Books on the German Colonies

Recently more books have been published covering the German colonial campaigns in the English language and books published in German have become more easily available over the internet. Here we review a selection of highly recommended books that have all been useful sources in the making of this website. Also included are links to buy the books online either on Amazon or the publisher. If you buy books at Amazon through this page they give a small percentage towards the upkeep of this website*.

If you have another book that you would like to see reviewed or if you're publishing a book on the German colonies please email me here.

"Imperial German Colonial and Overseas Troops 1885-1918" by Alessandro De Quesada and Chris Dale, illustrated by Steven Walsh
(Published by Osprey Men-at-Arms MAA490)

As an author I shouldn't review my own work but I do think that its fair to say that this is a very good introduction to the topic. The limitations of a small paperback meant that it was not possible to go into too much detail but I do believe that the basics (and some obscure topics such as the Chinese Polizeitruppe and Reservist uniforms in the different colonies) are covered. The artwork by Stephen Walsh is far better than the originals on this website and that alone is worth the small cover price. As usual thanks to the many contributors to this website for help on this book particularly in this case to Arne Schöfert, Joe Robinson and Karsten Herzogenrath. Also a big thank you to Martin Windrow from Osprey who made the book possible.

This is a superbly researched and illustrated record of Germany's colonial troops. It begins with the first colonisation project of Emperor Charles V in the 16th Century, but focuses on the major years between 1889 and 1919. The majority of the book describes and illustrates in wonderful detail the clothing and equipment of the Schutztruppen.

The book illustrates uniforms, tropical helmets, caps, equipment, and much more besides in great detail. The book also includes much information about the German troops that served in East Asia from 1900. Uniform-wise, there are many interesting details covered, for instance the field grey winter and summer uniforms issued only to the East Asian troops between 1901 and 1909. This is an absolute must for uniform enthusiasts.
Review by Helion Military Booksellers

"Das Burenfreikorps von Deutsch-Südwestafrika 1914-1915" by Gordon McGregor
(Published by Namibiana in German)

This is one of those beautiful books that fully covers a topic leaving no stone unturned. It covers the story of the Boers who formed a volunteer unit to fight alongside the Schutztruppe in South West Africa in 1914. It studies their historical background, formation, recruitment, the few actions they took part in and their eventual disbandment. The topic of their uniforms is also covered and there are plenty of photographs to accompany the text. Most of the information is unavailable in print anywhere else so this book is to date, the definitive account of the South African Free Corps.

"Der Reichskolonialbund und seine kolonialrevisionistische Propagandatätigkeit zwischen, 1933 und 1943" by Arne Schöfert
(Published by König in German)

This book tells the story of the Reichskolonialbund, the German Colonial League and their revisionist propaganda under the Third Reich. It focuses on the two large colonial exhibitions staged in Dresden in 1939 and Vienna in 1940 to encourage public awareness of the lost colonies. Almost every page of the book has photos of the exhibitions and their organisers along with Nazi colonial propaganda posters, postcards, stamps badges and souvenirs. Of special interest to me was the uniform details of the Schutztruppe veterans of the Deutschen Kolonialkriegerbundes, DKKB. An excellent and highly recommended book for anyone studying the after effects of German colonialism and Third Reich History.

"Die deutschen Marinen 1818-1918: Organisation, Uniformierung, Bewaffnung und Ausrüstung"
by Rolf Noeske and Claus P. Stefanski
(Published by Verlag Militaria in German)

These two volumes cover the organisation, uniforms and equipment of the Royal Prussian and later Imperial German Navy. It includes the Marine Infantry and all branches of the German navy up to and during the First World War. For my personal interest the book has studies on the overseas deployments of naval units in Africa, China and Skutari. I have never seen a book go into quite so much depth on this topic and as such it is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the Imperial German Navy and its predecessors.

This book primarily focuses on the British contingent at the Siege of Tsingtao, the 2nd Battalion of the South Wales Borderers and the relations with their Japanese allies which were not always harmonious and were based on a lack of understanding of each others' languages, customs and military training. Although the book does not describe the German side in detail, it is highly recommended as the only English language study of the action and it contains many photos and eyewitness accounts of the Siege of Tsingtao.

