Uniforms of Native Troops
in German East Africa

Native Sailors

by Mark Keigwin


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.

Uniforms of Native Troops in German East Africa


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© Copyright 2003 by Richard Brooks.
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