attempted to get supplies to von Lettow’s army or the 252-day naval siege of SMS Königsberg.
Gaudi’s writing can be florid, and I thought the battle scenes often went on a page or two too long but recommended if you have any interest in World War 1 and/or forgotten theaters in major wars.
March 2, 2017
2/25 - Impressive ... much more than expected array of linked history ... starting with Zeppelins ... and "one of the newest and fastest cruisers in the Kaiserlich Marine" ... on to Boxer China ... to Herero genocide, so far ... just arriving in East Africa in 1913, still early in the story ...
Some quotes from Herero section. Would like to hear a conversation between Generals Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and George Crook, comparing fighting Apaches to fighting Hereros.
"Before the arrival of the first missionaries in South West Africa, its history is steeped in Neolithic obscurity. ...
"... excepting the occasional burst of ultraviolence, most Hottentots lived in a condition of Stone Age torpor ... Then, sometime in the mid-eighteenth century, wide swaths of Hottentot territory succumbed to the invasion of a tribe of Bantu cattle herders from the north--the Hereros. This warlike people first occupied the region's arable upper plateau, ideal for cattle grazing--a flat brown landscape resembling the Texas panhandle. Agricultural duties, which were minimal, they relegated to captured Hottentot slaves.
"Over the remaining decades of the century,. the Hereros slowly drove the Hottentots into the dry, rugged hills farther south and east. The newcomers, much taller and far more warlike than the indigenous Khoisan peoples, were possessed of the fierceness that comes from basing one's way of life on a single source: Everything they valued, all wealth and status and personal happiness, had to do with cattle ... Because of their dominating ways and elegant bearing, the few Europeans who encountered Herero tribesmen in the early days regarded them as the region's 'natural aristocrats.'"
...
"In 1885, Bismarck sent Dr. Ernst Goring, father of future Nazi Richsfeldmarschall ... make treaties with Hottentots and Hereros alike. But Goring, an arrogant and high-handed administrator, only managed to antagonize the region's native peoples. ... Nonetheless, by 1888 ... Germany's first African colony had taken shape ...
"The presence of extremely strong and independent tribes kept the territories in a turmoil of native uprisings ...
"On the morning of January 12, 1904, the Hereros launched their campaign. They ripped out railroad beds, cut telegraph lines, burned everything in sight. The uprising took many Germans by surprise, even those missionaries who lived and worked closely with the Hereros in the bush. German farmers and traders, whose sharp business practices had done much to inspire the rebellion in the first place, were hunted down and killed ...
Some quotes from Herero section. Would like to hear a conversation between Generals Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and George Crook, comparing fighting Apaches to fighting Hereros.
"Before the arrival of the first missionaries in South West Africa, its history is steeped in Neolithic obscurity. ...
"... excepting the occasional burst of ultraviolence, most Hottentots lived in a condition of Stone Age torpor ... Then, sometime in the mid-eighteenth century, wide swaths of Hottentot territory succumbed to the invasion of a tribe of Bantu cattle herders from the north--the Hereros. This warlike people first occupied the region's arable upper plateau, ideal for cattle grazing--a flat brown landscape resembling the Texas panhandle. Agricultural duties, which were minimal, they relegated to captured Hottentot slaves.
"Over the remaining decades of the century,. the Hereros slowly drove the Hottentots into the dry, rugged hills farther south and east. The newcomers, much taller and far more warlike than the indigenous Khoisan peoples, were possessed of the fierceness that comes from basing one's way of life on a single source: Everything they valued, all wealth and status and personal happiness, had to do with cattle ... Because of their dominating ways and elegant bearing, the few Europeans who encountered Herero tribesmen in the early days regarded them as the region's 'natural aristocrats.'"
...
"In 1885, Bismarck sent Dr. Ernst Goring, father of future Nazi Richsfeldmarschall ... make treaties with Hottentots and Hereros alike. But Goring, an arrogant and high-handed administrator, only managed to antagonize the region's native peoples. ... Nonetheless, by 1888 ... Germany's first African colony had taken shape ...
"The presence of extremely strong and independent tribes kept the territories in a turmoil of native uprisings ...
"On the morning of January 12, 1904, the Hereros launched their campaign. They ripped out railroad beds, cut telegraph lines, burned everything in sight. The uprising took many Germans by surprise, even those missionaries who lived and worked closely with the Hereros in the bush. German farmers and traders, whose sharp business practices had done much to inspire the rebellion in the first place, were hunted down and killed ...
January 19, 2019
This history of the Great War in Africa really surprised with its roundabout, indirect approach to the topic. A few hours into the book I was convinced I had bought a biography and not a campaign history. A few hours after that I realized I had stumbled into a catch all, wandering odyssey of a narrative of the times, locations, flavor and eccentric people that fashioned the history of this era. We get treated to a portrait of the Boxer rebellion in China, the Herrero rebellion in German South West Africa, the impetus to colonize German East Africa and its prewar administration. We also get treated to an aside about man eating lions in British Uganda, a British intelligence officer famous and now infamous for his adventures and shenanigans, big game hunters drafted into the British Army, Zeppelins built for one way missions to Africa, etc. etc. For the most part, Gaudi pulls it off, steering clear of detailed battle histories and instead giving us a panorama of the Great War in East Africa, of von Lettow's life and how he came to be in East Africa, and bringing to life a topic few have any idea exists. I freely admit to being a newbie into any kind of African history, but I've found my entry point with colonialism and the European wars fought out on that continent. African Kaiser is an ambitious project and succeeds for the most part.
The only negative for me is his treatment of the naval war surrounding German East Africa. He makes the saga of the Konigsberg into something far grander and more momentous than it ever was, or could have been. The Konigsberg was a light cruiser caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when the war started, and make a terrifically minimal impact on Royal Navy strategy, but you'd never know that from Gaudi's treatment of the events. What galls me the most is his characterization of the ship as either a battlecruiser or a battleship, interchangeably, from sentence to sentence in many instances, supposedly armed with magnificent ship killing naval cannons. In truth, the Konigsberg was a light cruiser, armed with a main battery consistent with the times, approximately 6" guns, and her only value was in tying down disproportionate British naval forces to ensure she did no damage on the high seas. Gaudi mishandles most of this section, and I suspect deliberately, sometimes, to up the drama meter another notch or three.
Aside from this long winded gaff he refuses to ever concede is a gaff, the book is fantastic. I'm certain to listen to it/read it again at some point down the line.
The only negative for me is his treatment of the naval war surrounding German East Africa. He makes the saga of the Konigsberg into something far grander and more momentous than it ever was, or could have been. The Konigsberg was a light cruiser caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when the war started, and make a terrifically minimal impact on Royal Navy strategy, but you'd never know that from Gaudi's treatment of the events. What galls me the most is his characterization of the ship as either a battlecruiser or a battleship, interchangeably, from sentence to sentence in many instances, supposedly armed with magnificent ship killing naval cannons. In truth, the Konigsberg was a light cruiser, armed with a main battery consistent with the times, approximately 6" guns, and her only value was in tying down disproportionate British naval forces to ensure she did no damage on the high seas. Gaudi mishandles most of this section, and I suspect deliberately, sometimes, to up the drama meter another notch or three.
Aside from this long winded gaff he refuses to ever concede is a gaff, the book is fantastic. I'm certain to listen to it/read it again at some point down the line.
December 6, 2017
Hard to rate - somewhere between 4 and a 3 for me. The subject of “African Kaiser” - Paul Von Lettow-Vorbeck and the campaign he led against the British during World War I in East Africa – is truly fascinating. That said, there is something quite peculiar about Gaudi’s writing style – I am not sure how to describe it other than uniquely colorful. For some readers this may be a positive but I found it at times pretty distracting. For example, the book is peppered with a number of rather wild literary flourishes (e.g., the author speculates if Lettow may have heard “the voices of von Lettow fighting men out of the ancestral gloom of 1,000 years, out of the shadows of the Baltic forests…” during his baptism of fire), periodically offers up some pretty odd and jarring analogies (both the eye of Sauron and Jim Morrison of the Doors get mentioned), and includes a couple of bizarre one act “playlets” complete with stage directions (I have not seen that before in a history book and probably for good reason). These quirks notwithstanding, I would still recommend “African Kaiser” to other readers. The book is stuffed full of all sorts of interesting details and personalities - I found it impossible to put down.
