THE ASKARI

Germany’s Colonial Soldiers of the Great War

When people think of the First World War, they picture trenches in France, snow in Russia, or mud in Flanders. Rarely does the conversation travel south to Africa, where an entirely different kind of war unfolded across deserts, jungles, and vast savannas.

There, thousands of African soldiers fought under a name history too often forgets.

The Askari.

Disciplined, resilient, and hardened by terrain most European armies could barely navigate, they became some of the most effective colonial troops of the entire war.

Yet their story is frequently overshadowed by modern politics, simplified narratives, and sweeping claims that ignore both the realities of the era and the men themselves.

Who Were the Askari?

The word Askari comes from Arabic, meaning simply “soldier.”

In German East Africa, it referred to locally recruited African troops trained and led by German officers and NCOs. Many were not forced into service, but volunteers or professional fighters drawn from communities already familiar with warfare and regional conflicts.

They received:

• regular pay
• structured military training
• uniforms and modern rifles
• rations and pensions
• and formal unit discipline

By 1914, they formed the backbone of Germany’s colonial defense force, the Schutztruppe.

And they quickly earned a reputation for reliability under fire.

More Than Just East Africa

While the Askari of East Africa are the most well known, they were not the only colonial troops serving under Germany.

Across the empire, similar formations existed:

• Kamerun and Togoland Schutztruppe in West Africa
• South West Africa units supporting German operations
• local auxiliaries, scouts, and porters attached to nearly every detachment

These forces often performed reconnaissance, patrol, and frontier defense duties, roles that demanded endurance and local knowledge more than parade-ground precision.

In short, Germany’s colonial forces were small compared to Britain or France, but they relied heavily on quality and adaptability rather than numbers.

A Different Kind of War

The East African campaign looked nothing like the Western Front.

There were no endless trench lines.

Instead, it was a war of:

• long marches
• sudden ambushes
• raids on supply depots
• harsh climate and disease
• fighting across thousands of miles of wilderness

European formations struggled badly in this environment. The equipment broke. Supply lines collapsed. Heat and illness caused more casualties than bullets.

The Askari, however, endured.

They moved faster.
They carried less.
They lived off the land when necessary.
They fought with patience instead of massed assaults.

Under commanders like Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, relatively small Askari-led forces repeatedly tied down and harassed Allied troops far larger than themselves.

By the war’s end, German East Africa had forced Britain to commit enormous manpower simply to chase a force that refused to be pinned down.

That effectiveness was not luck.

It was skill and experience.

Separating History From Propaganda

Colonial history is complicated and often uncomfortable. Every empire of the era carries its share of harsh chapters.

But modern discussions sometimes fall into the trap of oversimplification, treating entire regions and peoples as if they existed only as victims or villains.

Africa at the turn of the century was not a peaceful landscape, suddenly disrupted overnight. Many regions were already shaped by long-standing rivalries, raids, and inter-tribal warfare. Colonial conflicts often overlapped with those existing tensions rather than creating them from nothing.

Acknowledging this does not excuse wrongdoing by any power. It simply adds needed context.

It is also worth remembering that:

• British campaigns used concentration camps in South Africa
• French colonial wars were often severe and suppressive
• Belgian rule in the Congo was catastrophic
• and nearly every empire committed acts now viewed as unacceptable

History deserves to be viewed honestly and evenly, not selectively.

Most importantly, the Askari themselves should not be reduced to modern arguments. They were not symbols. They were soldiers.

Loyalty and Legacy

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Askari story is what happened after the war.

Even after Germany lost its colonies, many veterans retained strong loyalty to their former units and officers. Some continued to maintain uniforms and medals decades later. A number even received pensions long after the empire that employed them had vanished.

That kind of loyalty cannot be forced.

It is earned.

In the World of Trench

Within the Trench series, these colonial troops serve as a reminder that the Great War was never confined to Europe.

Germany’s reach extended across continents, and so did the soldiers who fought under its banner.

Askari and other colonial detachments appear not as background figures, but as capable professionals. Scouts, guards, raiders, and defenders who operate in terrain and conditions that would overwhelm conventional forces.

Their presence reinforces an important truth of the era.

The war was global.

And so were the men who fought it.

Future posts will also explore Germany’s lesser-known forces in Asia and the Pacific, whose stories deserve their own space and attention.

Final Thoughts

The Askari were not myths.
They were not caricatures.
They were not footnotes.

They were hardened troops who marched farther, endured more, and fought just as fiercely as any soldier in Europe.

Whatever banner they served beneath, their courage stands on its own.

And that is how they deserve to be remembered.