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German colonies

German East Africa and Kiautschou
Other German Colonies

See also:

Germany

German East Africa and Kiautschou (Kiao-Chau/Tsingtao)

by Dave Martucci

The flag of the German Governors of East Africa and Kiautschou (sometimes spelled Kiao-Chau) was the merchant flag with the eagle of the Empire on the center white stripe.

Josh Fruhlinger 1996-02-15

I have two sources that show this flag. The US Navy Flag Book of 1899 shows it as the flaag of the Governor of German East Africa and does not mention Kiao-Chau (Tsingtao). It is not at all in hte 1882 edition, as Dar-es-Salaam was not occupied by the Germans until 1885. Kiao-Chau was made a German protectorate in 1898, so maybe the information was not yet available when the 1899 book was published.

The October 1917 National Geographic Magazine shows it for both territories and notes that they ere both conquered by that date by the allies (Britain in Africa, Japan in China).
Dave Martucci, 1996-09-21

Other German Colonies

This flag also flew over SW Africa (Namibia), Kamerun, Togoland, and Germany's Pacific possesions, but it was not the merchant flag as such: it was the flag of the colonial Governor. It was used in German East Africa; I don't know about the others. I believe the German East African Company had a white flag with a black cross on it. The canton was red with a constellation of five white stars resembling the southern cross set at an angle. In Namibia the Imperial Kriegsflagge is the symbol most usually associated with German rule. The Kriegsflagge is white with a black cross overall in the centre of which is the Prussian eagle. The naval jack [black-white-red horizontal stripes with an iron cross] appears on the canton.

The German Imperial flag is still very much in use by the German population. You can also get car stickers with 'DSWA' for Deutsch Sudwestafrika and other paraphenalia and there is a thriving industry in Swakopmund where German tourists can buy, er, historical flags and emblems which they cannot buy back in Germany, if you get my meaning! The display of racist symbols is forbidden under Namibian law, but I don't believe much has been done in practise to clamp down on these activities.

Stuart Notholt 1996-02-15

I suggest to have a look in the book:

Flaggen und Wappen Deutschland Harry D. Schurdel Battenberg Verlag Augsburg,1995

There is a short chapter, illustrated with some flags used in the former German colonies. It is said that in the year 1914 there was a decision to grant the colonies some flags.This idea was based on the fact that the British possessions flew the blue ensign with the badge of the colonies. Germany had to show its flags also. The flags proposed but never seen, because in 1918 Germany lost all its colonies, were all black-white-red horizontally stripped with the arms of the colony in the center. Only six arms are known.They have all a "chef" (top of the shield) with the black prussian eagle on white:

Kamerun: on red a white elephant head.
Togo: a palm tree with two snakes (colors not known)
Deutsch-Ostafrika: on red a white lion head.
Suedwestafrika: on blue a white Cape buffalo head above which there is diamond.
Neu-Guinea: on green a paradise-bird, head at the bottom (color not known).
Samoa: above white-blue-white-blue waves on red three white coconut tree each of them on a little mount (island?)

When the German colonies weren't represented heraldically, there were special flags flying:

The flag of the authorities of the Reich: black over white over red with the great Reich Eagle with crown on a white disc. The flag was known as:"Reichsdienstflagge im Bereiche des Auswaertigen Amtes, einschl. der Kaiserl. Behoerden und Fahrzeuge in den deutschen Schutzgebieten" (with the exception of Kiautschou).
The flag of the governors of Kiautschou and East Africa: black over white over red with the Reich eagle on the white stripe without crown.
The flags of several Merchant companies operating there. The model of the flag should contain the colours black, white, red. Here are some of them:
- Ostafrikanische Gesellschaft: white with a black cross and a red canton containing five white stars 2:1:2.
- Westafrikanische Gesellschaft: white with a red cross fimbriated white and black. In the centre appears a black eagle on a white disc. In each canton there is a letter: D, W, A, G in black.
- Neu-Guinea-Compagnie: white with a black-white-red flag in the canton and a black lion with a fleur de lys in red in its right hand in the fly.
- Jaluit Gesellschaft: white with a black-white-red stripped disc in the middle.

I should also mention the flag of the Ralik Islands which had five stripes of black-white-red-white-black. The flag was used from 1878-11-19 to 1885-10-15.

If this wasn't enough, the same book gives a liitle bibliography for the flags of the former German colonies:

Die Wappen und Flaggen der deutschen Kolonien in: Afrika-Nachrichten, Year 14, #2, Leipzig, 1933-02-01

Die Kolonialreiche seit dem 18.Jahrhundert, Fieldhouse, David K., Fischer Weltgeschichte, Bd 29, 13. Edition, Fischer Taschanbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1993

Geschichte der deutschen Kolonien, Westphal, Wilfried, C. Bertelsmann Verlag, Muenchen, 1984

Pascal Vagnat 1996-02-21