June 1, 2021
Wow, what a ride! I will commence this review by saying it was one of the most difficult books to review I've ever done. It was so entertaining, yet felt like a lot of fiction because of that. I was so confused, I actually re-read it again to try and get a better feel.
First off, Mr. Gaudi can really write some quality text. It felt a bit personal and like talking to a friend over coffee. It speaks directly to me, and uses phrases and analogies that are easy to grasp. That said, this is one of the bipolar items that can be rather bothersome. It did not feel "academic" entirely. It seemed too casual. It is really hard to put into words, but two reads solidly left me feeling this way.
The academic nature is another area that takes a beating in my mind. It has many errors I'd not expect to see in any legitimate military history book. His knowledge of naval vessels is comically bad, and he frequently mislabels a light cruiser as a battleship, and implies it carries weapons of massive size able to destroy enemy battleships. Laughably wrong. It carried some of the smallest and most ineffective guns in the entire German Navy. Light cruisers are no real danger to any battleships of any era honestly. His coverage of the gun removals from the Konigsberg was pretty good and he was at least correct in the value of that salvage.
While I enjoyed the writing, there seemed to be a dreadful lack of references and notes used in the text. The scholarly nature really suffers with this. There has been some questions made of his sources for writing this book, and that doubt has also crept into my mind as the material written is almost too good to be true. Without the notes to direct you to sources, it is difficult to parse the quality of what he is presenting. The included selected Bibliography looks nice, but with no links to text is relatively worthless. This means you have to take his word on things he has written, and that is just not scholarly at all.
I felt I learned a lot about the whole African campaign, and some details I'd never read anything on before. It was enjoyable to get so much information on von Lettow-Vorbeck as he really is overlooked as one of the high quality generals of the 20th Century. His ability to carry out his mission with minimal resources and difficult conditions is still a marvel today. That alone makes we want to give this book 5 Stars. Sadly, the errors and questionable sourcing is not something that can be ignored.
So 5 Stars on entertaining reading of a very interesting person and place, 2 Stars grade for the errors and references, leaving me forced to merge this into a score of 3.5 Stars. I am rounding DOWN (a rare thing for me) because the errors were egregious types that any semi-knowledgeable proof reader should have caught. It is a great read and I do recommend it. I just want to point out it might be a little too good to be fully true and will be a poor source for finding additional reading on anything in particular that you gleaned from the text. Still, it was a fun read, so it has that going for it.
First off, Mr. Gaudi can really write some quality text. It felt a bit personal and like talking to a friend over coffee. It speaks directly to me, and uses phrases and analogies that are easy to grasp. That said, this is one of the bipolar items that can be rather bothersome. It did not feel "academic" entirely. It seemed too casual. It is really hard to put into words, but two reads solidly left me feeling this way.
The academic nature is another area that takes a beating in my mind. It has many errors I'd not expect to see in any legitimate military history book. His knowledge of naval vessels is comically bad, and he frequently mislabels a light cruiser as a battleship, and implies it carries weapons of massive size able to destroy enemy battleships. Laughably wrong. It carried some of the smallest and most ineffective guns in the entire German Navy. Light cruisers are no real danger to any battleships of any era honestly. His coverage of the gun removals from the Konigsberg was pretty good and he was at least correct in the value of that salvage.
While I enjoyed the writing, there seemed to be a dreadful lack of references and notes used in the text. The scholarly nature really suffers with this. There has been some questions made of his sources for writing this book, and that doubt has also crept into my mind as the material written is almost too good to be true. Without the notes to direct you to sources, it is difficult to parse the quality of what he is presenting. The included selected Bibliography looks nice, but with no links to text is relatively worthless. This means you have to take his word on things he has written, and that is just not scholarly at all.
I felt I learned a lot about the whole African campaign, and some details I'd never read anything on before. It was enjoyable to get so much information on von Lettow-Vorbeck as he really is overlooked as one of the high quality generals of the 20th Century. His ability to carry out his mission with minimal resources and difficult conditions is still a marvel today. That alone makes we want to give this book 5 Stars. Sadly, the errors and questionable sourcing is not something that can be ignored.
So 5 Stars on entertaining reading of a very interesting person and place, 2 Stars grade for the errors and references, leaving me forced to merge this into a score of 3.5 Stars. I am rounding DOWN (a rare thing for me) because the errors were egregious types that any semi-knowledgeable proof reader should have caught. It is a great read and I do recommend it. I just want to point out it might be a little too good to be fully true and will be a poor source for finding additional reading on anything in particular that you gleaned from the text. Still, it was a fun read, so it has that going for it.
April 28, 2017
I've always enjoyed reading "micro" histories. Histories of seemingly small things, in this case the sideshow that was the war in East Africa, which reveal larger impacts on the time. The Imperial German Army's East Africa campaign was not about capturing territory or winning the war, but about tying down the enemy's resources at a time when he could least afford to expend them.
General von Lettow was a gifted commander who lead his ragtag army on a chase across East Africa, pursued by thousands of British troops. The story includes improbable events which were news to me: A Zeppelin mission to supply von Lettow's army which made it as far as the Sudan before having to turn back; A battleship stranded in an East African river; commandeered Brazilian river gunboats; and the rise of both Churchill and Jan Smuts, the future leader of South Africa.
Gaudi's book is well written, well researched and fast paced. Highly recommended!
General von Lettow was a gifted commander who lead his ragtag army on a chase across East Africa, pursued by thousands of British troops. The story includes improbable events which were news to me: A Zeppelin mission to supply von Lettow's army which made it as far as the Sudan before having to turn back; A battleship stranded in an East African river; commandeered Brazilian river gunboats; and the rise of both Churchill and Jan Smuts, the future leader of South Africa.
Gaudi's book is well written, well researched and fast paced. Highly recommended!
June 13, 2017
I like competent histories written with frequent illuminating, often amusing, anecdotes. This, at once a sympathetic biography of von Lettow-Vorbeck and a history of WWI in German Southeast Africa, manages both while giving enough background about the history of the European colonization of the area to concretely set the stage. My sole complaint about this popular history is its lack of footnotes.
April 18, 2021
Great biography on an extremely interesting figure.
June 26, 2017
Never heard of Gaudi. I hope he's writing 23 hours a day morning noon and night because he's fantastic.
The first feeling I had at the end of this tremendous book was regret. That's it? I can't be with Lettow-Vorbeck any more? I have to leave Africa? Because Gaudi takes you back and puts you there.
It is not just a biography of the amazing German General Paul von L-V. It is a sweep of fascinating once in an era personalities. It is an account of Colonial powers (however cursory). A detail of the unusual challenges and eye squinting countermeasures employed by both sides. An adventure, a war history, a collage of mini biographies, a vicarious tour of exotic topographies and I could go on (and on) about how much I enjoyed this terrific book.
Gaudi, you really trounced the subject. I pity the fool who tries to follow you. "African Kaiser" was like that pie you eat in one sitting because you can't stop taking it in, it's too good.
Get this one.
The first feeling I had at the end of this tremendous book was regret. That's it? I can't be with Lettow-Vorbeck any more? I have to leave Africa? Because Gaudi takes you back and puts you there.
It is not just a biography of the amazing German General Paul von L-V. It is a sweep of fascinating once in an era personalities. It is an account of Colonial powers (however cursory). A detail of the unusual challenges and eye squinting countermeasures employed by both sides. An adventure, a war history, a collage of mini biographies, a vicarious tour of exotic topographies and I could go on (and on) about how much I enjoyed this terrific book.
