Hermann Wissmann
Encyclopedia
Hermann von Wissmann was a German
explorer and administrator in Africa
.
. During this time he had to serve a four month prison sentence for wounding an opponent in a duel
. An 1879 chance meeting with the explore Dr. Paul Pogge
changed his life.
on a journey through the Congo Basin
. In the eastern Congo, Pogge and Wissmann parted company. Pogge stayed to build an agricultural research station for a Congolese chief, while Wissmann trekked to the Indian Ocean
via present-day Tanzania
. Afterwards Wissmann was in the employ of King Leopold II of Belgium
, who was in the process of creating his personal African empire, known as the Congo Free State
.
When in 1888 the attempts of the German East Africa Company
to start a dominion collapsed in face of African resistance, it asked Bismark for help, which was at first refused. In 1889, Wissmann was promoted to Captain and appointed as Reichskommissar
for the German East Africa
region where he was tasked with suppression of the Abushiri Revolt
led by Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi
. Wissmann was only given one order: "Victory".
On his way to East Africa Wissmann hired a mercenary force of mostly Sudanese soldiers from decommissioned units of the Anglo-Egyptian army to whom later a number of Zulus from South Africa were added, all under the command of German officers. The German forces, along with British naval assistance, fortified Bagamoyo
, Dar es Salaam
and retook Tanga
and Pangani
. Wissmann's forces with superior firepower also retook the rest of the Coastal Strip. They fortified the interior garrison of Mpwapwa
and reopened the main caravan route through the area, using Lts. Langheld, Sigle, Charles Stokes & Sergeant Bauer. Soon afterwards, Abushiri was arrested and executed in Pangani on December 16, 1889. In January 1890, Wissmann issued a general pardon to the remaining rebels.
Wissmann was promoted to Major in 1890 and given a hero's welcome on his return to Germany. In 1891he was nammed Commissioner for the western region of German East Africa
and became Governor in 1895. Ill health forced him to return to German in 1896 where he authored several books and lectured throughout Germany. He died in a hunting accident on 15 June 1905.
The term "Wissmanntruppe" was used for the military and police units under Wissmann's command. They formed the core of the later Schutztruppe
which came into life after the German government took over East Africa from the failed company.
In 1890 a single screw steamship christened the SMS Hermann von Wissmann was built by the Hamburg naval architecture firm of Janssen and Schilinsky. It was built in sections in Germany shipped to East Africa, transported overland and launched in Lake Nyasa in Septermber 1893. It was caputred by the British in the first naval action of World War I. A similar but smaller version christened the SMS Hedwig von Wissmann after Hermann's wife was launched on Lake Tanganyika
in September 1900. She was sunk in 1916 in a battle with HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
explorer and administrator in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Early life
Born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Wissmann was enlisted in the Army in 1870 and was commissioned a Lieutenant four years later. Wissmann served Mecklenburg in Füsilierregiment No. 90 posted at RostockRostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
. During this time he had to serve a four month prison sentence for wounding an opponent in a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
. An 1879 chance meeting with the explore Dr. Paul Pogge
Paul Pogge
Paul Pogge was a German explorer in Africa.Pogge was born in Groß Roge, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He undertook two expeditions in Central Africa into the Southern Congo Basin, the first between 1874 and 1876 and the second between 1880 and 1884. On his second journey he was accompanied by Hermann...
changed his life.
Africa
Granted a leave of absence from the army, in 1880, Wissmann accompanied explorer Paul PoggePaul Pogge
Paul Pogge was a German explorer in Africa.Pogge was born in Groß Roge, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He undertook two expeditions in Central Africa into the Southern Congo Basin, the first between 1874 and 1876 and the second between 1880 and 1884. On his second journey he was accompanied by Hermann...
on a journey through the Congo Basin
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
. In the eastern Congo, Pogge and Wissmann parted company. Pogge stayed to build an agricultural research station for a Congolese chief, while Wissmann trekked to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
via present-day Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. Afterwards Wissmann was in the employ of King Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
, who was in the process of creating his personal African empire, known as the Congo Free State
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
.
When in 1888 the attempts of the German East Africa Company
German East Africa Company
The German East Africa Company was an organization established at the start of the German colonization of East Africa. This company, in short, was responsible for the activities in the new colony such as setting up leadership, future explorations, and the development of the region.In 1888, the...
to start a dominion collapsed in face of African resistance, it asked Bismark for help, which was at first refused. In 1889, Wissmann was promoted to Captain and appointed as Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
for the German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
region where he was tasked with suppression of the Abushiri Revolt
Abushiri Revolt
The Abushiri Revolt was a so-called insurrection in 1888-1889 by the Arab and Swahili population of the areas of the East African coast which were granted to Germany by the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1888...
led by Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi
Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi
Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi was a wealthy merchant and plantation owner of Arab-Oromo parentage who is known for the Abushiri Revolt against the German East Africa Company in present-day Tanzania...
