The dress worn by native forces in German East Africa prior to World War One can be divided into three periods - the days of the Company askaris, the period of the Wissmann Unit, and lastly that of the Imperial Protective Force.

In Order to protect Company officials, safeguard its stations, and exercise the rights of sovereignty granted by the Sultan of Zanzibar, a force of askaris was formed. Their number was small however and hardly up to such an undertaking.

When the German East Africa Company attempted to flex its muscles in 1887 and establish rule, prompt resistance followed. Things escalated and 1888 saw the outbreak of the so-called Arab Rebellion (1888-1890).

Although the Arab Rebellion didn't have anything to do with slave traders, saying so made great headlines and useful propaganda for those who wanted intervention. This finally came in 1889. Hermann von Wissmann was appointed Reich Commissar for East Africa and put together what was referred to as the Wissmann Unit. This ad-hoc native force with its nucleus of German officers and nco's was successful and by 1890 the situation was under control.

The administration of German East Africa passed from the German East Africa Company to the German Reich in January 1891. On March 22, 1891 its army of mercenaries became the Imperial Protective Force (Schutztruppe) for East Africa. Numerous campaigns and punitive expeditions kept the force occupied during the 1890's, and a second major conflict, the Maji-Maji Uprising, occurred in 1905.

German East Africa Company

Company askaris wore a white, short sleeved jacket (1) with black buttons. It had a black-white-red braid running across the front, over the top button and stopping at the seam near the armpits, up over the shoulders, down and across the back in mirror fashion to the front. The jacket was worn inside white knee-length trousers. Headwear consisted of a red fez with black tassel. They did not wear shoes. Equipment consisted of a waistbelt with belly box. It is interesting to note that their white officers didn't have a uniform, merely wearing tropical dress typical of the day.

In 1889, what was left of the Company askaris transferred as a body over to the Wissmann Unit.

The Wissmann Unit

The non-German force consisted of six Sudanese companies of 100 men each, one Zulu company also of 100 men, a unit of Company askaris (60-80 men), 30 Sudanese artillerymen, 40 Somali sailors, and 22 Turks for police (twenty men and two officers).

The Sudanese soldiers wore a khaki jackey with brass buttons (7), khaki knee-length trousers, blue puttees, and natural color leather lace-up shoes. On their head they wore a light gray or pale yellow turban wound around a fez (2). Toward the end of 1890 the turban was changed to a gray tarboosh and neckshade (3).

The The Effendis (native officers) wore a khaki jacket (9) after the pattern worn by German nco's, with trousers, puttees, shoes, and headress as for the soldiers. Their jacket buttons were brass also.

The designation "Effendi" originated during the time of the Wissmann Unit. The equivalent German rank was Leutnant or Second Lieutenant. For insignia they wore three, golden, five-pointed stars on each shoulder strap (5).

Rank among the men was denoted by chevrons (15). These were of blue braid (Zinnfigur mentions that some sources state yellow) and worn on the right forearm of the khaki jacket. From 1890 onward they were red, and worn on the upper left sleeve. One chevron denoted the rank of "Ombascha" (Gefreite, or Lance Corporal), two chevrons denoted the rank of "Schausch" (Unteroffizier, or Corporal), three denoted the rank of "Betschausch" (Sergeant), and four the rank of "Sol" (Feldwebel, or Sergeant-Major). Askaris (Privates) wore none.

Specialist badges were worn on the upper right sleeve of the jacket. There was a red flaming grenade (12) for artillerymen, and red crossed flags(11) for signals personnel. Soldiers of the Zulu company wore the same dress as the Company askaris mentioned earlier, but the jacket (1) and knee-length trousers were blue instead of white, and the jacket was worn outside the trousers. For parade they wore a long sleevedwhite shirt beneath the jacket, and white puttees. According to Zinnfigur, later, when a second company was added, the soldiers of the second company wore a white tassel on their fez as a distinction. At the end of 1889 the Zulu soldiers were given the same sort of dress as the Sudanese; with the exception of headwear as they continued to wear the fez, and the lack of shoes.

