Regular troops in overseas expeditions

Hun1918 · Post by **Hun1918** » 16 Dec 2006 22:50

Hi
I have a question about Regular german troops of the imperial army serving in overseas expeditions etc: Herero Rebellion and the East Asian Expeditionary Corps.
My question is did they go as an assigned battaillion from a regiment or volunteered?.

Did any regiments get sent overseas?.

Chris Dale · Post by **Chris Dale** » 16 Dec 2006 23:29

Hello Hun 1918,

In short no, regular German army units did not serve overseas.

For the East Asian Expeditionary Corps of the Boxer War, individual soldiers from regular army units volunteered, and of them some were picked to form new Regiments as part of the Expeditionary Corps.

In the Herero War individual soldiers volunteered and were seconded to newly formed Schutztruppeunits which were then sent to DSWA. Consripts also served in the Herero War I believe.

It would be handy if any other readers could confirm if I'm right on these two points. But basically no whole regular army units served in the colonies.

Cheers
Chris

lettow4beck · Post by **lettow4beck** » 26 Dec 2006 00:04

Regular German units could not be sent overseas, because of the German constitution. Troops belonged to the Laender they came from, not to the Reich. Troops belonging to the China expeditionary forces were drawn from various regions, and served in regional units, but not existing units as a whole. All were volunteers. The only possible exception I can think of regarding German expeditionary forces is from WWI with units that served on the Palestine front. I believe the first units assigned as Pasha I were drawn directly from an existing unit of the German army, I think it was a Silesian unit. I need to look the details.

Chris Dale · Post by **Chris Dale** » 27 Dec 2006 14:44

Hi Lettow,

Thanks for confirming that and adding further info.

Just for clarification, I think you're correct in what you say about the individual Länder having control over their own armies, but only the in the cases of the four Kingdoms, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg whose armies remainded (nominally) separate in peacetime.

I think the exception you noted being Palestine (and also Georgia) would have been because it was in wartime. I would think that in wartime all troops came under the command of imperial army headquarters (Hindenburg and Ludendorff) rather than that of the individual Royal armies.

This would explain why "Imperial" troops such as the Seebatallione were sent to colonial wars.

Cheers
Chris