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Plenty of planning made the 1907                                                                                      The German Citizen •  Mary - June 2025 • 7
    Buffalo German Day a great success    The last functioning remnant

           s  the  weather  starts  to
       Awarm,  it’s  time  to  crack   Opa’s
    open the calendar and pen in all the                          of the German Imperial Fleet
    upcoming  festivals  for  the  year.   Attic
    We’ve got the Cheektowaga Polish                                 By Martin Ederer
    American Arts Festival in July, the   by Greg                       ne remaining ship from the
    Lebanese  Festival  in  August,  the                             OGerman imperial fleet, MV
    Ukrainian  Festival  on  September   Witul                    Liemba, continues to sail in Tanza-
    6th  and  our  own  Buffalo  German                           nia.  Needless to say, this is a long
    Fest  on  Labor  Day Weekend.  But                            and  complicated  story  about  Ger-
    all  these  events  don’t  just  get                          man colonialism and World War I
    slapped together at the last minute                           that helps to remind us why we call
    and go off without a hitch. A single                          the  Great War  a  world  war  in  the
    event takes months of planning by                             first place.  Liemba’s story is also
    dozens  of  people  to  be  a  success,                       well-suited as an action novel and a
    and if you want to make it part of a                          movie…but more on that later.
    larger  affair,  it  can  take  twice  as                        The  Liemba  started  its  life  in
    long with four times as much work,                            Germany at the Meyer-Werfft Ship-
    such  as  the  1907  Buffalo  German                          yard  in  Papenberg  in  Lower  Sax-
    Day.                                                          ony.    Designed  to  be  a  passenger
       In 1907 the City of Buffalo was                            and  cargo  ferry  on  Lake  Tan-  woman.                    Toutou, Kingani became their first
    celebrating  its  75th  birthday  and                         ganyika for the German East Africa   By  no  means  a  large  ship,  the  victim in December 1915. The ship
    putting the finishing details on the                          Railway company, the ship was as-  Goetzen displaced some 1500 tons.   survived the skirmish but was cap-
    McKinley Monument. To mark the                                sembled  in  Germany  and  then  Its two triple-expansion steam en-  tured  and  rechristened  as  the  Fifi,
    two events, encourage ex-pats and  trance pin, and selected the date of   promptly disassembled and packed  gines cranked out a modest 250 hp.   now  part  of  the  growing  British
    tourists to visit, as well as attempt  Aug. 11 for the celebration.  in  5000  crates  for  shipment  to  As World War I heated up, and after  lake fleet. In early 1916 the Hedwig
    to remove some of the dark cloud   Once German Day was set for   Africa.                     its launch in 1915 the Goetzen was  Wissmann attempted to investigate
    left over the city after the assassina-  Sept. 7, the Old Home Week com-  After landing in Dar-es-Salaam  immediately  commissioned  into  the  disappearance  of  the  Kingani.
    tion, Buffalo decided to market the  mittee arranged for a third band and   in  present-day  Tanzania,  she  was  the  German  Imperial  Navy  as  an  Instead she fell victim herself to the
    event  under  the  title,  Old  Home  a parade for the Germans to follow   shipped by rail on the German Mit-  auxiliary warship SMS Goetzen.  Fifi, getting sunk by the once-Ger-
    Week.                          the  Children’s  Day  parade.  The   tellandbahn  to  Kigoma.    Rebuilt   As the war bore down on Ger-  man ship.
       At venues and events across the  German Day parade began at Main   through  1914,  she  was  christened  man East Africa, Lake Tanganyika,   Spicer-Simpson  next  set  his
    city, each day the first week of Sep-  Street worked its way up Genesee   SS  Graf  von  Goetzen,  named  for  whose  shores  bordered  German,  sights on the Goetzen, but not be-
    tember  would  be  devoted  to  a  Street,  turned  left  onto  Fillmore   the  sixth  Reichskommissar  of  the  Belgian and British colonies alike,  fore requisitioning a more substan-
    different group of the Queen City,  and  ended  at  Teutonia  Park.  The   German  East Africa  colony.    Von  became a key zone of conflict.  Af-  tial ship able to equal it.  When he
    including  a  Fireman’s  Day,  Cana-  committee  also  oversaw  the  con-  Goetzen  is  perhaps  best  remem-  ter  the  British  had  damaged  and  finally launched his expedition, he
    dian  Day,  McKinley  Day,  Buffalo  struction  of  bandstands  and  view-  bered for the dubious distinction of  then  trapped  the  SMS  Königsberg  hesitated  as  he  approached  what
    Fraternal  &  Irish  Day,  and  Chil-  ing platforms along the route.   ending local rebellions in 1905 that  up the Rufiji River, her crews sal-  appeared  to  be  a  heavily  fortified
    dren’s Day. Seeing a great opportu-  As the scale of the event grew   resulted  in  famines  that  possibly  vaged the ship’s guns before aban-  Kigoma. Its massive guns were ac-
    nity  to  contribute  to  and  benefit  so  too  did  the  prominence  of  the   cost  between  75,000  and  300,000  doning ship, one of which was fit-  tually wooden dummies.
