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Honorary grave of General Lothar von Trotha at Poppelsdorfer Friedhof in The Federal City of Bonn, Germany

Adrian Dietrich Lothar von Trotha (July 3, 1848 – March 31, 1920) was a German General famous for his role during the European colonial era. He participated in the Austro-Prussian War, the Franco-German War, the suppressing of the Boxer Rebellion in China and the Herero Uprising in German South-West Africa.

Born in Magdeburg, the state capital of the province of Saxony, von Trotha joined the Prussian army in 1865 and fought in the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars, for which he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class. He found time to marry Bertha Neumann on 15 October 1872 and continued to climb the promotion ladder in the Prussian military machine.

In 1894 he was appointed Commander of the colonial force in German East Africa and was highly successful in suppressing uprisings there and in the Boxer Rebellion while temporarily posted to Qing Dynasty China as Brigade Commander of the East Asian Expedition Corps. It was not therefore a surprise when he was appointed Commander in Chief of German South West Africa on 3 May 1904 and directed to crush the native Herero rebellion. Lothar von Trotha arrived in South West Africa on 11 June 1904, when the war against the Herero had been raging for five months and found the Germans soldiers embarrassed by their lack of success against the 'savages' and stymied by the Herero guerrilla tactics and complete lack of fear. At first, he too underestimated the Herero and the Germans suffered further losses.

In October 1904 General von Trotha devised a rather cunning new battle plan to end the uprisings. At the Battle of Waterburg, he issued orders to encircle the Herero on three sides so that the only escape route was into the waterless Omaheke-Steppe, a western arm of the Kalahari Desert. The Herero fled into the desert and von Trotha ordered his troops to poison water holes, erect guard posts along a 150 mile line and shoot on sight any Herero who attempted to escape. Hence, in the desert was where the Herero were forced to remain, with many dying of thirst.

As soon as news of von Trotha's actions reached Germany, there was a public outcry which led Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow to ask Emperor William II to remove von Trotha from his command.

On 19 November 1905 von Trotha returned to Germany and was appointed as general of the infantry in 1910 and awarded the Pour le Mérite for his services. He married for a second time in London on 19 May 1912 to Lucy Goldstein-Brinchmann, daughter of a Frankfurt Jewish banker, and died on 31 March 1920 in Bonn.

