Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
Colonel (later General) Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck commanded the Schutztruppe of German East Africa throughout the war, conducting the longest and most successful guerrilla campaign of the conflict. With a force that never exceeded some 14,000 — the great majority African askari soldiers whose effectiveness he respected and relied upon — he repelled the British landing at Tanga in 1914 and then led Allied forces numbering at times over 300,000 on a four-year chase across East Africa, deliberately drawing strength away from the European theatres. He invaded Portuguese Mozambique and Northern Rhodesia, living off captured supplies, and surrendered only on 25 November 1918, undefeated, after news of the Armistice reached him. The campaign devastated the African societies it crossed through requisition, conscription of porters, and famine. He later refused Hitler's offer of an ambassadorship and died in Hamburg in 1964.
- Lived: 1870 CE – 1964 CE
- Nationality: German
- Roles: colonial commander, guerrilla strategist
