The Siege of Omaruru:
From the first news of the uprising a state of
emergency was declared for all German towns and settlements. On 17
January the Hereros attacked the town of
Omaruru and laid siege. The
local commando comprised of 39 civilian reservists of whom some were
retired schutztruppe and were under the leadership of the military
doctor Ph. Kuhn. The commando force managed to hold off the Herero
force, but the situation was dire for them.
The Siege of Omaruru
along with the ferocity
with which the battle had been fought signalled to the
German government that the Hereros were fighting as both a nation
and a unified force,
and that as an enemy they should not be underestimated.
Captain Franke's 2nd Field Company had left Gibeon on
15 January and covered over 900km in 20 days and then been involved
in a close quarter combat from which they emerged victorious. A
noteworthy achievement. In April 1906 a fund raising dinner was held
in Omaruru for the purpose of erecting a suitable monument to honour
the feat of Victor Franke and the men of 2nd Field Company.
On 4 February 1908, the fourth anniversary of the
Battle of Omaruru, the round tower, known in Germany as a Bismarck
Tower, was inaugurated. Victor Franke and some of the men who had
fought at in the battle attended as honoured guests.
There is a bronze memorial plaque
to the right of the entrance
door that reads:"They died as heroes"
27.01.1904 Officer of the Militia Heinrich Schneidewind | 27.01.1904 Trooper of the Reserve Joseph Obermaier
04.02.1904 Trooper Adolf Muller | 04.02.1904 Lance-Sergeant Wilhelm Otto
| 04.02.1904 Lance-Sergeant Heinrich Pruess
04.02.1904 Trooper of the Militia Robert Seelmann | 04.02.1904 Lance-Corporal of the Militia Herman Gerlitz
04.02.1904 Lance Corporal of the Militia Herman Linke | 04.02.1904 Trooper Philibert Scherer
"They died of their wounds"
14.02.1904 Lieutenant Erich Baron v. Wollwarth-Lauterburg | 14.02.1904 First Lieutenant Griesbach
"Honour to their memory"
Acknowledgements and further reading:
H7, H12, P1, P2
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