South West African
Schutztruppe
The first German troops in South West Africa, the Truppe Des Reichs-Kommissars were from 1888, armed with the
Kar71, and from 1890 with the Gew71/84. Reinforcements to the
Schutztruppe in 1894 brought the Kar88.
Further reinforcements sent to fight the Herero Rebellion in
1904 were armed with the Gew98. Curiously several posed studio photographs
show them carrying the Gew88 prior to deployment in Africa,
sometimes with ill fitting bayonets (see above). It
is not sure if they trained with the Gew88 and were only issued
the Gew98 shortly before embarkation or more likely these rifles are
props owned by the photographic studio. In South West
Africa the Gew98 was often modified to have a turned down bolt handle
adjustments to the sights. This variation is usually known as
the Schutztruppen-Gewehr 98 (Gew98S).
From the period of the Herero
Rebellion to the First World War the Gew98 (and its variants the
Gew98S and for machine gunners and artillery the Kar98) remained
the main weapons of the Schutztruppe.
There is also evidence either in period documents, modern collections or
photographs that the Gew88, JB71, Kar98 and even
some American/Belgian
Winchester 1895 carbines were used in limited numbers by the
South West African Schutztruppe.
South West African
Landespolizei
The Landespolizei were armed
mainly with pistols. The
1883 Reichsrevolver and the
Roth-Sauer Pistol were both
in common use, the Luger P08
was also issued sometime
after 1912.
Rifles were
sometimes
carried. Records in "Unter
dem Kreuz des Südens"
show the Landespolizei had a
collection of different types of standard German
rifles in their possession-
Gew71, Gew88, Kar88, Gew98, Gew98S and
varieties of Kar98.
East African Schutztruppe
The first askaris
of the German East Africa
Company were issued with the
Kar71. The first Sudanese askaris of the Wissmanntruppe
still carried the old American Remington Rolling Block
Rifles from their previous Anglo-Egyptian service. These were
soon replaced by the JB71 and this remained the main
weapon used by the Schutztruppe until the First World War.
Other period photographs
prove that small numbers of
Kar71, Gew88 and Kar88 were
also used by the askaris on
occasion.
It
had been intended to re-equip them all with the Kar98az but
only the
1., 4., 8., 10. and 13. Feldkompagnien
and German NCOs in the Schutztruppe
had received them before war broke out in 1914. More Kar98az
were brought to the colony during war on
blockade running ships but
most of the Schutztruppe's
new weaponry came from
captured British and
Portuguese stocks. Hunting
rifles and obsolete weapons
also used by the Schutztruppe
and their auxiliaries.
East African Polizeitruppe
Photographs show
the Polizeitruppe of East
Africa using the JB71.
Cameroon Schutztruppe
The Cameroon
Schutztruppe were issued the
JB71. Photographs
also show the use of the Kar88
by mounted troops. By 1914
most of the Schutztruppe had
been re-armed with the
Kar98az, leaving stocks of the
old JB71 for new recruits in
wartime. According to Hew Strachan's
"First World War in Africa"
Cameroon had 3,861 rifles of
the modern 1898
type with two and a
quarter million
rounds and only 2,920 rifles
of the 1871
model with half a
million rounds.
Due to the
shortage of ammunition,
spent rounds were reloaded
with locally made gunpowder
(or using nitro-glycerine
requisitioned from civilian
mining operations) with
varying results and original
1898 rounds were prioritised
for use in machine guns. Attempts were also
made at locally made rifles
but their unreliability made
them extremely unpopular.
Cameroon
Polizeitruppe
Photographs show
the Polizeitruppe of
Cameroon using the JB71,
these weapons are probably
included in Strachan's
figures above.
Other rifles may have been
issued in their formative
years.
Togo Polizeitruppe
The first weapons
issued were Kar71 carbines,
these were replaced from
1888 onwards with the Gew71
and the JB71. By 1914 most
of the Polizeitruppe had
again been re-armed with the
Kar98az, leaving the stocks
of 1871 model rifles for use
by Polizeitruppe reservists
recalled to arms in the
First World War.
Hunting rifles may also have been
used by Germans called up in the Togo campaign during the First
World War. The
British commander Captain F.C. Bryant, made an official complaint to the German
acting governor
Major von Doering, that dum-dum bullets and hunting rounds were
used against his men. Von Doering did not deny their use but said that if such weapons
were used they were done so without his knowledge- "It was alleged that my troops have made
use of certain bullets which do not conform with the
stipulations of the Geneva Convention (sic- it was
actually the Hague Convention of 1899, declaration III) ... I know nothing of
this matter; and that, officially, only bullets covered with
jackets as well as regulation solid lead bullets have been
issued as equipment. If bullets which are contrary to
regulations have indeed been found on individuals, then I would
submit that we have never reckoned with a war in Togoland, and
that those liable for military service went on active service
without any special plan of mobilisation, partly direct from
their civil posts- thus the exchange of any irregular sporting
cartridges, which they may have had, may perhaps in a few cases
have been impossible. I express my regret on account of the
incident in question." (as quoted from P430 of the
"Official History of the War- Military Operations in Togoland
and the Cameroons" by FJ Moberley, published by
Battery
Press)
New Guinea
Polizeitruppe
The first local
police soldiers of the
German New Guinea Company
were armed with converted
French Chassepot carbines.
These were soon replaced by
the Kar71. Later photographs
most commonly show them
armed with the Gew88. The
German reservists that
served against the
Australian invasion in 1914
were armed with the Gew88.
Samoan Polizeitruppe and Fita-Fita
I have not seen many period
photographs of the
Samoan Polizeitruppe and Fita-Fita
armed at all. The few that
do exist seem to show the
Gew71 in use with possibly
a Gew88 used in another.
Imperial Navy
The Imperial Navy were
issued the same rifles as
the army in the colonial era Gew71, Gew71/84, Gew88
and later the Gew98. From
1916 the army
was prioritised over the
navy for the use of rifles
and wartime photographs show
the navy using all manner of
obsolete or captured weapons
for depot duties including
the Gew71, Gew71/84 and
captured
Russian Mosin-Nagant rifles
on depot duty during the
First World War.
Marine Infantry-
Seebataillone
The Prussian Seebataillon
was initially issued with
the Prussian Infantry
Percussion Cap Rifle ("Infanterie-Perkussionsgewehr")
and from 1857 the 1841
Zündnadelgewehr. The 1860 Füsilier
Rifle ("Füsiliergewehr") was issued from
1862. It was a shorter
version of the Dreyse Needle
Gun. These were
replaced by the JB71 from 1875 and by the
Gew71/84 from 1886, although
photographic proof of this
early period is
scarce.
Photographs from the
1890s show the use of the
Gew88. The Gew98
was first used by the Marine
Expeditionskorps to China in
1900 and then to South West Africa
in 1904. It was also issued to
the III. Seebataillon in
Tsingtao by the early 1900s.
Mounted troops carried the
Kar88 or Kar98.