Hermann von Wissmann

14/10/2026

12/10/2026

The flags used in German East Africa.

From left to right: East African Company flag (Deutsche-Ostafrikanische Gesellschaft) National and Commercial flag (National und Handelsflagge) Flag of the governors for German East Africa and Kiautschou (Flagge der Gouverneure fur Deutsch-Ostafrika und Kiautschou) Imperial service flag in the area of the Foreign Office (Reichsdienstflagge im Bereiche des Auswartigen Amtes) Imperial Navy service flag (Reichsdienstflagge der kaiserlichen Marine) Imperial post office flag (Reichspostflagge) Imperial flag of the remaining administrative branches (Reichsflagge der übrigen Verwaltungszweige) War flag (Kriegsflagge)

For a full range of flags check the first comments

Also note a range of mineral resources are highlighted on this map such as ivory, cloves, iron, coal, rubber, copper and copal, with dates of colonial border divisions.

History of German East Africa in the link below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_East_Africa

11/10/2026

Hermann von Wissmann (Hermann Wilhelm Leopold Ludwig von Wissmann; 1853–1905)

​Official cabinet portrait in full military dress uniform as Governor of German East Africa (Gouverneur von Deutsch-Ostafrika)

Portrait dated 1895–1898 (taken around his appointment as Governor of German East Africa in April 1895)
​
Published as an engraved/photogravure portrait insert in major German illustrated weekly magazines, including Über Land und Meer and Die Gartenlaube (circa 1895/1898).

​​Photographer / Studio: J. C. Schaarwächter (Atelier J. C. Schaarwächter, Hofphotograph, Berlin)

Image shared courtesy of Peter ~

07/10/2026

Parade of the Schutztruppe (protectorate troops) in Dar es Salaam, in the German colony of East Africa ☀️ circa 1900-1910.

Taken from my copy of The Imperial Protectorate Force German East Africa 1889-1911 by Colonel Ernst Nigmann.

Must say grab a copy of this book, still reading through it, it gives you a comprehensive history of the Schutztruppe!

Photo by C. Vincenti, a prominent commercial photographer based in Dar es Salaam who extensively documented the imperial German administration, naval visits, and military units (Schutztruppe) in German East Africa.

Thank you for the recommendation Chris 👍🏻

05/10/2026

Kaiser Wilhelm II reviews the Schutztruppe (protectorate troops) before embarkation to German South West Africa DSWA (Deutsch-Südwestafrika) on 15 June 1894.

Hauptmann (captain) Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck was sent to German Southwest Africa (now Namibia) in 1904, during the Herero insurrection and subsequent genocide.

Lettow saw combat against the Herero at the Battle of Waterberg, which he later said, "something rarely encountered in guerrilla warfare, a chance to defeat them in a single operation."

When the Nama people also rose against German rule under the leadership of Hendrik Witbooi, Lettow-Vorbeck remained in German Southwest Africa in order to continue suppressing the insurrection.

Lettow played a major role in the pursuit of Jacob Morenga. During a 1906 gunfight against Morenga and his men, Lettow-Vorbeck suffered injuries to his left eye, which was left blind, and his chest.

Learn more on the Herero uprising in the link below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herero_uprising

04/10/2026

01/10/2026

Sketch of the distribution of the Schutztruppe of German East Africa from the Proceedings of the Reichstag. Volume 245 (1908).

*Of interest at the upper right of the map is a map of Saxony, which illustrates the sheer size of German East Africa: Saxony at the scale of the main map (Sachsen im Maßstab der Hauptkarte)

Published by the printing house of the North German General Newspaper, Berlin, 1908.

Sketch map shared courtesy of de.wikipedia.org ~
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skizze_der_Verteilung_der_Schutztruppe_von_Deutsch-Ostafrika_(1908).jpg

Learn more on the history of the Schutztruppe on the link below. Be mindful this article is in German, so you can use www.deepl.com to translate:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutztruppe_f%C3%BCr_Deutsch-Ostafrika

30/09/2026

The Kaiser shares a lighter moment amongst colleagues on manouvres, during 1913. From left to right: The German Emperor (second from left), Count Zeppelin and Excellence Von Scholl. All seem to be in high spirits sharing a pleasurable moment of laughter.

And who ever said the Kaiser did not have a sense of humour 😉

Photo shared courtesy of Bethmann via Getty Images ~

27/09/2026

Inspection time for the Polizeitruppe (police troops) of the German protectorate of Kamerun (Cameroon) in West Africa.

Note the distinctive red fez with Imperial national Eagle cap badge, worn by the African troops, and Südwester hat worn by the German officer addressing the troops.

The German protectorate of Kamerun existed from 1884-1916. Learn more on its history on the link below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamerun

Photo shared courtesy of Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images ~