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Born in 1870 to a family with a military background, Lettow-Vorbeck joined the German Army in 1890. He served in China during the Boxer Rebellion and in German Southwest Africa (now Namibia) during the Herero Wars.

In April 1914, Lettow-Vorbeck was appointed commander of the German forces in German East Africa (now Tanzania). When World War I broke out in August, he had just 2,600 German soldiers and 2,472 African askari (local soldier) troops under his command.

Disregarding orders from Berlin to remain neutral, Lettow-Vorbeck decided to tie down as many British troops as possible to prevent them from fighting in Europe. He launched raids into British East Africa and prepared to resist a British invasion.

In November 1914, Lettow-Vorbeck achieved his first major victory at the Battle of Tanga, repelling a British amphibious assault. Over the next four years, he led a brilliant guerrilla campaign across East Africa, constantly outmaneuvering much larger Allied forces.

Lettow-Vorbeck�����Ƶ�s small army lived off the land, capturing supplies from enemies. They traversed thousands of miles of difficult terrain, from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro to the jungles of Mozambique.

His force eventually grew to about 14,000 men, including 3,000 Germans and 11,000 askaris. Unlike other German and British commanders, Lettow-Vorbeck highly valued his askaris.

Despite being vastly outnumbered and cut off from Germany, Lettow-Vorbeck�����Ƶ�s troops inflicted over 20,000 casualties on Allied forces. He tied down over 300,000 British, Belgian, and Portuguese troops and porters, preventing their use in other theaters.

Lettow-Vorbeck fought until the end. On Nov. 23, 1918, twelve days after the end of World War I, Lettow-Vorbeck received belated notice of the European armistice and finally agreed to a cease-fire, marching his undefeated army to Rhodesia to formally surrender.

Returning to Germany in 1919, Lettow-Vorbeck received a hero�����Ƶ�s welcome. He led a victory parade of his ragged veterans through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

In the turbulent years of the 1920s Weimar Republic, Lettow-Vorbeck briefly entered politics. He strongly opposed the rise of the Nazi Party, famously telling Hitler to �����Ƶ�go f*** himself�����Ƶ� when offered an ambassadorship in 1935.

During World War II, Lettow-Vorbeck lived in retirement but was under surveillance by the Nazis. After the war, he received aid from the British, who respected him highly.

Lettow-Vorbeck was one of the most successful guerrilla commanders in military history. His use of highly mobile warfare and his ability to live off the land influenced later theorists of guerrilla tactics.

Lettow-Vorbeck was widely admired by both his German and African troops for his leadership and fairness. He spoke fluent Swahili and promoted African soldiers to officer rank, which was very unusual for the time.

Known as the Lion of Africa, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck remains a fascinating figure to this day �����Ƶ� a brilliant tactician whose undefeated campaign in Africa became one of the enduring legends of World War I.