"Rivals Of The Raj: Non-British Colonial Armies in Asia 1497-1941" written and illustrated by Peter Abbott
(published by Foundry in English)

The title of this book excludes British colonial forces in Asia. This is just as well as the soldiers of the British Empire have been covered so many times in the English language that there would scarcely be anything new to write about them and they would just fill up a lot of page space while I personally am more interested in the lesser known colonial armies. This volume instead concentrates mainly on the French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and German armies in Asia. There is a wealth of previously unpublished information on these troops. But as with the authors other books (see also the companion volume to this one- "Colonial Armies: Africa" and Osprey's "Armies in East Africa", both reviewed elsewhere on this page) the real treat here is his coverage of previously unknown armies. Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Sweden may not be the first countries that come to mind when thinking of the colonial era in Asia but they all played their part and this book is the first I've seen to recognise that part with new research, excellent illustrations and full histories from the 15th Century to the 20th.

This is the definitive book on the Sokehs Rebellion on Ponape in German New Guinea 1910-11, perhaps the only serious recent study. As with Morlang's previous work on "Askari und Fita-Fita" the amount of research done is staggering. The book first looks at German rule on the Pacific Islands and the interaction of the islanders with their colonial rulers. The rebellion itself and the German efforts to crush it are described in detail using previously unpublished eyewitness accounts. Lastly the effects of the rebellion on the Sokehs and on German rule are examined with a look at how the rebellion is remembered in modern Ponapean culture. Throughout the book uses period photographs and several maps (including some showing the battlefield around the Sokehs stronghold) many of which are previously unpublished and those that have been seen before often have new captions identifying the individuals in them. Absolutely essential reading for those interested in this small campaign.

This book is based around reprints of period illustrated plates mostly by well known and respected artists such as Knötel, Pietsch, Henckel, Becker and Ruhl. It also includes some artists work that I've never come across before such as Friedrich Schirmer, Anton Hoffman and some more recent artists work notably Tradition's RJ Marrion.

All the plates are printed in full colour (unless the originals were monochrome, of course) and much larger and clearer than I've seen before giving a very pleasing appearance to the book. As a bonus the last chapter shows many previously unpublished photographs of the III. Seebataillon in Tsingtao.

The subtitle, "The History of the Iron Cross and Wound Badge in German South West Africa 1914-1918" aptly describes the never previously studied topic of this book. This is one of those great books that once you've read it you have no more questions to ask yourself on the subject matter. Everything you could want to know about the so-called Hildegard Order is described. It starts with the origins of the Iron Cross in South West Africa up to the recipients claims for the award after the war. A final chapter goes into post war awards of the Wound Badge to the Schutztruppe. Lists of awardees are included as well as photographs of the awards themselves and their documents. A great piece of research, the topic is covered!

"Die Mützenbänder der Deutschen Marine 1815 - 1918" by Bernd Wedeking and Marcus Bodeux
(Published by VD Medien in German)

Something that used to upset me greatly was small books trying to cover big topics. A tiny handbook on "Military Uniforms of the World" which might have one illustration of a Schutztruppe Reiter and a small paragraph about the German Colonies, would always leave me frustrated with additional questions. Who? Where? Why? And what was the NCOs ranks insignia? This book by complete contrast is a big book, on a small subject. Hence they have illustrated or photographed every single cap band ever used by the imperial navy as well as describing every slight variation in its use or award. That's over 1200 illustrations! As well as the tallies used by ships' crews it helpfully covers those worn by every small sub-unit of the Imperial navy (and the Prussian navy before it). Of special interest for those interested in Germany's overseas servicemen are sections on the  Kiautschou naval batteries and the ships in Ottoman service during the First World War. If you've ever been curious about Prussian or Imperial German naval cap bands this is the book for you.

This book covers the siege of Tsingtao in 1914, mainly from the German perspective. It is very well researched and illustrated with maps, photographs and diagrams of the fortifications. It documents the siege with full details of the supply problems, the skirmishes, bombardments and the final surrender of the German garrison.

