Johannes Cornelius Jacobus "Hans" Lötter (January 15, 1875 – October 12, 1901) was a

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

commander who fought, and was executed as a war criminal by the British during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. Along with Gideon Scheepers, Lötter was one of the most brutal guerrilla commandos in the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

. Lötter entered the Cape Colony during the war along with Pieter Hendrik Kritzinger. Lötter's Boer Commando earned a reputation for being brutal and undisciplined. Like many Boer commandants, Lötter promulgated public decrees to the residents of the Cape Colony, warning of harsh retribution if they did not support the forces of the Boer Republics. A column led by Henry Jenner Scobell was tasked with tracking down Lötter's commando. They tracked the commando to

Groenkloof Groenkloof (Afrikaans for 'Green ravine') is a residential suburb of Pretoria, South Africa. This wealthy suburb in Pretoria is famous for its white Jacaranda trees. It is close to the city centre, and to the well-known Brooklyn Square and Men ...

, west of Cradock, and surprised them with a dawn attack. Sixty of Lötter's men became casualties and sixty, including Lötter, were captured. He was taken to

Graaff-Reinet Graaff-Reinet (; Xhosa: eRhafu) is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province and the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The to ...

for his trial, and charged with treason, murdering unarmed British scouts, flogging two

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch people, Dutch Settler colonialism, settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony, 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. '' ...

who had brought him terms of surrender, destroying railway lines, and marauding. The trial was straightforward since Lötter was a citizen of the British-controlled

and therefore a rebel. He was found guilty, sentenced to death by firing squad, executed along with seven of his men on October 12, 1901.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lötter, Johannes 1875 births 1901 deaths Afrikaner nationalists 20th-century executions by South Africa 20th-century executions by the United Kingdom Boer military personnel killed in the Second Boer War Executed military leaders South African people executed for murder South African people convicted of war crimes People convicted of murder by the British military People executed by the British military by firing squad People executed for treason against the United Kingdom People executed for war crimes War criminals of the Second Boer War