Ostasiatische Marinedetachement Tienstin 1914

[Peter H]

Tenative but unconfirmed research on what happened to the German garrison at Tienstin in WW1.

One source ( http://www.jadu.de/jaduland/kolonien/as ... lden4.html ) indicates that Oberstleutnant Paul Kuhlo(1883-1950) and his men pulled out and moved to Tsingtau before the battle there.The Ostasiatische Marinedetachement numbered 150 Marines.Around 120 survived and were in Japanese captivity in November 1914.

Kuhlo was the last commander of the Tienstin-Peking detachment and commanded a company at Tsingtau.I dont know if his birth year of 1883 is correct as another source states he was born in 1893.However being a 21 year old Oberstleutnant was unheard of in 1914.Likewise being then promoted to Major at Tsingtau as others quote.Kuhlo was released in 1919;his only son died on the Eastern Front in 1943.

The impression is that the German Concession,business wise,at Tienstin remained in operation but under the guardianship of a neutral (the USA).China also as a neutral endorsed this change.Of course things changed in 1917 when both China and the USA declared war against Germany.

[Peter H]

Of interest as well--one of the Freiwilligers that joined the German garrison at Tsingtau was a French Foreign Legion deserter, Lambert Koch.Koch was born in Luxembourg in 1888 and joined the Foreign Legion in 1909.He then served in Algeria,Morocco and Indo-China.In August 1914 Koch deserted his post in Vietnam and got to Hong Kong.I assume he saw himself as German.He then got to Tsingtau and joined the 6th Company of the III. See-Battalion.He was captured by the Japanese and released in July 1919.

[Chris Dale]

Hi Peter,

Great information (as usual) on some interesting characters. Tsingtau Info (http://www.tsingtau.info/) is a good site for looking up veterans of that campaign. On Oberstleutnant Kuhlo, they have him down as born in 1866, and joining the army in 1884-

"Kuhlo, Paul
*27.04.1866;
30.03.1884 Eintritt in die Armee, 11.02.1886 Leutnant (Infanterie), 14.09.1893 Oberleutnant, 11.08.1900 Hauptmann, 18.08.1908 Major, 14.07.1912 zur Marine-Infanterie, Kommandeur des Ostasiatischen Marine-Detachements in Peking/Tientsin, 22.04.1914 Oberstleutnant;
08.1914 nach Kiautschou verlegt;
11.1914 gefangen im Lager Tokyo-Asakusa (Gef.-Nr. 115, Heimatort: Bielefeld, Westfalen), 09.1915 verlegt ins Lager Narashino; 12.1919 entlassen;
30.01.1920 befördert zum Oberst (mit Patent vom 27.01.1917), 09.03.1920 Übertritt zur Reichswehr"

On Lambert Koch, they have him down as a Luxembourger-

"Koch, Lambert
*14.05.1888 (Luxemburg);
18.08.1909 in Paris in die französische Fremdenlegion eingetreten und in Algerien, Marokko und Indochina eingesetzt, 24.06.1914 in Lao Kay desertiert, Anfang August als Freiwilliger in Hongkong gemeldet;
08.1914 Seesoldat in der 6. Kompanie des III. Seebataillons;
11.1914 gefangen im Lager Matsuyama (Gef.-Nr. 2968, Heimatort: Watzerath, Kreis Prüm, Rheinland), 09.04.1917 im Lager Bando, später im Lager Narashino, 07.1919 entlassen"

That website also has some great photos, well worth a look!
Cheers
Chris

[Fallschirmjäger]

Thanks for the link and nice site too,always liked the german marines from when ever they where formed? to post WW1 germany,is there an english translation at all,i dont read german that good.

[edward_n_kelly]

......is there an english translation at all,i dont read german that good.

Pardon the leg pulling but it apears to be a poor sort of "nom de plume" .......

Edward

[Fallschirmjäger]

You mean my name,yes german of course,but dont read all that german writing at all,FJ are my favourite german troops ever you aussie bush bandit /robber if that name of yours is related to ned kelly.

[Peter H]

Babelfish is an adequate translator.Copy and paste into the box and click German to English.

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Koch comes up as Cook though.

[edward_n_kelly]

You mean my name,yes german of course,but dont read all that german writing at all,FJ are my favourite german troops ever you aussie bush bandit /robber if that name of yours is related to ned kelly.

Actually I am......

Edward

[joerookery]

Of interest as well--one of the Freiwilligers that joined the German garrison at Tsingtau

My understanding is that there was a significant difference between a one year volunteer and the other three types of volunteers the two, three and four year types. Do you had any idea which kind of volunteer he was?

[Chris Dale]

Hi Joe,
I believe he would have been a Kriegs-freiwilliger, or war volunteer- that is volunteering for the duration of the war. I may be wrong but I think the one year volunteer thing was done away with once war broke out. I can't see people getting a chance midway through 1915 to say "oh, look my time's up, I'll be off home then...". Of course in this guy's case he was in a POW camp in Japan by then anyway.
Cheers
Chris

[joerookery]

I may be wrong but I think the one year volunteer thing was done away with once war broke out.

In all, I don't know exactly how that worked. I know in the memoir "Fritz" the author went to war as a one year volunteer. The question is did they continue doing new ones or was there some sort of and date?

[Peter H]

Hitler was part of the Kriegsfreiwilligen system as well.Indications from his Mein Kampf is that you were sworn in for the duration.Of course the 300,000(?) or so who did so in 1914 started of and remained enlistedmen.And Hitler was rather older than average.

Pre-war being a One Year Volunteer cost money(uniforms,headgear,mess,horse,feed etc)so it was only an option for the rich who also could enjoy the privilege of being a Reserve officer afterwards.Someone like Fritz Nagel had already served his one year term in 1912 and was already "officer material".

A search in this section also indicates Kriegsfreiwilligen serving in Kamerun.

I assume the German populace in the colonies had the same ratio as ex-servicemen,reservists versus those who never served in the military as in Germany.I would take this as only 30% of German males up to middle age had some form of military service experience.This is reflected in the annual call ups that only took a third or so of those eligible.

Someone like Koch was not alone in joining the French Foreign Legion.Ernst Junger served briefly with this formation in 1913 before being dragged home by his father.I think the glory of the Legion appealed to some adventurous German youth.

This of interest:

"On the German border a father with his one of sons enlisted in the Foreign Legion and another one in the German Colonial Troop"


http://www.postcardman.net/137011.jpg

[Fallschirmjäger]

Babelfish is an adequate translator.Copy and paste into the box and click German to English.

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Koch comes up as Cook though.

Thanks Peter H will have to use that then.