Lothar von Trotha

Adrian Dietrich Lothar von Trotha (July 3rd 1848 - March 31st 1920) was a German Général , ordering colonial forces in German Eastern Africa then in the South-western African where it was illustrated in the pitiless repression of Herero.

Biography

Born with Magdeburg, capital of the province of Saxony, von Trotha joined the Prussian Armée in 1865 and fought in the wars austro-Prussian and free-Prussian, for which it was rewarded for the Croix of iron 2 of classify. It found time to marry Bertha Neumann the October 15th 1872 and continued to climb the rows of the Prussian army.

In 1894, it is named ordering colonial forces in German East Africa (Tanganyika). Its notoriety increases thanks to the brutal repression which he exerts against the African movements of rebellion then when he especially directs a task force in China against the Révolte of the Boxers.

The May 3rd 1904, it is because of this reputation that it is named commander-in-chief of the South-western German African with the mission of repressing the revolt herero.

The June 11th 1904, von Trotha unloads in African South-west. The war against the Hereros has then made rage for five months and the German troops have few victories to their credits. It initially underestimates combativeness and the intelligence of Hereros (supposed to be only “savages”) and the losses in human life among the German troops continue to increase. In October, he chooses a new military tactic then. With the Battle of Waterberg, it makes encircle Hereros on three sides leaving them only one exit to flee: the Kalahari Desert .

Whereas Hereros tried to find refuge there, von Trotha made poison the water points, drew up guardrooms to regular intervals with order to draw without summation with the sight of each Herero, man, woman or child. Thousands of Hereros died of thirsts at the fine bottom for the desert. To be even clearer, von Trotha signed an order of extermination ( Vernichtungsbefehl ) according to which “Inside the German borders, each Herero, armed or not armed, will be cut down. I will not accept more women or children. ”

When the actions of von Trotha were known of the German public opinion, a movement of repulsion seized the population what led the chancellor Bernhard von Bülow to ask for the Kaiser Guillaume II of dislocate von Trotha of its command. The order was given too late whereas the survivors hereros were parked in Concentration camps or were used as labor at a cheap rate. Many died of malnutrition or Dysenterie.

The Herero population estimated at 80 000 hearts before the beginning of the war was reduced to 15 000 individuals in 1911.

The November 19th 1905, von Trotha returned in Germany and became general of infantry in 1910. It Maria one second time the May 19th 1912 with Lucy Goldstein Brinkmann. He dies the March 31st 1920 with Bonn.

Heritage

The war carried out by von Trotha was described as first Génocide 20th century. Its plan of extermination of Hereros was connected by historians to the plan of extermination of the Juif S carried out by the Nazi S.

The August 16th 2004, the German government presented its official excuses, histories and morals for these atrocities, qualified Génocide.

In 1933, the authorities Nazi S had baptized a street of Munich in the name of Von Trotha. In October 2006, the municipal council of the city decided débaptiser and to give him the name of Hererostraße.

The shade of the general von Trotha planes on chapter 9 of the novel of Thomas Pynchon.

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