Gaudi, you really trounced the subject. I pity the fool who tries to follow you. "African Kaiser" was like that pie you eat in one sitting because you can't stop taking it in, it's too good.
Get this one.
November 20, 2024
I picked up this book out of curiosity, as I knew nothing about the subject. I was hooked. The book is very detailed, and we come to understand the great battles of WWI in the German territories in Africa and beyond. The story is very much about General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and his brilliant military prowess. With a vision and blind loyalty to the Kaiser, he managed to run circles around the British, even though the British had more troops.
It is truly a fascinating story, as it sheds light on the Africans who fought, the structure of the regiments, and the difficulties of battling in Africa.
It is truly a fascinating story, as it sheds light on the Africans who fought, the structure of the regiments, and the difficulties of battling in Africa.
Read
February 17, 2019Very interesting and little know part of the history of the Great War. Written with a very strong, almost novelistic narrative but the language goes way over the top too often. German vengeance in SWA as the “eye of Sauron?” Someone who dies early by suicide compared the Jim Morrison of the Doors? Some basic historical errors as well, but all in all worth reading.
May 2, 2018
aN entertaining as well as informative work. With cast of characters of the African campaign of the Imperial Germany and other Europeans. Lots of new information.
June 25, 2024
Completely enthralling. Can’t recommend enough for anyone interested in WW1 history. This is a can’t miss!
April 26, 2025
one of the best books I read
December 28, 2018
You can sense the lack of source material
August 20, 2024
Gaudi is an excellent historian and an even better story teller; he is able to make this history into a brilliant adventure story about a little known Theatre of the First World War. This book is also a solid biography of von Lettow-Vorbeck, detailing his prior experiences and how they came to affect his leadership and tactics in the East African Campaign. Lucid, Informative, and enjoyable, a definite recommend.
July 31, 2018
I liked this book quite a bit as it offered an interesting insight into a little-considered chapter of WWI. General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck was the only undefeated German General of WWI. He led a retreating guerrilla war against British and Entente forces in East Africa, relying on his German and African troops and substantial creative problemsolving (salvaging the guns from the German ship Konigsberg, always staying 2 steps ahead of the British).
The book gives a great and interesting overview of German colonial history, from Otto von Bismarck's disdain for colonial adventures, to the Boxer Rebellion, to the genocidal wars of conquest waged against African populations in the late-19th and early-20th century. The book encompasses many feats of derring-do, such as the ill-fated effort to resupply von Lettow with a zeppelin, the battle for Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the ragged final battles of his Schutztruppe against Portuguese colonial troops. I agree with a previous reviewer that the book is a little hagiographic towards von Lettow. It gives a nod in the closing paragraphs to the fact that there is "some truth" to criticisms of him, but doesn't spend a lot of time discussing his legacy or any of the alluded-to controversies surrounding him.
There were a few stylistic choices that threw me off, but it could have been a combination of the narrator's style (I listened to an audiobook) and hearing, rather than reading the book. A few examples include a description of African bees as being "pissed off," an aeroplane's engine "crapping out," and von Lettow turning down Hitler's offer of the ambassadorship to the UK "with the German equivalent of 'Go fuck yourself!'" They were jarring. Oh, and there were a lot of references to the United States in the first person, as the author must be American; phrases like, "as in our own history of the American West." It took me out of the story as well. They were all basically markers of this book as a popular history book, rather than a scholarly one.
The book gives a great and interesting overview of German colonial history, from Otto von Bismarck's disdain for colonial adventures, to the Boxer Rebellion, to the genocidal wars of conquest waged against African populations in the late-19th and early-20th century. The book encompasses many feats of derring-do, such as the ill-fated effort to resupply von Lettow with a zeppelin, the battle for Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the ragged final battles of his Schutztruppe against Portuguese colonial troops. I agree with a previous reviewer that the book is a little hagiographic towards von Lettow. It gives a nod in the closing paragraphs to the fact that there is "some truth" to criticisms of him, but doesn't spend a lot of time discussing his legacy or any of the alluded-to controversies surrounding him.
There were a few stylistic choices that threw me off, but it could have been a combination of the narrator's style (I listened to an audiobook) and hearing, rather than reading the book. A few examples include a description of African bees as being "pissed off," an aeroplane's engine "crapping out," and von Lettow turning down Hitler's offer of the ambassadorship to the UK "with the German equivalent of 'Go fuck yourself!'" They were jarring. Oh, and there were a lot of references to the United States in the first person, as the author must be American; phrases like, "as in our own history of the American West." It took me out of the story as well. They were all basically markers of this book as a popular history book, rather than a scholarly one.
April 3, 2019
This is difficult to rate. On style and prose this is a 4 or 5 star. The narrative is engaging and colorful, unlike many historical works.
However, it is perhaps TOO colorful. The author is prone to exaggeration for the purposes of the story. For instance, he repeatedly refers to the SMS Koningsberg as a "battleship" instead of a light cruiser. He often makes reference to the "massive" size of the Koningsberg's guns (dismounted or otherwise) and how they could sink a battleship. As much as I grant that infantry on the field may fail to appreciate the relative size of a 10.5cm gun (4.1 inch), that is not a massive gun on the scale of Great War artillery, either on on land or at sea. Indeed, a 4 inch gun is completely incapable of sinking a battleship of the period, even an outdated one, barring some ludicrous circumstance of chance, and 4 inch guns were not considered adequate for engaging anything heavier than a light cruiser of Koningsberg's class. Heavy guns on cruisers were more in the range of 6 inches (15.2cm), generally considered the heaviest shell that could be carried and loaded by a sailor without the use of powered lifts.
The author extensively leans on the fabulous tales of Richard Meinertzhagen, even after he acknowledges the source is almost certainly fraudulent and the fictional musings of a narcissistic sociopath.
From an academic stand, I have to rate the book very poorly. I can't shake the ever present impression that accuracy and veracity has been sacrificed for infotainment.
However, it is perhaps TOO colorful. The author is prone to exaggeration for the purposes of the story. For instance, he repeatedly refers to the SMS Koningsberg as a "battleship" instead of a light cruiser. He often makes reference to the "massive" size of the Koningsberg's guns (dismounted or otherwise) and how they could sink a battleship. As much as I grant that infantry on the field may fail to appreciate the relative size of a 10.5cm gun (4.1 inch), that is not a massive gun on the scale of Great War artillery, either on on land or at sea. Indeed, a 4 inch gun is completely incapable of sinking a battleship of the period, even an outdated one, barring some ludicrous circumstance of chance, and 4 inch guns were not considered adequate for engaging anything heavier than a light cruiser of Koningsberg's class. Heavy guns on cruisers were more in the range of 6 inches (15.2cm), generally considered the heaviest shell that could be carried and loaded by a sailor without the use of powered lifts.
The author extensively leans on the fabulous tales of Richard Meinertzhagen, even after he acknowledges the source is almost certainly fraudulent and the fictional musings of a narcissistic sociopath.
From an academic stand, I have to rate the book very poorly. I can't shake the ever present impression that accuracy and veracity has been sacrificed for infotainment.
May 8, 2017
Absolutely loved it! Great Book about a Great man.
I initially thought the book focused on German South West Africa but was pleasantly surprised to find out it's actually about the Great war in East Africa; with all the familiar place names landmarks.
I initially thought the book focused on German South West Africa but was pleasantly surprised to find out it's actually about the Great war in East Africa; with all the familiar place names landmarks.
January 31, 2022
This book is about one prussian officer and his service to his Fatherland, this book is also about African colonial subjects of the fatherland and the potency of the force that took on The Royal Indian Army and British Troops of The Empire. This book goes into gory details about small afflictions that degrade humanity from men in Jungle/Tropical/Desert modern warfare.
about battleships of the kaiserreich marine and how when shipborne artillery is stripped and adapted to the needs of a rag-tag German led guerilla force it became more than just "fire for effect".
This is an experience, a narrative history and an academically sound work.