In the absence of any similar study of the campaign in the English language I would recommend this book to anyone learning or with only some basic German (like myself) as it is very clearly written in short, easily-digestible paragraphs. A unique book on a fascinating topic.

This is a personal account written by a Schutztruppe officer serving under Ludwig von Estorff in the Herero and Nama Rebellions in German South West Africa between 1905-06. As a first hand account it is fascinating for historians of the period, especially as it details the attempts to track down the rebels, Cornelius and Morenga. What makes the book all the more interesting is that it is written not for publication but in the form of a series of letters from the author to his father back in Germany. The publishers, Namibiana, specialise in books on Africa and the German colonies including many unpublished memoirs such as this. Their catalogue of books is highly recommended.

The author has travelled the world to find descendants of the Landespolizei to find their own personal stories. This touch, as well as the hundreds of previously unpublished facts, photographs and illustrations makes this book a must for all those interested in the German colonies.

In 1910 Hauptmann Ernst Nigmann was commissioned to write a history of the Schutztruppe in German East Africa. Nigmann was able to draw on his own personal experience as a front line Schutztruppe officer, interviews with other officers and full access to German archives for his work. The result, published in English for the first time here, is a very comprehensive study, describing their formation as the Wissmanntruppe, each stage of their development and organisation up until 1911and every single action they were involved in during that period. Various appendices deal with the Polizeitruppe, rank lists and casualty lists going into the most minute detail, such as "16 October 1905. Fighting on the Lijungeberg: Chief Surgeon Dr Stolowski, graze on the left hand". A more complete book would be difficult to imagine.

This has to be the most highly recommended volume so far printed in the English language for those generally interested in the colonial armies of Africa. The author has collated years of research into the archives of Europe and Africa to describe the armies of Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium in 19th century Africa.

Each power has a section set aside for the description of its campaigns, troops and uniforms with contemporary illustrations added to by numerous excellent black and white uniform illustrations. Much of the information has not previously been available in the English language. A second volume covering colonial armies in Asia is planned for future release.

While most books on the colonies inevitably look at them from a Euro-centric angle, this very well researched study is exceptionally interesting in that it looks at the African and Asian troops who served under German colonial rule.

As well as chapters on each colony describing the history of its locally recruited soldiers and their experience, Morlang has also included many period photographs and biographies of individual soldiers and thus brought them vividly to life.

As you would expect from the commander in the field, von Lettow-Vorbeck knows an awful lot about the campaign. In this book he tells the story of the First World War in East Africa from the German perspective.

He seems to paint quite an objective picture of events, admitting his own mistakes, heaping praise on his junior officers and not appearing too judgemental on his opponents consistently poor performance. He goes into some detail on the battles, German forces involved and their relative weaknesses and supply problems.

Many more recent authors may have studied the campaign from all angles but none can have the same insight as von Lettow-Vorbeck.

A great study of the Battle of Tanga from original source documents with some good photos not only of the personalities and opposing armies but also of Tanga itself and the battlefields from various angles which help to build up a good mental picture of the battle.

The book assesses the forces and leaders involved and gives a good account of the confusion in East Africa at the start of the war before going on to describe the landings and action in detail. Although covering the German side too the book does mainly focus on the catalogue of compounded British errors. Indispensable for anyone interested in the First World War in East Africa.

An excellent starter book for all wargamers and enthusiasts of the First World War in East Africa. It covers the history of the campaigns in East Africa with backgrounds, organisations and uniforms for all the armies involved.

The sections on the previously ignored Portuguese and Belgian forces deserve special credit as do the many photos and luscious illustrations.

My only real complaint would be as with many Osprey books, it's just too short!

"Walther Dobbertin was a commercial photographer in German East Africa prior to World War I. When all German men were mobilized in August 1914 to defend the colony, Dobbertin became, in effect, the only combat photographer on the German side. He performed this function until his own capture in 1916." This book is packed from start to finish with 120 excellent photographs of the Schutztruppe in German East Africa taken in the first two years of the war with German and English captions. Some of the photos have been seen before, but many were new to me and all are printed with clarity. This book is a must for anyone interested in the uniforms of German East Africa during the Great War.

