Imperial Schutztruppe for German South West Africa
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The Imperial
Schutztruppe (, Protection Force) was the official name of the colonial troops in the African territories of the German colonial empire from the late 19th century to 1918. Similar to other colonial armies, the consisted of volunteer European commissioned ...
for German South west Africa (german: Kaiserliche Schutztruppe für Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was the official name of the military formation that maintained the German Empire in its colony of
German South West Africa German South West Africa (german: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. With a total area of ...
. The Schutztruppe are held responsible for numerous atrocities in the Herero and Nama uprising in 1904. During the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Schutztruppe was defeated by the troops of the
Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...
.


Formation

acquired the bay of
Angra Pequena Angra may refer to: Places * Bay of Angra (Baía de Angra), within Angra do Heroísmo on the Portuguese island of Terceira in the archipelago of the Azores * Angra do Heroísmo, a municipality in the Azores, Portugal * Angra dos Reis, a municipa ...
and five miles of hinterland for the Bremen
tobacconist A tobacconist, also called a tobacco shop, a tobacconist's shop or a smoke shop, is a retailer of tobacco products in various forms and the related accoutrements, such as pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, and pipe tampers. More specia ...
Adolf Lüderitz on 1 May 1883 from the Nama people in Bethanie. On April 24, 1884 Bismarck telegraphed the German consul in Cape Town that " is under the protection of the German Empire". Between October 1888 and July 1889, in the course of a dispute between the
Witbooi Witbooi is an Afrikaans and Khoekhoe surname, common in Namibia and South Africa. Notable people with the surname include: * Hendrik Witbooi, Namaqua leader *Hendrik Samuel Witbooi, Oorlam The Oorlam or Orlam people (also known as Orlaam, Oorl ...
and the Herero, there had been an expulsion of the German Commissariat and an interruption of German sovereignty in
Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...
. The
German Colonial Society The German Colonial Society (german: Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft) (DKG) was a German organisation formed on 19 December 1887 to promote German colonialism. The Society was formed through the merger of the (; established in 1882 in Frankfurt) an ...
engaged ''
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
''
Curt von François Curt Karl Bruno von François (2 October 1852 – 28 December 1931) was a German geographer, cartographer, Schutztruppe officer and commissioner of the imperial colonial army of the German Empire, particularly in German South West Africa (today' ...
to provide security to the territory. In June 1889 he arrived with 21 soldiers, eight staff from the Imperial Army and 13 volunteers, at the British-held enclave of
Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The ci ...
. The formal establishment of the Schutztruppe for German South West Africa was carried out by the Reich Law of 9 June 1895. The support of these troops was the responsibility of the respective protectorates (''Reich Law on the Income and Expenses of the Protected Areas'' of 30 March 1892, RGBl p. 369).


Structure

The Schutztruppe in German Southwest Africa was structured in 12 companies of mounted infantry totalling ca. 2,000 men in July 1914, primarily Germans. The 7th Company, stationed in the northern desert area of the colony, was mounted on imported camels. A single unit, called the Baster Company of non-local Africans was raised and deployed. Relations between the German administration and the natives in this colony had deteriorated to the point that few local Africans were recruited; however, some
Boers Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled this are ...
enlisted in the Schuztruppe due to their desire to establish an sovereign Afrikaner nation independent from British control. The colonial forces for German Southwest Africa consisted of volunteers from the imperial army and navy (including some Austrians), but essentially consisted of members of German regiments. Before their deployment to Africa these troops were prepared for their special tasks and future environment. Such a training base was at
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
. Because of the often humid conditions in the upper Rhine valley of the grand-duchy of Baden, the area provided some early acclimatization. The structure of the Southwest African forces was as follows: German Southwest Africa Command at
Windhuk Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 202 ...
(modern Windhoek) consisted of headquarters, administration and legal (judge advocate), medical corps, surveying and mapping units. Northern district command: Windhuk * 1st Company: Regenstein, Seeis * 4th Company: Okanjande * 6th Company:
Outjo Outjo (Otjiherero: ''small hills'') is a city of 6,000 inhabitants in the Kunene Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of Outjo Constituency. It is best known as a main gateway to Etosha National Park. Overview The town was founded by ...
and Otavi * 2nd Battery: Johann-Albrechts-Höhe * Transport platoon 1:
Karibib , nickname = , settlement_type = Town , motto = , image_skyline =Karibib aerial view.jpg , imagesize =300 , image_caption =Karibib aerial view 2017 , image_flag = , ...
* Office for provisions: Karibib * Horse depot: Okawayo * Artillery and train depot: Windhuk * Military hospital and medical depot: Windhuk * Clothing depot: Windhuk * Local headquarters: Windhuk * Local headquarters and quartermaster:
Swakopmund Swakopmund (german: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers ...
Southern district command: Keetmanshoop * 2nd Company: Ukamas * 3rd Company: Kanus * 5th Company: Chamis and Churutabis * 7th and 8th Company (camel cavalry), military hospital:
Gochas Gochas is a village in the Hardap Region of Namibia. It is located southeast of Mariental and southwest of Stampriet on the way to the Mata Mata border post to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The town lies on the banks of the Auob River abov ...
and Arahoab * 1st Battery: Narubis * 3rd Battery: Gibeon * Transport platoon 2: Keetmanshoop * Artillery and train depot: Keetmanshoop * Military hospital and medical depot: Keetmanshoop * Clothing depot: Keetmanshoop * Office for provisions: Keetmanshoop * Garrison administration: Keetmanshoop * Horse depot: Aus * Camel stud farm: Kalkfontein * Local headquarters and quartermaster:
Lüderitz Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. The town is known for its colonial architecture, includ ...
At the outbreak of World War I the force had a total strength of 91 officers, 22 physicians, 9 veterinarians, 59 civilian administrators, ammunition technicians, 342 NCOs and 1,444 German other ranks for a total of 1,967 personnel.


References


Bibliography

* * {{Former_German_colonies History of Namibia German Army (German Empire) People of former German colonies Military history of German East Africa German words and phrases Colonial troops *