Biography

Victor Franke, son of a landowner, began its military career after its Abitur 1887 with the entrance into the schlesische engineer battalion No. 17 into Neisse. To 20. May 1896 it - in the meantime first lieutenant - left the army, and stepped to 26. May 1896 into the imperial colonial force for German southwest Africa. One month later it already took up its service after its arrival to Swakopmund, first than district boss of Otjimbingwe, then from Omaruru. By at the end of of 1897 until March 1898 it was involved in the fight against the Swartbooi. 1899 he took over the line of the district Outjo, of where out he began expanded a Forschungsreise into the northern and at the time nearly unknown Ovamboland. 1901 he became a district boss of Sesfontein, 1903 took place its appointment as the captain and he returned to Omaruru. In the year 1904 Franke was involved in the military conflicts between the colonial force and the insurgent Bondelswart in the south of the country. After it the message of the rebellion of the Herero reached around Okahandja, set it and its company to a force ride of scarcely 400 km in four and one-half, unparalleled in the history of the colonial force, days and sold the Herero fighters after heavy fights from Okahandja and Omaruru. Also at the crucial fights to wading hereditary suppl. was Franke involved.

For its earnings/services it was often honoured and distinguished, among other things it got le personally from emperor Wilhelm IITH 1905 the medal Pour.

After the Hererokrieg Franke transferred again the command to Outjo, of where out he undertook several journeys into the Ovamboland and with five there living trunks of protection contracts locked. He got further honors and finally 1910 to the major was carried.

With beginning of the 1. World war in Angola in away the Naulila German Dr. Schulze-Jena was murdered, whereupon Franke in a punitive expedition conquered the away on 18 December 1914. In November 1914 Franke was appointed the lieutenant colonel and the commander of the imperial colonial force in German southwest Africa. On 9 July 1915 Franke capitulated with Khorab before the supremacy of the union troops advancing from South Africa, in order to retain the German soldiers before a destroying defeat (which was accused to him in later years of some sides than dishonorable action). Up to the end of the war Franke - like almost all male Germans in southwest Africa - one interned, on the farm Okawajo with Karibib. After its Repatriierung 1919 it was carried 1920 by realm president Friedrich Ebert into the rank of a major general.

Franke married 1921 Maria Diekmann from Hamburg and lived as a farmer from 1927 to 1930 on large Schwass with Rostock. Franke, which suffered since its arrival in German southwest Africa under chronically arising tropical diseases, pulled 1930 because of increasing health problems with its wife first on a Landgut of the family after Paulo in Brazil and operated in Itajahy a mineral water factory. Later it pulled 1936 after Joinville, had because of its always more badly becoming state of health to Germany to however already return, where it promised itself medical assistance of Hamburg hospitals for tropical diseases. On 7 September 1936 it died in Hamburg.

After its began the odyssey of its urn over Berlin and Brazil, a funeral in Omaruru in southwest Africa its widow was refused. Finally Victor Frankes mortal remnants were buried on 2 September 1957 in Hamburg at the Ohlsdorfer cemetery.

Victor Franke today

• 1908 were honoured Victor Franke by the municipality Omaruru by the establishment of an intending tower, today the franc tower standing still there.
• The force ride of the south of southwest Africa until Okahandja became legendenumwobener part of the German colonial history, to which to some books and inspired combat stories cause offered.
• By the book "“Herero"” of Gerhard Seyfried is the figure of the Victor Franke 2003 of a broad literary public admits made. Relevant source of the book was for the author Frankes detailed diaries, which are kept in federal archives Koblenz under the signature BArch NL 30/1 16. At present the publishing house SWALIT is busy with the publication of the diaries in four volumes.

Literature

• The diaries of the colonial force officer Victor Franke. Volume 1, Swalit publishing house, Delmenhorst 2003 (ISBN 3-936858-00-4).
• The diaries of the colonial force officer Victor Franke. Delmenhorst 200 bind 2, did Swalit publishing (ISBN 3-936858-02-0), presumably appears in February 2005.
• Seyfried, Gerhard: Herero. Calibration fount publishing house, Berlin 2003 (ISBN 3-8218-0873-X).

Related links

• Side over the colonial German southwest with a picture of Victor Franke
• Side over Omaruru with a picture of the franc tower and a picture of Victor Franke
• Entry over Victor Franke in the German colonial encyclopedia of 1920

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