General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, aka the "Bush Ghost" was the military commander of German East Africa in World War I. With only a few hundred German and a few thousand native African soldiers he out-fought, evaded and harassed Allied (mostly British Imperial) forces of hundreds of thousands. He survived by taking supplies from the enemy and by inventing the items his troops needed with what they could find around them. His tactics were brilliant and earned him a place as one of (if not the) greatest irregular warfare commanders of all time. Throughout his career he never lost a battle and only laid down his arms after the war was over. He returned to Germany where he supported the monarchist faction in German politics. He supported the Kapp Putsch and opposed the Nazis even refusing an ambassadorship offered by Hitler. Widely respected by even his enemies, when World War II left him destitute his former adversaries donated funds to give him a pension. Before his death he was able to return to the former German East Africa where his loyal African troops cheered and saluted him one last time. Lettow-Vorbeck died in 1964.
From The Mad Monarchist (17 June 2012)
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