5fish
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Well, it seems a German general that few know about makes it to the list of never been defeated in battle. He fought in WW one and was a Prussian of the Junker class... and later in life told Hitler to "F--Off"... It was always outmanned in the field against his opponents... @rittmeister , @Wehrkraftzersetzer
military-history.fandom.com
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 – 9 March 1964) was a general in the Imperial German Army and the commander of its forces in the German East Africa campaign. For four years, with a force that never exceeded about 14,000 (3,000 Germans and 11,000 Africans), he held in check a much larger force of 300,000 British, Belgian, and Portuguese troops. Essentially undefeated in the field, von Lettow-Vorbeck was the only German commander to successfully invade imperial British soil during World War I. His exploits in the campaign have come down "as the greatest single guerrilla operation in history, and the most successful."[
Here is the story about him tell Hitler to "F--off"...
www.vaguelyinteresting.co.uk
It was therefore somewhat remarkable that Lettow-Vorbeck not only survived until 1918, but did so with his force undefeated and having been the only German commander to invade the territory of the British Empire.
...
He was not going to be offered tangible power in Germany, but a glitteringly symbolic role safely based overseas. In 1935, Hitler offered him the ambassadorship to the Court of St. James’s, to become Germany’s main man in London.
And this is where accounts of his famous response diverge. The meaning is always the same, but the language is quite different. At the more polite end of history, it was noted that he “declined with frigid hauteur.” So far, so Prussian.
But Lettow-Vorbeck was a military man through and through, so it is well within the realms of possibility that he responded with something decidedly more earthy. Charles Miller interviewed one of Lettow-Vorbeck’s nephews, noting that, “I understand that von Lettow told Hitler to go fuck himself.” The nephew responded, “That’s right, except that I don’t think he put it that politely.”
Lettow-Vorbeck’s fame protected him from instant reprisal, but he was punished with the suspension of his pension, surveillance from the regime and sidelining during the glory days of Nazi military victories. Lettow-Vorbeck would, however, have the last word. He survived the tumultuous years of the Second World War whereas Hitler shot himself in his bunker as Russians overran the streets of Berlin.
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 – 9 March 1964) was a general in the Imperial German Army and the commander of its forces in the German East Africa campaign. For four years, with a force that never exceeded about 14,000 (3,000 Germans and 11,000 Africans), he held in check a much...
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 – 9 March 1964) was a general in the Imperial German Army and the commander of its forces in the German East Africa campaign. For four years, with a force that never exceeded about 14,000 (3,000 Germans and 11,000 Africans), he held in check a much larger force of 300,000 British, Belgian, and Portuguese troops. Essentially undefeated in the field, von Lettow-Vorbeck was the only German commander to successfully invade imperial British soil during World War I. His exploits in the campaign have come down "as the greatest single guerrilla operation in history, and the most successful."[
Here is the story about him tell Hitler to "F--off"...
Fuck off, mein Führer! – Almost History
By 1935, the Nazi Party had consolidated its grip on the Third Reich. The Enabling Act and November 1933’s election made Hitler the supreme power in Germany.
www.vaguelyinteresting.co.uk
It was therefore somewhat remarkable that Lettow-Vorbeck not only survived until 1918, but did so with his force undefeated and having been the only German commander to invade the territory of the British Empire.
...
He was not going to be offered tangible power in Germany, but a glitteringly symbolic role safely based overseas. In 1935, Hitler offered him the ambassadorship to the Court of St. James’s, to become Germany’s main man in London.
And this is where accounts of his famous response diverge. The meaning is always the same, but the language is quite different. At the more polite end of history, it was noted that he “declined with frigid hauteur.” So far, so Prussian.
But Lettow-Vorbeck was a military man through and through, so it is well within the realms of possibility that he responded with something decidedly more earthy. Charles Miller interviewed one of Lettow-Vorbeck’s nephews, noting that, “I understand that von Lettow told Hitler to go fuck himself.” The nephew responded, “That’s right, except that I don’t think he put it that politely.”
Lettow-Vorbeck’s fame protected him from instant reprisal, but he was punished with the suspension of his pension, surveillance from the regime and sidelining during the glory days of Nazi military victories. Lettow-Vorbeck would, however, have the last word. He survived the tumultuous years of the Second World War whereas Hitler shot himself in his bunker as Russians overran the streets of Berlin.
