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Originally Posted by mugwump
Great book. Von Lettow on his bicycle doing recce, good stuff. A kindred spirit to the QPs -- he treated his native levies with utmost respect and they returned it in spades -- as opposed to the Brits with their Sepoy Indians. He tied up, what, 250,000 men at one point with a force of 8,000?
True story: Germany awarded Von Lettow's native soldiers a pension in the 1980s? Records were destroyed, so they had a German SGM hand a broomstick to these, by now very elderly, former soldiers. If they could complete the German drill with arms to his commands (which hadn't changed in 70 years, go figure) they were awarded the pension. Apparently scores were found.
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MtnGoat: this is really good too: The Great War in Africa, 1914-1918 by Byron Farwell. Interesting counterpoint to Guerilla because it's written from the British perspective. Von Lettow comes off just as heroic a figure in British eyes. Smuts, the English general tasked with hunting him down, clearly admired Von Lettow and only achieved partial success when he copied Von Lettow's tactics and use of African levies.
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RL and NDD Thanks for the reply's
mugwump - Great info and thanks for the recommendation on the Great War of Africa. I'm starting Guerilla This weekend. Thanks again. Why no Book Review??? No post????
Like the story on the elderly, former soldiers that could complete the German drill with arms to his commands. We remember the little things we do in our life (military lives that is). Just like the Legion's house in South France.
Thanks