Schutztruppe Askari behavior

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

I read some books and see films, and all this the askaris show like a barbarians, violent and aggressive with the enemies of the Reich, this fact is truth?


Cristiano

[Peter H]

The Askaris were well disciplined troops.Some shooting of prisoners occurred in the heat of the moment but this was because towards the end the Germans were more interested in the contents of a ambushed British supply column than those manning it.The case of an Askari comforting a weeping Portugese white prisoner is also mentioned in one source.

The Belgian Askaris did have a bad name(the rumour was some were former cannibals) and one British memoir mentions that some native women were raped and body parts cut off for consumption.The witness was in a hospital when the victims arrived for treatment.The Portugese native troops were also poorly disciplined when compared with the German Askaris.

A film I have seen of them pre-1914 shows them masters of the Prussian parade march.A large proportion of them came from the Wanyamwezi tribe north of Lake Tanganyika,a tall martial people proud of their warrior tradition.

[Nadir Shah]

During the battle of Saisi in July 1915, by a grave mischance the British officers who went out to meet the white flag were
fired upon, and the formal apology was received the same day from German commander.
Best regards
Witold