This is an amazing study into the subject of tropical helmets worn by Germany's overseas troops. It describes the development and changes in helmet design for the imperial navy, East Asian troops and Schutztruppe as the title says but also for the Polizeitruppe, colonial officials, imperial entourage, governors, consuls and just about every uniformed German abroad.

With colour photos of over 40 existing tropical helmets and black and white period photos too, this book should also be of great interest to non-German speakers.

In the third volume of his very detailed study of German uniforms and equipment, Somers devotes 232 pages to Germany's colonial and overseas forces. The text describes the uniforms in quite some detail and is very well researched, while the bulk of the space is given to black and white photographs from the period (many have never been seen in print before) and colour photographs of surviving militaria (some of which are from the Doppler collection also seen on this website- but it's still good to see them printed out large, in colour and on quality paper).

Other non-colonial subjects covered in this volume are the German Landsturm, cyclists, horse equipment and Ersatz headgear worn on European fronts in the First World War. All in all an excellent and unique book- and Somers has been kind enough to quote this website as a source.  

"Uniforms of the German Soldier - 1870 to the End of World War One" by Alejandro M. De Quesada
(Published by Greenhill in English)

This is a large collection of photographs of the German army throughout the imperial period, many of which have not been seen in print before.

What makes this book particularly interesting are the 23 pages of colonial photographs, including the Schutztruppe, Seebataillone, Asienkorps, East Asian troops and even a couple of Chinese auxiliary troops. As a bonus feature several pages of colonial illustrations by Moritz Ruhl have been added in the back.  

"Military Sun Helmets of the World" by Peter Suciu with Stuart Bates
(Published by Scuicu/Bates/Service Publications, Ottawa in English)

I believe this is the first book ever published to describe the tropical helmets used by the world's military forces from their first use in the mid-19th Century up to the present day. It fills a gap in the market very well. Not only are commonly seen British, German and French helmets covered but also the less well documented helmets of Belgium, Portugal and Spain. Each country has its own chapter or section and has its helmets' history, manufacture and appearance described along with period black and white photographs and hundreds of colour photographs of surviving helmets, many of which are from the author's own personal collection. A very useful and attractive book. The author has also been kind enough to thank this website for help with German colonial helmets.

See Military Sun Helmets of the World

"Imperial German Schutztruppe 1891-1914" by Bruce Bassett Powell
(Published by Uniformology in English)

This is a collection of period German illustrations which have been touched up with computer graphics to enhance their colour and detail. It includes illustrations by M. Ruhl, G. Krickel, H. Knötel and P. Pietsch. While it is great to see these illustrations printed in colour again, they are not complete collections and some of the text can be misleading.

As far as I know, this was the first modern scholarly treatment, in English, of the Campaign for East Africa. It is very well-written and a pretty compelling account that focuses on von Lettow-Vorbeck's defence of German East Africa and the saga of the cruiser Königsberg . It does provide a fairly good background to the German colonization of East Africa and the subsequent defence of it during WWI. One could say that it is a pro-German account and it doesn't dwell on the lengthy resistance of the African states to colonialisation. But, that aside, once the story moves into WWI, the book is fairly even-handed. Also, the book covers the naval campaigns on Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyassa, which is pretty difficult stuff to get hold of from any source. Personally, I recommend it and even though it was one of the first books I read on this subject, it holds up very well.
Review by David C. Clarke

This book covers the campaigns, revolts and diplomatic entanglements faced by the various European powers in their scramble for Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It's the perfect introduction to colonial Africa with chapters on well known campaigns such as the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer Wars as well as lesser known struggles such as the French in Tunisia, the Italians in Ethiopia and of course the establishment and major rebellions of the German African colonies. The book is well researched and very readable, bringing to life the dramas and horrors of European conquest.

Plüschow was the only German pilot in Tsingtao in 1914. This book covers his times in Tsingtao and his travels and escapes as he gets back to Germany via China, America, Gibraltar and England. Plüschow is a natural storyteller and the book reads like an adventure with some great first hand accounts of the bombardment and siege of Tsingtao and his flights over Japanese lines. It's not a historical study of the battle as such but a thrilling and unique story all the same.