5*s Indeed.
about battleships of the kaiserreich marine and how when shipborne artillery is stripped and adapted to the needs of a rag-tag German led guerilla force it became more than just "fire for effect".
This is an experience, a narrative history and an academically sound work.
5*s Indeed.
March 3, 2017
This book is amazing. I read a lot of books on both World Wars and this is probably one of the best. The author balances the book very well with background stories, wide cast of interesting characters and in depth details on everything from army equipment and battle tactics to the terrain of the country.
December 11, 2017
Gaudi weaves an intriguing chronicle of the ferocious campaign in East Africa between the German Schutztruppe and British Commonwealth troops during the Great War—1914 to 1918. He develops the account of this little known Afrikanischer Krieg from the German perspective and in an easy, empathetic, and coherent style. The account is so compelling that we experience the details as if we are participants in the narrative.
The protagonist is Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck of Kaiser Wilhelm’s Imperial Army. For four years, Lettow-Vorbeck led his Schutztruppe of well disciplined and highly trained German and colonial askaris troops in skillful guerrilla warfare in a classic tactical retreat through East Africa: British Africa (later Kenya), German Equatoria (later Tanganyika), Portuguese East Africa (later Mozambique), and Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe). In failed pursuit were elements of the British Army.
And, peripheral to the ground war in East Africa, Gaudi recounts exactly how the German “battleship” SMS Königsberg (actually a light cruiser) from the Kaiserliche Marine escaped from the British battle squadron in the Indian Ocean; the ship's role as a commerce raider; and its journey up the Rufiji river to hide from the British ships pursuing it. After several weeks of fruitless search, Fleet Air Arm aeroplanes spotted the SMS Königsberg in a remote tributary of the river, hidden under the leafy limbs of a copse of trees. He continues with the particulars of its demise by British naval artillery.
In another tangential episode, he details the German High Command’s resolve to resupply Lettow-Vorbeck’s isolated Schutztruppe with arms, food, and other necessities.
The scheme was to use the super Luftshiff Zeppelin L57 to carry these supplies to East Africa. In command was Korvettenkapitan (Corvette Captain) Ludwig Bockhold of the Kaiserlich Marine’s Naval Airship Service. The L57, after a harrowing flight, finally reached the Nile River in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. But, British Intelligence had broken the German naval codes and sent fake messages to the L57 telling Bockhold to abort the mission and return. He ordered the zeppelin to reverse course and sail to Europe.
In June 1917, Kaiser Wilhelm awarded Lieutenant Colonel von Lettow-Vorbeck Germany’s highest military award, the Pour le Mérite. In October 1917, the German General Staff promoted Lieutenant Colonial von Lettow-Vorbeck directly to Generalmajor (Major General).
The next year, at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, and in the 11th month of 1918, the guns of the Great War fell silent. Two weeks after the armistice in Europe, Generalmajor von Lettow-Vorbeck (Bwana Obersti) marched his Imperial East African troop, the last German command in the field still undefeated in battle, into Abercorn, Rhodesia. Von Lettow-Vorbeck ordered his Schutztruppe to lay down their arms, and he surrendered to Brigadier General Edward Northey of the British Army. The general accepted von Lettow-Vorbeck’s surrender in the name of King George V.
British Captain W. C. Downes of the The West African Frontier Force commented on the martial skills of Generalmajor von Lettow-Vorbeck, “He was a genius in the art of bush warfare, a man of indomitable spirit—a most remarkable leader of men, who did not know what it was to be beaten.”
On March 2, 1918, Generalmajor von Lettow-Vorbeck rode through the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, leading the survivors of the Schutztruppe in a parade, to boisterous cheers from the defeated and disheartened German folk. “'The Lion of Africa' was the only undefeated German general from World War I still commanding an army of a defeated nation at the Armistice.”
Negatives:
Only two large-scale maps are in this book. To comprehend the details of the campaign, we need small-scale maps (about 1: 24,000) that highlight the geographic features and the movements of opposing forces.
Gaudi has a tendency to call most all warships “battleships.” No battleships were involved in the East African campaign.
He labels the SMS Königsberg a battleship. It was a light cruiser.
He discusses the “Indian” Gurkhas. The Gurkhas are from Nepal only.
He states that Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated to Switzerland. He abdicated to the Netherlands.
The protagonist is Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck of Kaiser Wilhelm’s Imperial Army. For four years, Lettow-Vorbeck led his Schutztruppe of well disciplined and highly trained German and colonial askaris troops in skillful guerrilla warfare in a classic tactical retreat through East Africa: British Africa (later Kenya), German Equatoria (later Tanganyika), Portuguese East Africa (later Mozambique), and Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe). In failed pursuit were elements of the British Army.
And, peripheral to the ground war in East Africa, Gaudi recounts exactly how the German “battleship” SMS Königsberg (actually a light cruiser) from the Kaiserliche Marine escaped from the British battle squadron in the Indian Ocean; the ship's role as a commerce raider; and its journey up the Rufiji river to hide from the British ships pursuing it. After several weeks of fruitless search, Fleet Air Arm aeroplanes spotted the SMS Königsberg in a remote tributary of the river, hidden under the leafy limbs of a copse of trees. He continues with the particulars of its demise by British naval artillery.
In another tangential episode, he details the German High Command’s resolve to resupply Lettow-Vorbeck’s isolated Schutztruppe with arms, food, and other necessities.
The scheme was to use the super Luftshiff Zeppelin L57 to carry these supplies to East Africa. In command was Korvettenkapitan (Corvette Captain) Ludwig Bockhold of the Kaiserlich Marine’s Naval Airship Service. The L57, after a harrowing flight, finally reached the Nile River in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. But, British Intelligence had broken the German naval codes and sent fake messages to the L57 telling Bockhold to abort the mission and return. He ordered the zeppelin to reverse course and sail to Europe.
In June 1917, Kaiser Wilhelm awarded Lieutenant Colonel von Lettow-Vorbeck Germany’s highest military award, the Pour le Mérite. In October 1917, the German General Staff promoted Lieutenant Colonial von Lettow-Vorbeck directly to Generalmajor (Major General).
The next year, at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, and in the 11th month of 1918, the guns of the Great War fell silent. Two weeks after the armistice in Europe, Generalmajor von Lettow-Vorbeck (Bwana Obersti) marched his Imperial East African troop, the last German command in the field still undefeated in battle, into Abercorn, Rhodesia. Von Lettow-Vorbeck ordered his Schutztruppe to lay down their arms, and he surrendered to Brigadier General Edward Northey of the British Army. The general accepted von Lettow-Vorbeck’s surrender in the name of King George V.
British Captain W. C. Downes of the The West African Frontier Force commented on the martial skills of Generalmajor von Lettow-Vorbeck, “He was a genius in the art of bush warfare, a man of indomitable spirit—a most remarkable leader of men, who did not know what it was to be beaten.”
On March 2, 1918, Generalmajor von Lettow-Vorbeck rode through the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, leading the survivors of the Schutztruppe in a parade, to boisterous cheers from the defeated and disheartened German folk. “'The Lion of Africa' was the only undefeated German general from World War I still commanding an army of a defeated nation at the Armistice.”
Negatives:
Only two large-scale maps are in this book. To comprehend the details of the campaign, we need small-scale maps (about 1: 24,000) that highlight the geographic features and the movements of opposing forces.
Gaudi has a tendency to call most all warships “battleships.” No battleships were involved in the East African campaign.
He labels the SMS Königsberg a battleship. It was a light cruiser.
He discusses the “Indian” Gurkhas. The Gurkhas are from Nepal only.
He states that Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated to Switzerland. He abdicated to the Netherlands.
May 27, 2019
A sprawling mess with the extra star given for keeping the memory of Von Lettow-Vorbeck alive.