    from the celebration, the German-  German  Day’s  guest  list.  By  the   lives.  As an interlude in his service  ted  to  the  Goetzen.    Goetzen  also   Spicer-Simpson, humiliated af-
    American Alliance decided to par-  end  of  August  German-American   in Africa, he had also briefly served  received two other guns.  Together  ter  learning  that  he  had  fallen  for
    ticipate  in  the  event  by  selecting  Alliance   President   Richard   as an observer with Theodore Roo-  with  the  smaller  Kingani  and  the  the German ruse, never got his en-
    Sept.  7  the  last  day  of  Old  Home  Lohrmann of Herkimer, Third Vice   sevelt  during  the  Spanish-Ameri-  Hedwig  von  Wissmann, the  Goet-  gagement  with  the  Goetzen.    In-
    Week as the day for the 1907 Ger-  President Schreiber of Utica, Wer-  can war, and married an American  zen ensured German supremacy on  stead Kigoma succumbed to aerial
    man Day.                       ner  Stretcher  of  Troy  and  Ferdi-                         Lake Tanganyika.              bombardment (such as it was) and
       By  the  time  the  Alliance  de-  nand Teute  of  Rochester  all  made                     Meanwhile, the British and the  occupation  by  Allied  ground
    cided to join on to the Old Home  plans to attend.            keynote address where he spoke of   Belgians were trying to find ways  forces. In response Goetzen’s crew
    Week  celebration  at  the  end  of   Finally  on  Sept.  7,  following   the  German  people  in  connection   to  neutralize  German  control  of  prepared to scuttle her so that she
    June,  a  lot  of  preparation  had  al-  Grand  Marshal August  Schroeder,   with America  and  mentioned  sev-  Lake Tanganyika.  To that end the  could  be  salvaged  later  after  Ger-
    ready  been  underway.  In  January  the  Buffalo  German  Day  formally   eral  of  the  great  German-Ameri-  British Admiralty was convinced to  man forces regrouped. Engines and
                                                                  cans who rose high in the service of
    the  German-American  Alliance  kicked  off  with  a  parade.  German                        pursue a crazy plan to dispatch two  boilers were coated in thick grease,
                                                                  the United States.
    took  over  the  Deutchen  Tag  from  Western  New Yorkers  and  regular                     heavily armed and very maneuver-  the ship was overloaded with sand-
                                                                     While  there  were  other  speak-
    the Deutsche Gesellschaft who had  Buffalonians  lined  the  streets  and                    able speedboats to the lake in order  bags and scuttled in about 70 feet
    been running the event since its in-  watched as a spectacle of 30 soci-  ers, the German dancers, food, and   to  destroy  Germany’s  ships.    The  of water near Katabe Bay. The Ger-
    ception in 1904.               eties, bands, veterans groups, Turn-  drink peeled away the crowd. The   idea  was  to  transport  the  small  mans never did get their chance to
       By  May  the  committee  in  erverins,  singers,  and  shooting   Old  Home  Week  Committee  took   boats in one piece so that no assem-  regroup.
