Robert Gaudi - African Kaiser: Paul Von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918

CALIBER

Published by Berkley

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Copyright 2017 by Robert Gaudi

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gaudi, Robert, author.

Title: African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in

Africa, 19141918 / Robert Gaudi.

Description: First edition. | New York: Caliber, published by Berkley, 2017.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016039912 (print) | LCCN 2016040742 (ebook) | ISBN

9780425283714 | ISBN 9780698411524 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Lettow-Vorbeck, General von (Paul Emil), 18701964. | World

War, 19141918CampaignsGerman East Africa. | World War,

19141918Aerial operations, German. | Germany. Heer. Schutztruppen. |

GermanyArmed ForcesColonial forces.

Classification: LCC D576.G3 G38 2017 (print) | LCC D576.G3 (ebook) | DDC

940.416dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016039912

First Edition: January 2017

Jacket photographs: Front: Zeppelin by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin; Soldiers by bpl, Berlin/Art Resource, NY.

Jacket design by Emily Osborne

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

Version_1

For Gregor von Bismarck, whose idea it was... and of course for my children

The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness.

S UN- T ZU , Art of War

Father, I call on you.
I am surrounded by smoke from the cannon.

K RNER

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Prologue

BLACK HEROES OF THE FATHERLAND

At the pinnacle of the Great Pyramid at Giza, in place of the long-vanished solid gold capstone of the pharaohs, stood a wireless receiving tower, its tall antennae bolted to the ancient pitted stone. Installed by British Naval Intelligence in 1915, this listening post was part of a secret network of many such posts all over Africaa network designed to trap all the coded German messages rattling uncaught around the ether and send them on to cryptographers at the Admiralty back in London.

Meanwhile, 2,000 miles away, five degrees south of the equator, the Black Heroes of the Fatherland fought on against overwhelming odds.