South West African Schutztruppe
The first German troops in South West
Africa, the "Truppe des Reichs-Kommissars", did not carry
bayonets but instead had bowie style knives. These were not worn
with bayonet knots.
When bayonets and their Troddel knots were later issued to the
Schutztruppe, they were in company colours for
other ranks, numbering from 1 up to 12 by 1914. During the
temporary expansion of the Schutztruppe grouped into regiments
during the Herero War 1904-07, other ranks Troddel knots were
coded to match the new units.
Junior NCOs Troddel knots were in
imperial colours. One year
volunteers also wore Troddel knots in imperial colours in a slightly
different pattern to those of the junior NCOs.
Portepee sword knots for officers and senior
NCOs were in white metallic cord with threads of red and black.
East African and Cameroon
Schutztruppe
African other ranks in the
Schutztruppe did not carry bayonet knots. German junior NCOs
Troddel knots were in imperial colours. Portepee sword
knots for officers and senior NCOs were in white metallic cord
with threads of red and black.
Polizeitruppe
African and other locally recruited other
ranks in the Polizeitruppe for East Africa, Cameroon, Togo, New
Guinea, Samoa and Tsingtao did not carry bayonet knots. German
Polizeitruppe NCOs from the rank of Sergeant carried swords.
Sergeants wore Faustriemen knots in imperial colours and ranks
from Wachtmeister upwards wore officials Portepee knots in
yellow metallic lace. Sergeants who had previously held Portepee
rank in the Schutztruppe were entitled to retain the Portepee in
Polizeitruppe service.
German NCOs commanding the Tsingtao
Polizeitruppe
were members of the III. Seebataillon and wore Marine Infantry bayonet and
swords knots as described below.
Landespolizei
The South West African Landespolizei
rarely used bayonets and did not use bayonet knots.
From the rank of Sergeant upwards a sword
and sword knot was carried. The first Landespolizei uniform
regulations of 1905 authorised the same Faustriemen sword knot
in imperial colours for Sergeants and a Portepee in yellow
metallic lace for Wachtmeister and upwards as worn by the
Polizeitruppe of other colonies.
In 1907 new regulations
authorised a new Faustriemen for the Sergeant. It is described
as like those for Light Infantry NCOs "Oberjäger". This
confusing as the Oberjäger carried an all green Troddel with
white metallic threads, rather than a Faustriemen. The
Landespolizei Faustriemen in most period photographs are white with a green loop at the
top. The Wachtmeister and upwards retained thier old yellow
metallic lace Portepee. Period photographs show that swords
knots of the Landespolizei varied in style shape and colour. In
addition, Sergeants who had previously held Portepee rank in the
Schutztruppe were entitled to retain the Portepee in
Landespolizei service.
Recommended Reading-
"Unter dem Kreuz des Südens" by
S Schepp
Marine Infantry- Seebataillone
Other ranks Troddel knots were in company coded colours. Judging
from period photographs it seems that each Seebataillon numbered
its companies from 1-4 (or higher in the case of the III.
Seebataillon), rather than adding the different battalions'
companies together in numerical order
1-12 (or higher) as the army did with battalions within the same
regiment. Junior NCOs Troddel knots and were in imperial colours.
Mounted other ranks of the III.
Seebataillon field
artillery battery ("Marine Feld Batterie") wore
Faustriemen
sword knots in white for the 1st (and only) battery. Junior NCOs
Faustriemen knots were in imperial colours.
Portepee sword knots for officers and senior
NCOs were in white metallic cord with threads of red and black.
Imperial Navy
Other ranks and junior NCOs did not usually wear bayonets or knots.
When ships landing parties carried bayonets they do not appear
from period photographs to have used bayonet knots.
Portepee sword knots for officers and senior NCOs were in white metallic
cord with threads of red and black.
East Asian Expeditionary Corps
Other ranks Troddel knots
for the infantry, dismounted artillery, pioneers and train troops were in company
(or battery) coded
colours, or plain white for extra regimental troops. The light
infantry company ("Jäger Kompagnie") carried
plain dark green bayonet knots as they did in the regular army.
Other ranks of the East Asian
Cavalry Regiment carried Faustriemen sword knots in squadron colours (though there were only four squadrons in the East
Asian Cavalry Regiment). Mounted other ranks in the East Asian
Artillery Regiment carried battery colour coded Faustriemen sword knots
(though again they were under-strength by regular army standards,
having only eight batteries in the East Asian Artillery Regiment
rather than nine).
Junior NCOs Troddel and Faustriemen
knots were in state colours (for example black/white for
Prussia, blue/white for Bavaria, green/white for Saxony, black/red
for Württemberg, yellow/red for Baden). Junior Jäger NCOs ("Oberjäger") wore dark green
Troddel knots with white metallic threads, as they did in the
regular army.
Portepee sword knots for officers and senior
NCOs of all arms of service were in metallic cord with threads in
state colours.
East Asian Occupation
Brigade
When new regulations came in the
East Asian Expeditionary Corps in
February 1901 (and remained in service for the
renamed Occupation Brigade), state distinctions were replaced by
imperial ones. Junior NCOs Troddel and Faustriemen knots were now in imperial
colours and Portepee knots for officers and senior NCOs were in
white metallic cord also with threads in imperial colours.
Other ranks
Troddel and Faustriemen knots remained in company (or squadron or
battery) coded colours, though as the units were slowly disbanded
less variations were needed (for example all other ranks of
cavalry of the Occupation Brigade wore white sword knots, as
there was only one squadron).
German Troops in the Ottoman
Empire
German personnel serving within the Ottoman army do not appear
from photographs to have commonly worn bayonet knots. Some
officers wore Ottoman sword knots (very similar to the German ones
but in yellow metallic thread with crimson threads for senior
officers and staff) with Ottoman uniforms, others may have kept
their German army swords and knots.
German Army units serving alongside
Ottoman units such as the Pascha I
& II
Expeditions and the Georgian Legion carried standard German army bayonet and sword
knots in company (or squadron or battery) colour coded for other
ranks and in state colours for NCOs and officers. Later in the war
fewer bayonet knots were worn generally.
Swords were of course not usually
worn in action and officially discarded from 1915. After that date
some officers, including Liman von Saunders carried bayonets with
officers sword knots attached to them. |