First, the author clearly has no military background whatsoever. The constant reference to SMS Konigsberg as a battleship or battle cruiser is probably the most frequent proof of that. Konigsberg was the lightest of light cruisers and under no circumstances could be confused with a battleship or battle cruiser. In a more minor but more telling offense, he refers to a British major's pips shining in the sun. Anyone familiar with British uniforms knows that if there is one rank that doesn't have pips it's the majors. The major has a crown. There are numerous other examples. Because of this lack of knowledge, the author's frequent criticisms of the various commanders (British especially) ring very hollow.
Second, it's difficult to figure out what this book is supposed to be. A biography of Von Lettow? Not really as he disappears entirely from sight for pages and pages. A history of the East African campaign. Not that either as we're treated to a not-so brief history of the Boxer Rebellion replete with a discussion of the out-sized sexual organs of the Dowager Empress (I'm not making that up). Von Lettow did participate on the tail-end of operations in China, but only in the smallest of ways and certainly had no bearing on the outcome of the conflict. And certainly had no contact with the Dowager Empress' private parts.
In fact, the book begins with the story of the loss of SMS Magdeburg and the subsequent capture of the German naval codes. This is immediately followed up by a discussion of the German zeppelin program. All this to lead into a much later chapter on the abortive attempt to send a zeppelin resupply mission to East Africa to aid Von Lettow's Schutztruppen. But the zeppelin never arrived, supplies weren't delivered, Von Lettow never knew anything about it, and it had no bearing on the course of fighting. As for the German naval codes, maybe they had something to do with the zeppelin aborting the mission. Maybe they didn't. The author isn't sure. Von Lettow didn't even have a radio, so it didn't matter to him. Like so many other things in the book, an interesting but digressive sidelight.
For a work of military history, the few maps at the beginning are wholly inadequate. Additionally, they are printed in this thick font resembling crude handwriting. Perhaps this is to add a patina of time-worn authenticity to them. What it really does is make them almost unreadable.
Far more troubling is that the author constantly refers to the utterly discredited British intelligence officer (and prolific journal keeper) Meinhertzhagen. Meinhertzhagen was one of those colorful characters who always happened to be on hand at the critical moment...except it usually turned out he wasn't. To perhaps reference this man once is understandable. To do so repeatedly calls the credibility of the author himself into question, especially if the intent isn't to point out that someone else's version of an event is more correct. Seems like a classic example of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
Finally, the book is written in a peculiarly hyperbolic yet casual style as if someone's junior high kid was allowed to write the script for the 11 o'clock news. Those aren't columns of infantry marching to battle. They're "lethal" columns. That isn't a cannon off the Konigsberg. It's a "powerful" cannon that could sink a battleship (actually, no it couldn't; if a 4-inch naval gun could sink a battleship, then the commander of Konigsberg would have sailed to do battle with the blockading British force). The Brazilian Navy wasn't angered by having its monitors confiscated at the beginning of the war, it was "pissed-off". Seriously, who was editing this adolescent drivel?
In the end, the story of Von Lettow's exploits is colorful enough that even this amateurish effort couldn't wholly ruin it. However, do not mistake this for an authoritative volume on the subject.
First, the author clearly has no military background whatsoever. The constant reference to SMS Konigsberg as a battleship or battle cruiser is probably the most frequent proof of that. Konigsberg was the lightest of light cruisers and under no circumstances could be confused with a battleship or battle cruiser. In a more minor but more telling offense, he refers to a British major's pips shining in the sun. Anyone familiar with British uniforms knows that if there is one rank that doesn't have pips it's the majors. The major has a crown. There are numerous other examples. Because of this lack of knowledge, the author's frequent criticisms of the various commanders (British especially) ring very hollow.
Second, it's difficult to figure out what this book is supposed to be. A biography of Von Lettow? Not really as he disappears entirely from sight for pages and pages. A history of the East African campaign. Not that either as we're treated to a not-so brief history of the Boxer Rebellion replete with a discussion of the out-sized sexual organs of the Dowager Empress (I'm not making that up). Von Lettow did participate on the tail-end of operations in China, but only in the smallest of ways and certainly had no bearing on the outcome of the conflict. And certainly had no contact with the Dowager Empress' private parts.
In fact, the book begins with the story of the loss of SMS Magdeburg and the subsequent capture of the German naval codes. This is immediately followed up by a discussion of the German zeppelin program. All this to lead into a much later chapter on the abortive attempt to send a zeppelin resupply mission to East Africa to aid Von Lettow's Schutztruppen. But the zeppelin never arrived, supplies weren't delivered, Von Lettow never knew anything about it, and it had no bearing on the course of fighting. As for the German naval codes, maybe they had something to do with the zeppelin aborting the mission. Maybe they didn't. The author isn't sure. Von Lettow didn't even have a radio, so it didn't matter to him. Like so many other things in the book, an interesting but digressive sidelight.
For a work of military history, the few maps at the beginning are wholly inadequate. Additionally, they are printed in this thick font resembling crude handwriting. Perhaps this is to add a patina of time-worn authenticity to them. What it really does is make them almost unreadable.
Far more troubling is that the author constantly refers to the utterly discredited British intelligence officer (and prolific journal keeper) Meinhertzhagen. Meinhertzhagen was one of those colorful characters who always happened to be on hand at the critical moment...except it usually turned out he wasn't. To perhaps reference this man once is understandable. To do so repeatedly calls the credibility of the author himself into question, especially if the intent isn't to point out that someone else's version of an event is more correct. Seems like a classic example of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
Finally, the book is written in a peculiarly hyperbolic yet casual style as if someone's junior high kid was allowed to write the script for the 11 o'clock news. Those aren't columns of infantry marching to battle. They're "lethal" columns. That isn't a cannon off the Konigsberg. It's a "powerful" cannon that could sink a battleship (actually, no it couldn't; if a 4-inch naval gun could sink a battleship, then the commander of Konigsberg would have sailed to do battle with the blockading British force). The Brazilian Navy wasn't angered by having its monitors confiscated at the beginning of the war, it was "pissed-off". Seriously, who was editing this adolescent drivel?
In the end, the story of Von Lettow's exploits is colorful enough that even this amateurish effort couldn't wholly ruin it. However, do not mistake this for an authoritative volume on the subject.
November 6, 2018
African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918 by Robert Gaudi
When you hear about World War One you imagine the stagnant, muddy, wet, and cold trenches of Flanders and northern France, very rarely if ever mentioned is the fast moving, static, hot, and deadly war going on in German East Africa at the same time. At the start of the war the German General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck was while a talented a rather unaccomplished general in command of the Schutztruppe, the German colonial soldiers of East Africa. Throughout the book and war Lettow-Vorbeck continues to fight an unwinnable war in a inhospitable land while constantly on the run against the British, portuguese, South African, and Belgian armies, And must overcome every obstacle he faces, all in the name of bringing glory to the Fatherland.
By far one of my favorite elements of the book is how incredibly in-detail the book is, its able to bring to life the true stories of what happened one hundred years ago, it goes into detail exactly how many men were where, which divisions were on the battlefield, and the personal thoughts, motivations, and ideas going through the minds of the men who drove the war onward. We come to know the different figures of the conflict in detail, from the calm and level-headed Vorbeck to the hot-tempered Boer commander Kraut, in the end though each character is driven forward by his sense of duty, patriotism, honor, love of homeland, and his own survival
Another part of the book I enjoyed was the varying points of view and how its able to bring in all these events which at first seem rather unimportant but end up playing a large role in the story. While the story mainly revolves around Lettow-Vorbeck and his Schutztruppe battalions we still manage to hear and see the conflict from the British point of view, mainly through Norman King, a british agent planted in GEA before the start of the war. Through his and the other allied commanders featured we see the frustration, admiration, joy, and hardships shared by the allied soldiers during the conflict. Some of the parts that seem unimportant is how the first chapter of the book tells us about the German Battlecruiser SMS Magdeburg runs aground on the shores of an island before being scuttled by her crew, while seemingly unimportant to the african war the allies are able to capture the germans codes and are able to intercept all Transmissions from Berlin to Dar Es Salaam, capital of GEA, which later comes in need when the Germans attempt to launch operation China Snow later in the war…
African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918 left me hooked from the moment I started it and is definitely one of my all time favorite books. It’s perfect for anyone studying or wanting to know more about ww1, Germany, South Africa, Colonialism, Africa, history, war, or just looking for something to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in World War One or History in general.