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 [[Image:Lothar_von_Trotha.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Lothar von Trotha]]
+[[Image:Lothar von Trotha, Grabmal auf dem Poppelsdorfer Friedhof.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Honorary grave of General Lothar von Trotha at Poppelsdorfer Friedhof in The Federal City of Bonn, Germany]]
-'''Adrian Dietrich Lothar von Trotha''' ([[July 3]], [[1848]] &ndash; [[March 31]], [[1920]]) was a [[German people|German]] military commander most famous for his method of waging war during the [[Herero Wars]] in [[South-West Africa]], which the German government has since admitted was a form of [[genocide]].
-Born in [[Magdeburg]], the state capital of the province of [[Saxony]], von Trotha joined the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] [[army]] in [[1865]] and fought in the [[Austro-Prussian War|Austro-Prussian]] and [[Franco-Prussian War|Franco-Prussian]] wars, for which he was awarded the [[Iron Cross]] 2nd class.   He found time to marry Bertha Neumann on [[15 October]] [[1872]] and continued to climb the promotion ladder in the Prussian military machine.
+'''Adrian Dietrich Lothar von Trotha''' ([[July 3]], [[1848]] &ndash; [[March 31]], [[1920]]) was a [[Germany|German]] General famous for his role during the European [[colonialism|colonial era]]. He participated in the [[Austro-Prussian War]], the [[Franco-German War]], the suppressing of the [[Boxer Rebellion]] in [[China]] and the [[Herero Uprising]] in [[German South-West Africa]].
+Born in [[Magdeburg]], the state capital of the province of [[Saxony]], von Trotha joined the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] [[army]] in [[1865]] and fought in the [[Austro-Prussian War|Austro-Prussian]] and [[Franco-Prussian War|Franco-Prussian]] wars, for which he was awarded the [[Iron Cross]] 2nd class.  He found time to marry Bertha Neumann on [[15 October]] [[1872]] and continued to climb the promotion ladder in the Prussian military machine.
-In [[1894]] he was appointed Commander of the colonial force in [[German East Africa]] and was highly successful in brutally suppressing uprisings there and in the [[Boxer Rebellion]] while temporarily posted to [[Qing Dynasty]] [[China]] as Brigade Commander of the East Asian Expedition Corps.  It was not therefore a surprise when he was appointed Commander in Chief of German South West Africa on [[3 May]] [[1904]] and directed to crush the native [[Herero Wars|Herero rebellion]].  von Trotha arrived in South West Africa on [[11 June]] [[1904]], when the war against the Herero had been raging for five months and found the Germans soldiers embarrassed by their lack of success against the 'savages' and stymied by the Herero guerrilla tactics and complete lack of fear.  At first, he too underestimated the Herero and the Germans suffered further losses.
+In [[1894]] he was appointed Commander of the colonial force in [[German East Africa]] and was highly successful in suppressing uprisings there and in the [[Boxer Rebellion]] while temporarily posted to [[Qing Dynasty]] [[China]] as Brigade Commander of the East Asian Expedition Corps. It was not therefore a surprise when he was appointed Commander in Chief of German South West Africa on [[3 May]] [[1904]] and directed to crush the native [[Herero Wars|Herero rebellion]]. Lothar von Trotha arrived in South West Africa on [[11 June]] [[1904]], when the war against the Herero had been raging for five months and found the Germans soldiers embarrassed by their lack of success against the 'savages' and stymied by the Herero guerrilla tactics and complete lack of fear. At first, he too underestimated the Herero and the Germans suffered further losses.
-In October 1904 General von Trotha devised a rather cunning new battle plan to end the uprisings.  At the Battle of Waterburg, he issued orders to encircle the Herero on three sides so that the only escape route was into the waterless Omaheke-Steppe, a western arm of the [[Kalahari Desert]].   The Herero fled into the desert and von Trotha ordered his troops to poison water holes, erect guard posts along a 150 mile line and shoot on sight any Herero, be they man, woman or child, who attempted to escape.  Hence, in the desert was where the Herero were forced to remain, with many dying of thirst.  To make things absolutely clear about his attitude to the Herero, von Trotha then issued the ''Vernichtungsbefehl'', or extermination order: "Within the German borders, every Herero, whether armed or unarmed, with or without cattle, will be shot. I shall not accept any more women or children. I shall drive them back to their people &mdash; otherwise I shall order shots to be fired at them."
+In October 1904 General von Trotha devised a rather cunning new battle plan to end the uprisings.  At the Battle of Waterburg, he issued orders to encircle the Herero on three sides so that the only escape route was into the waterless Omaheke-Steppe, a western arm of the [[Kalahari Desert]]. The Herero fled into the desert and von Trotha ordered his troops to poison water holes, erect guard posts along a 150 mile line and shoot on sight any Herero who attempted to escape. Hence, in the desert was where the Herero were forced to remain, with many dying of thirst.
-His tactics were in marked distinction to that of the Herero leaders, who were, in the main, careful to ensure that only German soldiers were attacked.
-As soon as news of von Trotha's actions reached Germany, there was a public outcry which led Imperial Chancellor [[Bernhard von Bülow]] to ask [[Wilhelm II of Germany|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] to remove von Trotha from his command.  This was too late to help the Herero though, as the few survivors had been herded into camps and used as labour for German businesses, where many died of overwork, malnutrition or disease.  Prior to the uprisings, there were estimated to be 80,000 Herero. In the [[1911]] [[census]], 15,000 were found.
+As soon as news of von Trotha's actions reached Germany, there was a public outcry which led Chancellor [[Bernhard von Bülow]] to ask [[Wilhelm II of Germany|Emperor William II]] to remove von Trotha from his command.
-On [[19 November]] [[1905]] von Trotha returned to Germany and was appointed as general of the [[infantry]] in [[1910]]. He married for a second time on [[19 May]] [[1912]] (to Lucy Goldstein Brinkmann) and died on [[31 March]] [[1920]] in [[Bonn]].
+On [[19 November]] [[1905]] von Trotha returned to Germany and was appointed as general of the [[infantry]] in [[1910]] and awarded the [[Pour le Mérite]] for his services. He married for a second time in [[London]] on [[19 May]] [[1912]] to Lucy Goldstein-Brinchmann, daughter of a Frankfurt Jewish banker, and died on [[31 March]] [[1920]] in [[Bonn]].
-==Von Trotha's legacy==
-The actions of von Trotha have been called "the first genocide of the [[20th century]]" and some historians draw a direct lineage between von Trotha's plan for the extermination of the Herero and [[the holocaust]] sponsored by the government of [[Nazi Germany]].  Indeed, on [[16 August]] [[2004]], the German government under [[Gerhard Schröder]] officially apologized for the atrocities. "We Germans accept our historic and moral responsibility and the guilt incurred by Germans at that time," said [[Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul]], [[Germany]]'s development aid minister. In addition, she admitted the massacres were equivalent to genocide.
 [[Category:1848 births|Trotha, Lothar von]]
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+[[Category:History of colonialism|Trotha, Lothar von]]
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