Paul Emil Lettow Von Vorbeck

In the spirit of The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, American National Biography, and African American National Biography--all three published by Oxford University Press--Dictionary of African Biography is a major biographical dictionary covering the lives and legacies of notable African men and women from all eras and walks of life. This groundbreaking resource tells the full story of the African continent through the lives of its people. The rich history of the African people has been unduly neglected in the scholarly literature, and reliable reference material is in short supply. This trend has begun to change, however, and in recent years many new historical discoveries have been made. Much of this research is designed as a corrective to the long tradition of inadequate treatment by scholars. Although scholarship on Africa is flourishing, very little of this research has yet filtered down into accessible reference works; well designed reference material is to promote further scholarly inquiry, learning, and education, and to satisfy increasing interest among nonspecialist audiences. This contribution sheds light on the life of Paul Lettow von Vorbeck (1870—1964), German military leader and colonialist, who was born in Saarlouis (Western Saarland) and was the leader of the German troops in German EAst Africa during WWI. Moving in the midst of the rivalries among European powers in what has been called “the last stage of the scramble for Africa,” Lettow-Vorbeck was undoubtedly an excellent war leader, whose strong personality sustained the morale of his troops during an incredibly harsh campaign. However, his campaign was also the climax of the exploitation of the African continent during the colonial period: the use of the territory of German East Africa as a mere battlefield for a European war, to which Africans had to contribute with their resources, their labour and their lives.