ORDER OF BATTLE // August 11, 1904
Battle of Waterberg
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 5,500–8,000 estimated
German Empire
2,000
Medium-confidence figure
Herero
3,500–6,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Waterberg was the decisive engagement of the Herero uprising within the Herero Wars. Fought between a German Imperial force under Lothar von Trotha and a substantially larger Herero force under Samuel Maharero, the battle determined the outcome of the broader conflict. Its designation as the decisive battle of the uprising indicates that it effectively ended organized Herero military resistance, enabling German colonial forces to consolidate control over German South West Africa. The battle's outcome set the conditions for the subsequent treatment of the Herero people in the aftermath of the conflict.
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