Lothar von Trotha’s “Proclamation to the Herero People”

The reprint of Lothar von Trotha’s “Aufruf an das Volk der Herero” (Proclamation to the Herero People) comes from the publication series “Die Kämpfe der deutschen Truppen in Südwestafrika“ (The Battles of the German Forces in Southwest Africa) which was published by the Prussian General Staff between 1906 and 1907. In 1904, Lothar von Trotha announced in this proclamation that he would have all male Herero shot and the women and children expelled. He placed bounties on the heads of their leaders. Today, this order is seen as a symbol of the Herero genocide.