This book is based on the diaries of Nis Kock, one of the Danish speaking members of the German Navy who sailed through British Naval blockades under the neutral Danish flag to re-supply the forces of German East Africa. After a perilous journey there he and the rest of the crew were stranded and joined the Schutztruppe trekking across the mountains and jungles with Lettow-Vorbeck for the next few years. No amount of historical reading can compare with an eye-witness account of the events such as this, including vivid descriptions of everyday life and combat on the East African front.

This small book in both English and German is perfect in its form. By covering a small topic the author has managed to write a book covering every detail of that topic- when the tokens were issued, why the tokens were issued, how the tokens were made, who the tokens were issued by and to and the serial numbers of different issuing offices. The book also contains detailed photos of POW tokens and of POWs and their camps in South West Africa. The author has also written books on 'The German South West Africa Commemorative Medal awarded to non-German military personnel', and 'The Native pass Tokens of German South West Africa' for the same publisher and is currently writing a book on the history of the Iron Cross (Hildegard Order) and the Wound Badge in German South West Africa, a Handbook on the South West Africa Commemorative Medal, The South African Free Corps and the Ehrenkreuz awarded to Germans still living in South West Africa in 1934.

This is an academic look at the integration of the people of Cameroon and particularly those of the Western Grasslands with European culture, religion and colonialism. It covers many aspects of life for the Nso, Duala, Bali-Nyonga and Bamum peoples in the late nineteenth and early twentieth Centuries.

The most interesting part for me is the final chapter, a study of the history and reasoning behind the German style uniforms worn by King Njoya of Bamum's Private Army by Christraud M. Geary. It is a very informative study given the limited sources (perhaps the only study of this topic in any depth) and includes several very rare photographs of the Bamum soldiers in uniform. 

This book deals with the complex extensions of the old Great Game played out in Central Asia during the First World War. It tells the tale of Wassmus' wanderings in Persia trying to ferment anti-British sentiments, Niedermeyer's mission to convince the Emir of Afghanistan to join the Central Powers and also the intrigues and struggle for power in the oil rich town of Baku on the Black Sea coast.

The book not only sheds light on and goes into detail about a side of the war never seen before but also reads like a first class spy thriller, with double agents, lost code books and murderous cossacks around every corner.

This book recounts every step, every skirmish and every moment of planning of the First World War campaigns in West Africa in detail. It's not a book for a racy read but if it's day by day facts you want they're all here. The book is of course strictly a history of the British and British Empire forces during the conflict (it's interesting to note that they seem to have as little information as to the whereabouts or strengths of their French allies as those of their German opponents) but there's a lot to be gleaned about the German forces quotes from captured diaries and comments from prisoners. There's also some black and white photos and big fold out maps for wargamers to plot their next campaign on.

A very good overall description of the Boxer Rebellion in China. This book explains the background to the rebellion not only from the view of the foreign powers but more interestingly from the Chinese perspective. It then goes on to describe in detail the various actions of the campaign resulting in the relief of Peking. The book is packed with black and white contemporary photographs and illustrations with modern colour illustrated pages too, but my favourite parts of the book are the many maps of the battles fought in the rebellion including the Peking legations and the Taku Forts. As with other Osprey books my only complaint is that all the different Allied and Chinese troop formations, uniforms and weaponry cannot be fully described in such a small volume.

If you're only ever going to buy one book in German I would thoroughly recommend this one. It answered more questions about the German Schutztruppe than I knew to ask. It covers their formation, history, organisation, officer lists and uniforms with additional sections on the Police forces of Togo, New Guinea and Samoa and well as the Protectorate of Tsingtao. There's some great photos and a few colour plates and even though my German isn't very good I enjoyed it thoroughly.

...and if you're only ever going to buy two German books (it gets contagious) I would recommend this one too. Similar to Haupt's book in that it covers the history and uniforms of the Schutztruppe but with less historical background and more information on the uniforms. It also has some great colour photographs of genuine Schutztruppe uniforms and scale model soldiers with some rare and very interesting black and white photographs from the period. So even if your German isn't so good there's loads of pictures to look at!