On the same farm as the Dinosaur
Tracks (Otjihaenamaparero) - just as you turn onto the short farm road, on you left
hand side is a small rocky hill. If you look carefully you will see a
small memorial stone to a couple of Marine Korps men who died nearby
in one of the earliest skirmishes of the 1904 Herero uprising.
On 20 February Major
Ludwig Von Estorff in
command of two companies of Schutztruppe freshly seasoned in the art
of bush warfare along with one company of Marines who had only
recently arrived in the territory moved westward from Okahandja with the orders to
seek out dissident Hereros. They encountered a force that was
estimated to be about one thousand armed warriors at Otjihaenamaparero
on 25 February where a fierce battle lasting about 12 hours ensued.
The Germans lost 12 men with estimated Herero losses being 50 men.
The war had entered its' sixth week
and this first victory for the Imperial Forces was a most welcome
boost for German moral within the territory and Germany. The
Kaiser congratulated Von Estorff and his troops on their exemplary
actions.
Following the Battle Of
Otjihaenamaparero Von Estorff continued on to Outjo and then
returned to Okahandja, thus securing Western Hereroland.
Acknowledgements and further reading:
H6, H7, P1
Battle of Otjihaenamaparero 25 February 1904