When you hear about World War One you imagine the stagnant, muddy, wet, and cold trenches of Flanders and northern France, very rarely if ever mentioned is the fast moving, static, hot, and deadly war going on in German East Africa at the same time. At the start of the war the German General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck was while a talented a rather unaccomplished general in command of the Schutztruppe, the German colonial soldiers of East Africa. Throughout the book and war Lettow-Vorbeck continues to fight an unwinnable war in a inhospitable land while constantly on the run against the British, portuguese, South African, and Belgian armies, And must overcome every obstacle he faces, all in the name of bringing glory to the Fatherland.
By far one of my favorite elements of the book is how incredibly in-detail the book is, its able to bring to life the true stories of what happened one hundred years ago, it goes into detail exactly how many men were where, which divisions were on the battlefield, and the personal thoughts, motivations, and ideas going through the minds of the men who drove the war onward. We come to know the different figures of the conflict in detail, from the calm and level-headed Vorbeck to the hot-tempered Boer commander Kraut, in the end though each character is driven forward by his sense of duty, patriotism, honor, love of homeland, and his own survival
Another part of the book I enjoyed was the varying points of view and how its able to bring in all these events which at first seem rather unimportant but end up playing a large role in the story. While the story mainly revolves around Lettow-Vorbeck and his Schutztruppe battalions we still manage to hear and see the conflict from the British point of view, mainly through Norman King, a british agent planted in GEA before the start of the war. Through his and the other allied commanders featured we see the frustration, admiration, joy, and hardships shared by the allied soldiers during the conflict. Some of the parts that seem unimportant is how the first chapter of the book tells us about the German Battlecruiser SMS Magdeburg runs aground on the shores of an island before being scuttled by her crew, while seemingly unimportant to the african war the allies are able to capture the germans codes and are able to intercept all Transmissions from Berlin to Dar Es Salaam, capital of GEA, which later comes in need when the Germans attempt to launch operation China Snow later in the war…
African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918 left me hooked from the moment I started it and is definitely one of my all time favorite books. It’s perfect for anyone studying or wanting to know more about ww1, Germany, South Africa, Colonialism, Africa, history, war, or just looking for something to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in World War One or History in general.
July 27, 2018
I like off beat histories and this is a very good one. I think it might be one of the first books I’ve ever read covering historical events in Africa. Africa is a very large continent about which one knows so little. The Kaiser in the title is General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck who’s claim to fame (and he was very famous in his day) was that he was the only WWI German general who was never defeated by the enemy. He wasn’t really a Kaiser but that’s how his African troop named him. What he was was the military commander of German East Africa which is present day Rwanda, Burundi, parts of Tanzania and a section of Mozambique. Von Lettow lasted the entire war with a troop of less than 15,000 African soldiers and non-coms and a handful of German officers without being defeated and tying up a British force of nearly 300,000 men led by over 100 generals. So, his contribution was two fold: He kept this enemy force from being used in the European Theater and he proved that an integrated army could be effective. As a general he was in the mold of Robert E. Lee or maybe even John Mosby of our Civil War. Von Lettow was a logistical genius with a great empathy for his native troops. He spoke the language and was idolized by them even years after the end of the war. In the end he had to surrender as the war was over, received a hero’s welcome in Berlin but was ushered out of the service after playing a small role in an attempted coup to restore the monarchy. He refused to support Hitler and although he lost two sons in WWII, he did not participate in that conflict. He was such a hero to the Germans, as he alone had survived undefeated in the first WWI, that Hitler did not dare purge him. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck lived until the age of 95 passing away in 1965 having survive war and disease.
This is a great read with mini bios of many other Africa hands from both sides, English and German. There are cameo appearances by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), fascinating information on dirigibles, one of which attempted to fly from Germany to GEA to resupply von Lettow (the mission was called off over Egypt) and excruciating details on tropical diseases and parasites. Another story told in detail is of the warship Konigsberg, a light cruiser who, in the same way that von Lettow tied up hundreds of thousands of troops, occupied a huge number of British warships as they spend an enormous, effort to sink her in her hiding place up the Rufiji River. She was finally located and airplanes were used to bring about her sinking. Even then, her guns were salvaged, installed on carriers and used by von Lettow until he ran out of ammunition several years later.
Von Lettow led a successfully integrated force for the entire war in a classic guerrilla action that frustrated and impressed his opponents. He was an old school soldier for whom honor and gentlemanly conduct were important. In the end, he was honored by both his country and his enemies.
This is a great read with mini bios of many other Africa hands from both sides, English and German. There are cameo appearances by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), fascinating information on dirigibles, one of which attempted to fly from Germany to GEA to resupply von Lettow (the mission was called off over Egypt) and excruciating details on tropical diseases and parasites. Another story told in detail is of the warship Konigsberg, a light cruiser who, in the same way that von Lettow tied up hundreds of thousands of troops, occupied a huge number of British warships as they spend an enormous, effort to sink her in her hiding place up the Rufiji River. She was finally located and airplanes were used to bring about her sinking. Even then, her guns were salvaged, installed on carriers and used by von Lettow until he ran out of ammunition several years later.
Von Lettow led a successfully integrated force for the entire war in a classic guerrilla action that frustrated and impressed his opponents. He was an old school soldier for whom honor and gentlemanly conduct were important. In the end, he was honored by both his country and his enemies.
October 22, 2023
Heia Safari!: A Review of African Kaiser
According to Livy, Scipio Africanus exhorted his legions on the eve of the battle of Zama by saying, “Go, therefore, to meet the foe with two objects before you, either victory or death. For men animated by such a spirit must always overcome their adversaries since they go into battle ready to throw their lives away.” Centuries later, another military giant who carved his legacy upon the torrid African plains would add a variation to this warrior theme. This was Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck: one of Imperial Germany’s most valuable assets during the Great War. A man who, by way of logistical genius, ferocious tenacity, and Prussian elan, bested the allies at almost every turn.
Lettow recognised that the all-or-nothing spirit vaunted by Scipio was crucial–much to the chagrin of German East Africa’s craven governor Heinrich Schnee, who capitulated to the British from the start. However, Lettow had no use for men who were eager to throw their lives away. His warfare was supremely conservative, emphasising the dummy trench and the tactical retreat, ramming as much enemy manpower as possible into the dark continent’s malarial gullet. His compatriots adored him, his askaris worshipped him, his enemies respected him.
Robert Gaudi’s African Kaiser chronicles Lettow’s life in thrilling detail. With a novelist’s finesse, he colours peripheral details that intersect with the general’s life. His scope shifts deftly from Zeppelins lumbering over Europe to howling Boxer rebels storming Shanghai to the Lettow-Vorbeck family’s history dating back to the Northern Crusades. He postulates the factors that lead to the formation of Lettow’s character in a concise, illuminating way–using sources from friend and foe alike. By the time we get to Lettow’s African exploits, we have a sufficiently fleshed-out portrait of the man.
One of the most interesting episodes within African Kaiser concerns the fate of the SMS Königsberg. Gaudi expertly describes the exploits and eventual jungle besiegement of the cruiser by the British, not to mention its artful cannibalisation by the German crew. This episode provides a thrilling background to some of Lettow’s later exploits, as well as insights into early African aviation history. The account is detailed but never laborious. In fact, some of the incidents described seem right out of Joseph Conrad–such as a hapless deckhand being eaten by a crocodile while painting the ship’s hull.
