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GERMAN SOUTHWEST AFRICA

The first Schutztruppe for Deutsch-Sudwestafrica was established 1 May 1889. Its function was to provide armed protection against hostile forces, both internal and external, to the colony. The first detachment consisted of one mounted battalion composed of two officers and twenty-one enlisted men who had volunteered from the Army as well as the Imperial Marines. Within five years, by 1894, the force had expanded and then functioned along the lines of the regular Army. It was divided into four Field Companies, one Field Artillery Battery and one Construction Battalion. It consisted of:

1x Staff Officer, Commander and Governor of the Colony.

1x Staff Officer, second in command, and Commander of the Schutztruppen.

4 x Captains.

4x 1^st Lieutenants.

18x 2^nd Lieutenants.

5x Doctors.

1x Veterinarian.

6x Paymaster Assistants.

142x NCOs

568x Enlisted men including Corporals.

750x Total European German forces.

Source. ‘Uniforms of the German Colonial Troops 1884-1918’, Charles Wooley, Schiffer Military History, 2009.