                                                                  up their own table in the beer tent,
    charge  of  arranging  the  event,  clubs snaked through East Buffalo.                       bly would be required on arrival.    In  1918  the  Belgians  refloated
    which  included  George  Weiss,   Once in the park a united group   which was being dutifully patrolled   The  admiralty  gave  command  the Goetzen successfully enough to
    George  F.  Lehmann,  Charles  H.  of singing societies performed the   by  Police  Commissioner  Zeller,   of the operation to Geoffrey Spicer-  tow her back to Kigoma, where she
    Schwenk, Alexander Kercher, Fer-  "Shepherd's  Sunday  Song,"  by   stein  in  hand.  The  evening  con-  Simpson.    He  seemed  perfect  for  sank again in about 20 feet of wa-
    dinand Susemhil, William F. Stutt,  Kreutzer and a number of German   cluded  with  the  athletic  competi-  the job.  Always daring to the point  ter.    The  British  took  Kigoma  in
                                                                  tions  and  shooting  matches  which
    Ernst  G.  Halbach,  Ferdinand  folk  songs.  Doctor  Gaertner  then                         of  unstable,  he  had  made  a  lot  of  1921.    Finding  Goetzen’s  engines
                                                                  the “English” attendees took great
    Berchen,  Samuel  Rautenherg  and  formally  welcomed  the  throngs  to                      enemies in the Royal Navy.  Suffice  and boilers in fine condition, they
                                                                  delight in.
    Dr. William Gaertner had chosen a  the Day and Rev. C. G. Haas gave                          it  to  say  that  his  experimentation  rehabilitated the ship.  In 1927, the
                                                                     Like the rest of the Old Home
    location,  Teutonia  Park,  booked  the  invocation.  Former  Surrogate                      with  His  Majesty’s  ships  and  the  Goetzen,  renamed  Liemba,  was
    two bands, had a design for the en-  Court Justice Jacob Stern gave the   Week,  the  1907  German  Day  was   mishaps  that  routinely  followed  placed  into  service  for  the  Tan-
                                                                  marked as a great success not just   cost the navy quite a few vessels.   ganyika Railways and Port Service.
                                                                  financially  but  in  coaxing  many   Sending him off to Africa on what  British  rehabilitation  of  the  ship
                                                                  former  Buffalonians  to  return  to   could  be  a  suicide  mission  cost  more  than  its  original  con-
                                                                  their  homeland,  if  only  for  a  few   promised  to  solve  several  British  struction price.
                                                                  days.                          problems at once.                From  1927  onward  with  brief
                                                                                                   Spicer-Simpson  set  off  on  his  interruptions, the Liemba has con-
                                                                                                 task, asking for – and getting – re-  tinued  to  provide  service  on  Lake
                                                                                                 designs of the speedboats to make  Tanganyika.    In  the  1970s,  diesel
                                                                                                 them both faster and more heavily  engines replaced the German steam
                                                                                                 armed.    He  named  them  Cat  and  engines, those diesels then replaced
                                                                                                 Dog.    The  admiralty  rejected  the  again in the 1990s.  In the 1990s,
                                                                                                 names as too silly.  He then chose  the Liemba performed yeoman ser-
                                                                                                 Mimi  and  Toutou:    in  French,  vice  transporting  refugees  during
                                                                                                 “Meow” and “Bow wow.”  The ad-  the First Congo War.  In 2015 the
                                                                                                 miralty accepted them.        Liemba did the same for Burundian
                                                                                                   The boats were shipped by sea  refugees.
                                                                                                 to Capetown in South Africa.  From   In  the  2010s,  recognizing  the
                                                                                                 there the boats had to go some 3000  history and heritage of the Liemba,
                                                                                                 miles  to  their  destination.  That’s  Germany itself played a role in re-
                                                                                                 where the real fun began.     furbishing it - despite noting that it
                                                                                                   The boats were shipped by rail,  would have been cheaper to scrap it
                                                                                                 where  that  option  existed,  but  in  and  build  new.    History  and  her-
                                                                                                 places  the  boats  had  to  be  pulled  itage won out, however, and the re-
                                                                                                 overland  and  over  mountains  by  stored Liemba continues to sail.
                                                                                                 steam tractors, teams of oxen, and   As a footnote, if any of the story
                                                                                                 teams of local African men. Ironi-  of World War I operations on Lake
                                                                                                 cally, their passage down the Lual-  Tanganyika  seem  familiar,  they
                                                                                                 aba River, which should have been  should.    They  inspired  a  British
                                                                                                 easy, was one of the most difficult  novel by C.S. Forester: The African
                                                                                                 legs of the journey.  They routinely  Queen, which in turn inspired a fa-
                                                                                                 ran  aground.  Still  they  eventually  mous movie by the same name star-
                                                                                                 made their way to the Belgian port  ring  Katharine  Hepburn  and
                                                                                                 of Lukaga on Lake Tanganyika.    Humphrey Bogart.
                                                                                                   After the launch of Mimi  and
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