Gaudi is also to be lauded for his exploration of the impact Europeans had upon native East and West Africans. He never shies away from describing episodes of massacre and disenfranchisement perpetrated by the colonials. Nor does he gloss over the horrors perpetrated by Africans–the Herero and Namaqua conflict, the He He and Maji Maji Rebellions, etc. It’s refreshing to read a relatively recent book on African history that isn’t tainted by Fanonesque canards about colonialism or Rousseauan blandishments concerning the innocence of indigenous peoples.
While contemporary historians–particularly in Germany–are quick to dismiss Lettow as another racist imperialist, Gaudi takes a more charitable view. He sheds light on how the general consistently placed merit over colour, thus garnering lasting respect among his askaris. So loyal were these native troops that, when Lettow finally surrendered and prepared to return to Germany, many wept and said that they were prepared to follow him to the ends of the earth. Gaudi also gives sufficient attention to Lettow’s decidedly negative view of national socialism and his notorious response to Hitler’s offer of ambassadorship to the Court of St James.
Even Lettow’s mortal foes could not help but revere him the way the great white hunters of the scramble era might have revered elusive game. They pursued him fruitlessly for miles–enduring black water fever, foot-eating jiggers and the deadly tsetse fly. They met with scorched earth and settlements that German askaris had deliberately caked with excreta. Yet after the war, if Gaudi’s narrative is to be believed, many allied leaders of the East African Campaign became fast friends with Lettow–going so far as to welcome him at a London soiree by singing ‘for he’s a jolly good fellow’. One sees here, perhaps, the last vestiges of the chivalric code sustained even before the age when Lettow’s ancestors were crusading against the Prussian pagans.
African Kaiser is a shining example of how good popular history should be written. Like the Schutztruppe guerrillas he describes, Gaudi knows when to take a machete to the fluff and when to sojourn in valuable territory. He gives fair lustre to Lettow Africanus but never fawns. In so doing, he blows away some of the dust that has long obscured an important theatre of the First World War.
According to Livy, Scipio Africanus exhorted his legions on the eve of the battle of Zama by saying, “Go, therefore, to meet the foe with two objects before you, either victory or death. For men animated by such a spirit must always overcome their adversaries since they go into battle ready to throw their lives away.” Centuries later, another military giant who carved his legacy upon the torrid African plains would add a variation to this warrior theme. This was Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck: one of Imperial Germany’s most valuable assets during the Great War. A man who, by way of logistical genius, ferocious tenacity, and Prussian elan, bested the allies at almost every turn.
Lettow recognised that the all-or-nothing spirit vaunted by Scipio was crucial–much to the chagrin of German East Africa’s craven governor Heinrich Schnee, who capitulated to the British from the start. However, Lettow had no use for men who were eager to throw their lives away. His warfare was supremely conservative, emphasising the dummy trench and the tactical retreat, ramming as much enemy manpower as possible into the dark continent’s malarial gullet. His compatriots adored him, his askaris worshipped him, his enemies respected him.
Robert Gaudi’s African Kaiser chronicles Lettow’s life in thrilling detail. With a novelist’s finesse, he colours peripheral details that intersect with the general’s life. His scope shifts deftly from Zeppelins lumbering over Europe to howling Boxer rebels storming Shanghai to the Lettow-Vorbeck family’s history dating back to the Northern Crusades. He postulates the factors that lead to the formation of Lettow’s character in a concise, illuminating way–using sources from friend and foe alike. By the time we get to Lettow’s African exploits, we have a sufficiently fleshed-out portrait of the man.
One of the most interesting episodes within African Kaiser concerns the fate of the SMS Königsberg. Gaudi expertly describes the exploits and eventual jungle besiegement of the cruiser by the British, not to mention its artful cannibalisation by the German crew. This episode provides a thrilling background to some of Lettow’s later exploits, as well as insights into early African aviation history. The account is detailed but never laborious. In fact, some of the incidents described seem right out of Joseph Conrad–such as a hapless deckhand being eaten by a crocodile while painting the ship’s hull.
Gaudi is also to be lauded for his exploration of the impact Europeans had upon native East and West Africans. He never shies away from describing episodes of massacre and disenfranchisement perpetrated by the colonials. Nor does he gloss over the horrors perpetrated by Africans–the Herero and Namaqua conflict, the He He and Maji Maji Rebellions, etc. It’s refreshing to read a relatively recent book on African history that isn’t tainted by Fanonesque canards about colonialism or Rousseauan blandishments concerning the innocence of indigenous peoples.
While contemporary historians–particularly in Germany–are quick to dismiss Lettow as another racist imperialist, Gaudi takes a more charitable view. He sheds light on how the general consistently placed merit over colour, thus garnering lasting respect among his askaris. So loyal were these native troops that, when Lettow finally surrendered and prepared to return to Germany, many wept and said that they were prepared to follow him to the ends of the earth. Gaudi also gives sufficient attention to Lettow’s decidedly negative view of national socialism and his notorious response to Hitler’s offer of ambassadorship to the Court of St James.
Even Lettow’s mortal foes could not help but revere him the way the great white hunters of the scramble era might have revered elusive game. They pursued him fruitlessly for miles–enduring black water fever, foot-eating jiggers and the deadly tsetse fly. They met with scorched earth and settlements that German askaris had deliberately caked with excreta. Yet after the war, if Gaudi’s narrative is to be believed, many allied leaders of the East African Campaign became fast friends with Lettow–going so far as to welcome him at a London soiree by singing ‘for he’s a jolly good fellow’. One sees here, perhaps, the last vestiges of the chivalric code sustained even before the age when Lettow’s ancestors were crusading against the Prussian pagans.
African Kaiser is a shining example of how good popular history should be written. Like the Schutztruppe guerrillas he describes, Gaudi knows when to take a machete to the fluff and when to sojourn in valuable territory. He gives fair lustre to Lettow Africanus but never fawns. In so doing, he blows away some of the dust that has long obscured an important theatre of the First World War.
August 3, 2017
Most of the writings about The Great War focus on the carnage and the destruction that WWI brought upon Europe and The Middle East. Both fiction and non-fiction have opened our minds and eyes on the Eastern and the Western fronts. Up in the air and on the seas. But it is rare to find a book that speaks of the war in Colonial Africa. African Kaiser tells the true story of the only "undefeated" German army that faced combat in those war years.
General Paul von Lettow-Vorberck is one of the most iconic figures of the entire war. Filled with bravery, intelligence, compassion and determination he is this book. He accomplishes victory when defeat is bleakly promised. He has a romantic interlude with a soon to be legendary writer on board the liner taking him to become the leader of the only successful German commander in Africa, possibility in the entire war.
He and German officers leading their native troops fought throughout German East Africa. Confronted almost daily by the French, the Belgians, but mostly the British. Outnumbered and outgunned they lived on the land. Using ambush, sniping and the intelligence gained by their relationships with the locals to neutralize the power of the Allies, even after losing their only warship to the English. They rarely could communicate with their superiors to the north but even one attempt to send a Zeppelin with arms & supplies was turned back when in fact they could have made it.
This book will walk you through the infestations of disease-bearing insects, malarial swamps, grasses so sharpened that they could slice a man's shoes or the soles of his feet, and the constant threats of torrential rains and then the drought-ravaged plains. Poor medical care, near starvation , no potable water and the infernal dangers that slithered or prowled followed his roughly 14,000 troopers. The pages are replete with the camaraderie and élan von-Lettow inspired amongst his native troops (Askaris) even giving them leadership positions. This book properly confers upon "The Lion of Africa" (a title bestowed upon him by his troops) the accolade that this was the most successful guerrilla campaign if not in history, certainly in WWI.
If you read military non-fiction for the guns and maneuvers there is much to find within African Kaiser. But the humanity of von-Lettow and the magnificent panorama of Africa ( including a battle at Mt. Kilimanjaro) will surely give you a special insight into this chapter, not often heard, of African combat in The War to End All Wars.
A worthwhile addendum to the African Kaiser book would be "Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa". by Robert Gaudy, Berkeley Caliber Press.