The German East Africa Company askaris continued to wear their white uniform and fez. A photo in Schmidt dated 1889 shows a group of them wearing a waistbelt with belly box and their jacket is being worn outside the trousers. Zinnfigur states that during the period of the Wissmann Unit a white jacket (8) with standing collar and black buttons came to be worn with long white trousers; jacket outside. There was a black-white-red braid running along the base of the collar.

The Bacharia, or station oarsman, wore the same white jacket (1) and knee-length trousers as the Company askari, jacket worn inside the trousers, with a blue anchor(14) on the right sleeve. In addition to this, the leader wore a blue chevron on the left sleeve. Headwear was a straw hat similar to the British sennet hat.

Native sailors of the Reich Commissar's flotilla wore the same white jacket (1) and knee-length trousers as the Company askari. The jacket had ablue anchor (14) on the chest, and was worn inside the trousers. They wore the straw hat described above, with a ribbon bearing the ships name. According to Zinnfigur it appears that on occasion the red fez was also worn.

The policemen wore the same dress as the Sudanese soldiers, but had no shoulder straps or rank chevrons on the jacket. They wore a red "P" (13) on the upper right sleeve, and when on duty a red police sash running right shoulder to left hip. Headwear consisted of a gray tarboosh with brass eagle on the front. One source mentioned that the fez was also worn.

The Village Policemen (Wali Askari) wore the same white jacket (1) and knee-length trousers as the Company askari, and a red fez without tassel. They wore a cartridge belt and were armed with muzzleloaders. The village policemen were subordinate to the authority of the local magistrate, the Wali jumbe or village headman who had responsibility for collecting the hut tax.

Imperial Protective Force

The uniform worn by the Wissmann Unit (khaki dress, blue puttees, gray tarboosh and neckshade or fez) continued in use until 1896. From 1896 onward the uniform of the men would be as follows.

Khaki tarboosh (a bit taller than previously -3a) and neckshade with a silver plated Imperial eagle (4) in the center of the front. A plain khaki jacket with low, turndown collar, shoulder straps, and plain nickel buttons (7). Khaki pants with gray puttees and natural color leather lace-up shoes. For a time the old blue puttees were allowed as well. With regard to insignia, the red grade chevrons (15) on the upper left arm continued in use. The red specialist badge for gunners (12) now had a white, oval-shaped base and was worn on the upper left arm. The badge for signals personnel (11) also had a white base and was worn on the upper left arm. Placement was directly above the chevrons. Musicians wore a yellow swallows nest (10) on each shoulder. These were akhaki with red braid trimming (the thin stripes in the illustration are the khaki).

Effendis wore the same uniform as the men, except for the following: Khaki jacket (9) after the pattern worn by German nco's, with plainwhite metal buttons, cornflower blue piping on the cuffs (6), and three white metal rank stars on each shoulder strap (5). In garrison they wore long khaki trousers.

The Police Force also wore the same uniform as the men, but the Imperial eagle on their tarboosh was brass and bigger, their jacket buttons were brass, and the red "P" (13) now had a white base and was worn on the upper left sleeve.

Equipment consisted of a natural leather belt, with plain rectangular buckle (illustration by Pietsch as yellow metal), natural leather cartridge pouches (two in front, one behind) and bayonet frog. The bayonet hilt was steel with brown wood grips and the scabbard was black leather with steel fittings. According to Zinnfigur the haversack was brown. Blankets were gray.

Sources

Collas, D. Das Deutsche Heer, (1937-1938).
(Moritz Ruhl Series) Die Deutschen Schutztruppen in Africa, (n.d.).
Haupt, Werner. Die Deutsche Schutztruppe 1889/1918, (1989).
Knotel, Richard.Handbuch der Uniformkunde, (1956).
Knotel, Richard.Uniformenkunde volume xviii, number 48.
Reichard, Paul. Deutsch Ostafrika, (1901).
Schmidt, Rochus. Hermannn von Wissmann und Deutschlands Koloniales Wirken, (1901).
Schmidt, Rochus. Geschichte des Araberaufstandes in Ost-Afrika, (1899).
Velten, C. Schilderungen der Suaheli, (1901).
(US) War Dept. Colonial Army Systems, (1901).
Die Zinnfigur. ("Die Schutztruppe in Deutsch-Ostafrika" by Albert Kneuttinger).
Plates by Pietsch, Knotel-Brauer.