In observance of the 109th anniversary of the Battle of the Waterberg, which in many ways marked the beginning of the 1904 genocide, we are posting a special series this week on the events leading up to the Aug. 11 battle and the battle itself. This is Part 2, which is dedicated to the memory of Herero Chief Hosea Kutako. It is Aug. 6, 1904. Gen. von Trotha sends Lt. Hans Bodo Freiherr von Bodenhausen, along with 10 troops, to scout the western slope of the Waterberg in preparation for the battle. Unbeknownst to them, they are being followed by a group of Herero led by Hosea Kutako. As they return to their base in Osondjache, the German soldiers stop to graze their horses. They are ambushed by the Herero. Two soldiers survive the skirmish. Those who die will be memorialized as heroes, along with the other soldiers who die in the impending battle. They will be properly buried and monuments erected in their honor. The bodies of the Herero who die at the Waterberg will be left to the vultures and wild animals. In the years to come, Hosea Kutako will become chief of the Herero and will devote his life to seeking Namibian independence while preserving the history of the Herero and the memory of those who died in the genocide. Gen. Erpo Kraft Bodo Ernst Gustav Wilke Freiherr von Bodenhausen – perhaps a son or nephew of Lt. von Bodenhausen – will later lead Hitler’s 12th Panzer Division on the Russian front. Rather than surrender to the Soviets, the general will commit suicide.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 01:37:55 +0000
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