02 - The German Lawrence of Arabia
1 sound
Everybody knows Lawrence of Arabia, but the German expeditions to the Orient during the First World War are little known. These were often groups of adventurers who went around without anyone really controlling them. These groups made their own attacks, which mostly helped themselves. They may have sounded exciting and interesting, but they didn't have much impact on the military or the outcome of the war.
A man named Captain Fritz Klein was one of these adventurers. He had gained experience abroad, including at the Consulate General in Cairo and at the legation in Tehran. At the end of October 1914, the General Staff and the Foreign Office appointed him head of a group that was to conquer the British oil area at Karun in the Persian Gulf for Germany.
Speaker: Petra Nachtmanova Image: Edgard Stern, Fritz Klein, ? - Fritz Klein Private Collection
