Battle of Waterberg

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Waterberg


caption=Surviving Herero after the escape through the arid desert of Omaheke
partof=the German campaign against the Herero
date=11 August, 1904
place=coord|20|31|0|S|17|14|0|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title
Waterberg, German South-West Africa (modern day Namibia)
result=Decisive German victory
combatant1=
combatant2=Herero
commander1=
commander2=Samuel Maharero
strength1=2,000
strength2=3,500 - 6,000 warriors with their families.
casualties1=unknown
casualties2=unknown, highThe Battle of Waterberg took place 11 August 1904 in Waterberg, German South-West Africa (modern day Namibia)and was the decisive battle in the German campaign against the Herero.

The armies

The German Imperial Forces were under the command of Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha and numbered about 2,000. They were armed with 1,625 modern rifles, 30 artillery pieces and 14 machine guns.

The Herero were under the command of Samuel Maharero and had, in true nomadic fashion, assembled some 3,500-6,000 warriors along with their families. The total number of Hereros in the area is estimated at 25,000 to 50,000. Most of the Herero warriors were armed with rifles. The rest were armed with traditional close combat weapons called kirri.

The battle

The Herero had a numerical advantage of up to 3:1 and were familiar with the terrain of the battlefield. They also controlled almost all wells in the area. Modern German military equipment was not entirely able to make up for these advantages. Seeing that an all-out military victory was unlikely, von Trotha drew up a battle plan aimed at driving the Hereros out of German controlled Namibia and into the Omaheke desert.

Fighting was fierce and there were many casualties on both sides. By nightfall, German troops had captured almost all wells and water holes from the Herero, along with large herds of cattle. Without water and cattle, the remaining Herero were unable to regroup and retreated into the Omaheke desert.

The aftermath

While most Herero escaped the battle, their retreat proved to be a decisive strategic mistake that led to the near-extinction of their people. Many of the refugee Hereros died of thirst and exhaustion during their trek through the desert. German patrols later found skeletons around holes 25-50 feet deep dug up in a vain attempt to find water.

Samuel Maharero and about 1,000 of his men managed to cross the Kalahari into Bechuanaland. The British offered the Hereros asylum under the condition not to continue the revolt on British soil.

The site of the battle is today located within Waterberg Plateau Park. A military graveyard exists below the rest camp where the German soldiers that perished in the Battle of Waterberg are buried.

External links

* [http://wikitravel.org/en/Waterberg_Plateau_Park Waterberg Plateau Park]