. Wissmann was only given one order: "Victory".
On his way to East Africa Wissmann hired a mercenary force of mostly Sudanese soldiers from decommissioned units of the Anglo-Egyptian army to whom later a number of Zulus from South Africa were added, all under the command of German officers. The German forces, along with British naval assistance, fortified Bagamoyo
Bagamoyo
The town of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, was founded at the end of the 18th century. It was the original capital of German East Africa and was one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast...
, Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
and retook Tanga
Tanga, Tanzania
Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport city of Tanzania, and the surrounding Tanga Region. It is the Regional Headquarters of the region.With a population of 243,580 in 2002, Tanga is one of the largest cities in the country...
and Pangani
Pangani
Pangani is one of the eight districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Muheza District, to the East by the Indian Ocean, to the South by the Pwani Region and to the West by the Handeni District.The center is Pangani....
. Wissmann's forces with superior firepower also retook the rest of the Coastal Strip. They fortified the interior garrison of Mpwapwa
Mpwapwa
Mpwapwa is a market town, in the Dodoma Region of Tanzania.-Overview:It is one of the oldest colonial districts in Tanzania, boasting local German colonial government headquarters, or bomas, in the early 1890s, and British administrative offices after World War I...
and reopened the main caravan route through the area, using Lts. Langheld, Sigle, Charles Stokes & Sergeant Bauer. Soon afterwards, Abushiri was arrested and executed in Pangani on December 16, 1889. In January 1890, Wissmann issued a general pardon to the remaining rebels.
Wissmann was promoted to Major in 1890 and given a hero's welcome on his return to Germany. In 1891he was nammed Commissioner for the western region of German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
and became Governor in 1895. Ill health forced him to return to German in 1896 where he authored several books and lectured throughout Germany. He died in a hunting accident on 15 June 1905.
Legacy
Though he was highly esteemed by his officers and non-commissioned officers, he came under heavy criticism from some German diplomatic and military observers. He was harshly attacked for burning villages and laying waste to agricultural fields, executing great numbers of natives and tolerating no opposition. For the German General-Consul at Zanzibar Michelies he was a military dictator. Rear Admiral Deinhard- of the German East African naval detachment charged him with arrogance, tactlessness, being undiplomatic, and lack of organizing or administrative skills.The term "Wissmanntruppe" was used for the military and police units under Wissmann's command. They formed the core of the later Schutztruppe
Schutztruppe
Schutztruppe was the African colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 19th century to 1918, when Germany lost its colonies. Similar to other colonial forces, the Schutztruppe consisted of volunteer European commissioned and non-commissioned officers, medical and veterinary officers. ...
which came into life after the German government took over East Africa from the failed company.
In 1890 a single screw steamship christened the SMS Hermann von Wissmann was built by the Hamburg naval architecture firm of Janssen and Schilinsky. It was built in sections in Germany shipped to East Africa, transported overland and launched in Lake Nyasa in Septermber 1893. It was caputred by the British in the first naval action of World War I. A similar but smaller version christened the SMS Hedwig von Wissmann after Hermann's wife was launched on Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
in September 1900. She was sunk in 1916 in a battle with HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou.
Writings
- Im Innern Afrikas (In Africa's Interior, 3d ed. 1891)
- Unter deutscher Flagge quer durch Afrika, 1880-83 (Across Africa under a German flag, 7th ed. 1890)
- Meine zweite Durchquerung Aequatorial-Afrikas vom Kongo zum Zambesi während der Jahre 1886 u. 1887 (My second crossing of Equatorial Africa from the Congo to the Zambezi during the years 1886 and 1887, 1890)
- Schilderungen und Ratschläge zur Vorbereitung für den Aufenthalt und den Dienst in den deutschen Schutzgebieten (Description and advice for preparation and service in the German territories, 1895)
External links
- Afrika: Schilderungen und Rathschläge zur Vorbereitung für den Aufenthalt und den Dienst in den deutschen Schutzgebieten by Hermann Wissmann at Google Books This work in turn cites:
- Ruhle, Hermann von Wissmann (Münster, 1892)