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by lettow4beck » 29 Sep 2006 11:57
There was only ever one camel company, and yes, it was the 7th. It was established at the end of 1907 for a specific task - to track down Simon Copper, the last hold out chief from the war against the Hottentots (now called the Nama). The company was set up by Hauptmann Friedrich von Erckert who led the company into British Betschuanaland in March 1908 to get Copper. A battle took place at Seatsub when the Germans tried to surround Copper's group, but they manage to break out and Copper escaped. Von Erckert was killd in the battle with a shot to the throat. The company remained in existence until WWI when it was used to patrol the desert area along the border to Betschuanaland to prevent a Britsh invasion from that direction, which never came (the South Africans invaded through the ports of Luderitz and Walvis bay). To answer your question, camels were used during the Herero War, but primarily as pack animals. Some were used for patroling, but the only company strength unit was the 7th, which wasn't established until the very end of the war against the Nama.
