Kurt Wahle (26 December 1855 – 19 June 1928) was a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

retired

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

who travelled to

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...

in 1914 to visit his son. Being in the colony at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he volunteered to serve under

Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 – 9 March 1964), also called the Lion of Africa (german: Löwe von Afrika), was a general in the Imperial German Army and the commander of its forces in the German East Africa campaign. For four yea ...

, despite outranking him, and became one of his front commanders. He was involved in the fighting during the East African Campaign until October 1918. During the campaign he was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

(Second and First Class) and commanded the German forces at the

Battle of Tabora The Battle of Tabora (french: Bataille de Tabora; 8–19 September 1916) was a military action which occurred around the town of Tabora in the north-west of German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania) during World War I. The engagement was part of ...

. He also was recommended for the order

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

by von Lettow-Vorbeck, however the recommendation did not reach Germany before the war ended and thus was never approved or awarded.

References

* Paice, Edward ''Tip and Run: The Untold Tragedy of the Great War in Africa'' Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2007, . (see page 384)

External links

''My reminiscences of East Africa'' by General von Lettow-Vorbeck 1855 births 1928 deaths Colonial people of German East Africa German prisoners of war in World War I German Army generals of World War I Lieutenant generals of Saxony Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class World War I prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom People from Nordsachsen Military personnel from Saxony {{World-War-I-bio-stub