Hello all,
I have some questions about former German E. Afriika: I know I could probably search and google and find info, but I enjoy reading all y'all's informed and educated opinions and info. Anyway, we all know that with the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WWI Germany lost all foreign lands, posessions, and colonies, including German East Afrika.
1. What ever happened to it? Did all German personel and civilians leave it forever at that time?
2. Did any stay there, civilian or military, such as advisors for the new government and/or military there?
3. What was there during the rise of Hitler and the Nazis and the 1930s and WWII and what was its relationship with Germany during those years?
4. Did Nazi Germany try to re-occupy it?
5. What is there now or what's its name now?
6. Does it still have any ties with Germany, or have institutions similar to or patterned after the Germans' when they were there?
Thanks,
Freebooter
Alabama
Questions abt former German East African colony?
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Freebooter
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- Joined: 04 Jan 2009, 22:58
- Location: Alabama
Questions abt former German East African colony?
One Shot, One Kill; simple as that!
Re: Questions abt former German East African colony?
2. No. The British took over and the few Germans remaining in the territory (civilians, mainly) were ousted.
3. None at all. It was ruled by Britain, and had no independent status. It was not in a position to cultivate ties with other countries, since it was a mere colony itself, controlled by a European nation.
4. During the Nazi era there was talk of Germany one day reclaiming its former colonial empire, but it was just talk. There were far more immediate concerns during WW2.
5. The Republic of Tanzania today makes up the bulk of the former German East Africa. It achieved independence from Britain in the 1960's.
After WW1 a tiny sliver of German East Africa was given to Portugal and added to its Portuguese East Africa colony (now the independent nation Mozambique).
Also, in the far west of German East Africa, the two small areas Rwanda and Burundi were given to Belgium (which at that time controlled the huge Belgian Congo colony next door). These were both given their independence from Belgium in the early 1960's.
6. None that I can think of. The current civil institutions in Tanzania were inherited from Britain, while Rwanda and Burundi's civil institutions were imposed by the Belgian colonial rulers. For the tiny educated elite the English language (in Tanzania) and French (in Rwanda and Burundi, although English is making inroads in Rwanda) replaced German generations ago.
It's been almost a century since there was German rule and German institutions in that part of Africa, and the memory of that period has well and truly faded away.
3. None at all. It was ruled by Britain, and had no independent status. It was not in a position to cultivate ties with other countries, since it was a mere colony itself, controlled by a European nation.
4. During the Nazi era there was talk of Germany one day reclaiming its former colonial empire, but it was just talk. There were far more immediate concerns during WW2.
5. The Republic of Tanzania today makes up the bulk of the former German East Africa. It achieved independence from Britain in the 1960's.
After WW1 a tiny sliver of German East Africa was given to Portugal and added to its Portuguese East Africa colony (now the independent nation Mozambique).
Also, in the far west of German East Africa, the two small areas Rwanda and Burundi were given to Belgium (which at that time controlled the huge Belgian Congo colony next door). These were both given their independence from Belgium in the early 1960's.
6. None that I can think of. The current civil institutions in Tanzania were inherited from Britain, while Rwanda and Burundi's civil institutions were imposed by the Belgian colonial rulers. For the tiny educated elite the English language (in Tanzania) and French (in Rwanda and Burundi, although English is making inroads in Rwanda) replaced German generations ago.
It's been almost a century since there was German rule and German institutions in that part of Africa, and the memory of that period has well and truly faded away.
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Freebooter
- Member
- Posts: 26
- Joined: 04 Jan 2009, 22:58
- Location: Alabama
Re: Questions abt former German East African colony?
Thanks. I also found the history of it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_East_Africa
Freebooter
Freebooter
One Shot, One Kill; simple as that!
Re: Questions abt former German East African colony?
I just bought this 1941 German globe, and it shows all the former colonies lost two decades earlier with their original names, in German colours, with faint read writing superimposed reading "Administered by Britain, Belgium, New Zealand, South Africa, et cet."
I also have a 1943 German school atlas with the same reference to lost land, not recognising the reality of the situation. Given Hitler's focus on European expansion and disinclination to return to overseas colonies, I find this curious and intriguing.
I also have a 1943 German school atlas with the same reference to lost land, not recognising the reality of the situation. Given Hitler's focus on European expansion and disinclination to return to overseas colonies, I find this curious and intriguing.
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Re: Questions abt former German East African colony?
I thought you might be interested to know that there I an ammunition belt, from the Germal Colonial Forces in Africa for sale on Ebay.
The ammunition belt depicted in the image you sent to the Museum is a Schutztruppe Leather Equipment / Ammunition Belt. These were used by the German colonial forces (Schutztruppe) in German South West Africa from about 1888-1915. If you look closely you will probably see the following marks: Sch(utz) | Tr(uppe) D(eutches) – S(üd) W(est) A(frika). This force consisted of about 6 000 men of whom 3 000 were front line troops.
At the German surrender in German South West Africa to Union Defence Forces (South African) in 1915, the German force which surrendered was 3 497. Not all these troops would have worn this equipment but some were probably still in storage. Large (unknown number) stocks of this equipment were captured. The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were equipped with the British Pattern 1903 bandoliers which were in short supply. This captured German equipment was used by the machine gun sections of the South African Horse regiments during the German East Africa (Tanzania) campaign and by the men of the South African Mounted Riflemen until the early 1920s.
The ammunition belt depicted in the image you sent to the Museum is a Schutztruppe Leather Equipment / Ammunition Belt. These were used by the German colonial forces (Schutztruppe) in German South West Africa from about 1888-1915. If you look closely you will probably see the following marks: Sch(utz) | Tr(uppe) D(eutches) – S(üd) W(est) A(frika). This force consisted of about 6 000 men of whom 3 000 were front line troops.
At the German surrender in German South West Africa to Union Defence Forces (South African) in 1915, the German force which surrendered was 3 497. Not all these troops would have worn this equipment but some were probably still in storage. Large (unknown number) stocks of this equipment were captured. The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were equipped with the British Pattern 1903 bandoliers which were in short supply. This captured German equipment was used by the machine gun sections of the South African Horse regiments during the German East Africa (Tanzania) campaign and by the men of the South African Mounted Riflemen until the early 1920s.