General Paul von Lettow-Vorberck is one of the most iconic figures of the entire war. Filled with bravery, intelligence, compassion and determination he is this book. He accomplishes victory when defeat is bleakly promised. He has a romantic interlude with a soon to be legendary writer on board the liner taking him to become the leader of the only successful German commander in Africa, possibility in the entire war.
He and German officers leading their native troops fought throughout German East Africa. Confronted almost daily by the French, the Belgians, but mostly the British. Outnumbered and outgunned they lived on the land. Using ambush, sniping and the intelligence gained by their relationships with the locals to neutralize the power of the Allies, even after losing their only warship to the English. They rarely could communicate with their superiors to the north but even one attempt to send a Zeppelin with arms & supplies was turned back when in fact they could have made it.
This book will walk you through the infestations of disease-bearing insects, malarial swamps, grasses so sharpened that they could slice a man's shoes or the soles of his feet, and the constant threats of torrential rains and then the drought-ravaged plains. Poor medical care, near starvation , no potable water and the infernal dangers that slithered or prowled followed his roughly 14,000 troopers. The pages are replete with the camaraderie and élan von-Lettow inspired amongst his native troops (Askaris) even giving them leadership positions. This book properly confers upon "The Lion of Africa" (a title bestowed upon him by his troops) the accolade that this was the most successful guerrilla campaign if not in history, certainly in WWI.
If you read military non-fiction for the guns and maneuvers there is much to find within African Kaiser. But the humanity of von-Lettow and the magnificent panorama of Africa ( including a battle at Mt. Kilimanjaro) will surely give you a special insight into this chapter, not often heard, of African combat in The War to End All Wars.
A worthwhile addendum to the African Kaiser book would be "Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa". by Robert Gaudy, Berkeley Caliber Press.
March 15, 2018
This is a story that I was looking forward to reading, and Robert Gaudi did not fail in his telling of it. “African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918”, as the self-descriptive title implies, tells the story of the conflict in German East Africa (GEA) between Germany and Britain (along with their indigenous allies) as it played out during World War I. This in and of itself is an interesting history worth reading about in an oft forgotten corner of the Great War. It is also a corner of the war where Germany managed pull off one victory after another despite what became overwhelming odds. These victories were largely due to the leadership of von Lettow-Vorbeck. His was the last German army left in the field at the end of World War I which remained undefeated. At the height of the conflict in GEA the odds lined up against Germany were formidable: 300,000 British and allied soldiers against 15,000 German and allied indigenous forces. Yet, despite this, von Lettow-Vorbeck fought on and on. The story of how he did this is amazing.
The book opens with a history of both von Lettow-Vorbeck and German colonialism, in Africa and around the globe, including an excellent descriptive of the German actions during the Boxer Rebellion in China. This was a very interesting part of the book, telling histories often neglected in literature. The middle section of the book, highlighting the frequent actions in GEA was interesting, but perhaps less so than the opening and closing chapters of the book. One stand out is the story of the German naval vessel SMS Königsberg and its fight for survival in a sub-tropical African riverine hideaway. The final chapters, detailing how von Lettow-Vorbeck became the most wanted man in Africa through the end of the war are highly compelling, carrying the reader through the end of the book with ease.
One final narrative from the book that was most interesting and highly entertaining was the description of German Zeppelin activities. Gaudi uses this storyline at the very beginning of the book, teasing the reader with a descriptive of the only successful Zeppelin taking of a combatant naval vessel, and the beginning of an effort to resupply forces in Africa from a continent away. Gaudi brings this storyline back toward the end of the book to describe how the resupply effort succeeded (or not). Fascinating stuff!
For anyone interested in WWI history…this is a must read for a better understanding of the actions in GEA. Highly recommended!
The book opens with a history of both von Lettow-Vorbeck and German colonialism, in Africa and around the globe, including an excellent descriptive of the German actions during the Boxer Rebellion in China. This was a very interesting part of the book, telling histories often neglected in literature. The middle section of the book, highlighting the frequent actions in GEA was interesting, but perhaps less so than the opening and closing chapters of the book. One stand out is the story of the German naval vessel SMS Königsberg and its fight for survival in a sub-tropical African riverine hideaway. The final chapters, detailing how von Lettow-Vorbeck became the most wanted man in Africa through the end of the war are highly compelling, carrying the reader through the end of the book with ease.
One final narrative from the book that was most interesting and highly entertaining was the description of German Zeppelin activities. Gaudi uses this storyline at the very beginning of the book, teasing the reader with a descriptive of the only successful Zeppelin taking of a combatant naval vessel, and the beginning of an effort to resupply forces in Africa from a continent away. Gaudi brings this storyline back toward the end of the book to describe how the resupply effort succeeded (or not). Fascinating stuff!
For anyone interested in WWI history…this is a must read for a better understanding of the actions in GEA. Highly recommended!
December 29, 2017
I saw this at the public library and picked it up. It is a somewhat surprising title and the photograph of a Zeppelin on the cover was intriguing.
I was surprised to be drawn into this quickly, and read it to the end. The author draws on different first hand accounts as well as secondary sources. Some of what he describes are guesses, but he makes it clear when that is the case. The main strength is the story itself I think rather than the way the author presents it.
I was unsure about the author's grasp of facts - at one point on two consecutive pages there were two odd errors. First the author describes a ship turning 180 degrees in a storm squall to avoid the ships chasing it - this would be turning directly around to head back in the direction it had just been traveling, which seems unlikely. And on the next page the main character is described riding his bicycle in rough terrain with the tires overinflated to get better traction, which is the opposite of what in fact someone would do (which is to underinflate the tires).
Like many I would guess, my understanding of the history of German East Africa during WWI was minimal, other than that Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart were shown to have sunk a small German ship on a lake in the colony in the fictional movie African Queen. Oddly after reading more than 400 pages about German military activity in the colony in WWI, I still am unclear on how what was shown in the film related to actual events.
Of particular interest (or amusement) is the description of the effort to provide supplies to the German forces who are otherwise living off the land using a Zeppelin, depicted on the cover. The author avers that a number of developments he describes were firsts, if not well known, such as the air voyage of zeppelin from Europe to Africa, the first aerial intercontinental trip. The British brought aircraft to try to assist in defeating a German cruiser that was up an African river and some of its activities, such as bombing a naval vessel, were also firsts.
The author does not provide an introduction that explains his interest in this topic or any acknowledgements or other statement about how he acquired the information, which would have been helpful to know and possibly interesting, too.
I was surprised to be drawn into this quickly, and read it to the end. The author draws on different first hand accounts as well as secondary sources. Some of what he describes are guesses, but he makes it clear when that is the case. The main strength is the story itself I think rather than the way the author presents it.
I was unsure about the author's grasp of facts - at one point on two consecutive pages there were two odd errors. First the author describes a ship turning 180 degrees in a storm squall to avoid the ships chasing it - this would be turning directly around to head back in the direction it had just been traveling, which seems unlikely. And on the next page the main character is described riding his bicycle in rough terrain with the tires overinflated to get better traction, which is the opposite of what in fact someone would do (which is to underinflate the tires).
Like many I would guess, my understanding of the history of German East Africa during WWI was minimal, other than that Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart were shown to have sunk a small German ship on a lake in the colony in the fictional movie African Queen. Oddly after reading more than 400 pages about German military activity in the colony in WWI, I still am unclear on how what was shown in the film related to actual events.
Of particular interest (or amusement) is the description of the effort to provide supplies to the German forces who are otherwise living off the land using a Zeppelin, depicted on the cover. The author avers that a number of developments he describes were firsts, if not well known, such as the air voyage of zeppelin from Europe to Africa, the first aerial intercontinental trip. The British brought aircraft to try to assist in defeating a German cruiser that was up an African river and some of its activities, such as bombing a naval vessel, were also firsts.
The author does not provide an introduction that explains his interest in this topic or any acknowledgements or other statement about how he acquired the information, which would have been helpful to know and possibly interesting, too.
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