German Volunteers in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902

German sympathies back home were firmly on the side of the Boers but short of declaring war there was little they could do assist the Boers. A British naval blockade meant that volunteers (except for a German Red Cross Unit) and weapons could not make their way to Africa. However, many German arms were already in the Boer republics. Both the Transvaal and Orange Free State artillery were equipped with Krupp guns among others, they were also often trained and officered by Germans (for example Prussian Major Richard Albrecht commanded the Orange Free State Artillery in the war) and many of the Boer fighters were already armed with Mauser rifles previously purchased from Germany. When war broke out many Germans already living in the Boer Republics volunteered for active service.

Schiel's German Commando
A former Transvaal artillery officer, Adolf Schiel was given permission to raise a German volunteer Commando unit in Johannesburg in the Transvaal Republic, numbering around 400 strong. The Johannesburg German Commando took part in the invasion of Natal and were effectively destroyed at the Battle of Elandslaagte on 20 October 1899. It was here that Graf Harra von Zeppelin was killed leading a charge against the Gordon Highlanders. Schiel himself was wounded and captured. He returned to Germany after the war and died from the after effects of his wounds received at Elandslaagte a few years later. Some survivors of the unit continued to serve in other German and Boer Commandos.

Krantz's German Commando
In Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Boer Republic another German volunteer Commando unit around 400 strong was originally commanded by Leutnant Hans Ulrich von Quitzow but later taken over by Leutnant Paul Krantz who himself had previously disagreed with Schiel about the formation of one larger German un it. This unit was also sent to Natal and took part in the Siege of Ladysmith. After the fall of Pretoria, the Commando was disbanded and their ranks split into other Commandos and scouting units.

Von Quitzow's and Other German Commandos
After his fall out with Krantz, Hans Ulrich von Quitzow formed a new Commando of fifty German volunteers in the Orange Free State. There were now several small Commando units of German volunteers operating in the war. Arguments among command were a common trait in the common splintering of them.

Austro-Hungarian Volunteer Unit
An Austro-Hungarian reconnaissance unit with 28 Austrians and nine Hungarians was also formed by Baron A von Goldeck to support the Boers.

Uniforms of the German Commandos
Uniformity was not one of the strong points of the Boer Commandos. Most Boer soldiers wore civilian attire, slouch hats and bandoliers of ammunition. The German volunteers were no exception. Some privately made khaki tunics are seen but there were seemingly no regulations to their uniforms and rank insignia was very rarely seen. Likewise no German national insignia seems to have been worn. The only true uniforms seen among the German commandos are those of the artillery units of the Boer republics.

Schiel's German Commando in Johannesburg did however at least have their own flag, donated by the German community of Johannesburg. It was a Transvaal four colour flag (basically the horizontally striped red white and blue of the Netherlands with a green bar down the left side) with the German national shield (black/white/red) in the centre and the Republic's coat of arms surrounded by oak leaves upon it.

The Illustrations

Figure 1 is based on a photograph of a German Officer of the Transvaal State Artillery. He wears the uniform of the Staatsartillerie, a grey slouch hat with blue hatband, a black braided parade tunic with blue facing and gold lace trim, khaki field trousers and leather boots.

Figure 2 is based on  a photograph of an Officer, Count Harra von Zeppelin of the German Commando formed by Adolf Schiel. He wears a privately purchased khaki uniform, with three rank pips on the collar, a slouch hat, leather belt, pistol holster and boots.

Figure 3 is based on  a photograph of a Volunteer of the German Commando formed by Schiel. He wears civilian clothes and a carries a Mauser rifle and ammunition bandolier, looking typical of most Boer fighters.

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