German Empire Diplomatic Passport 1891 For East Africa
Very interesting, huge German Empire passport issued to nobleman Baron Schreck von Notzing (German East Africa Schutztruppen / Protection Forces) and issued by the Reich Chancellery on special order of King Wilhelm II. This is in fact a diplomatic passport which was just offered online and fetched a price of 368 EUR / $400.
A nice example of a travel document for German East Africa which is not often to spot. I do have a similar document in my collection also issued to a member of the Schutztruppen in 1895.
ALBERT PHILIBERT FRANZ DR. MED. VON SCHRENK VON NOTZING was Lieutenant in the German Imperial East African Army in the function of a company commander.
Schutztruppe (literally “protection force”) was the official name of the colonial troops in the African territories of the German colonial empire from the late 19th century to 1918. Similar to other colonial armies, the Schutztruppe consisted of volunteer European commissioned and non-commissioned officers, medical and veterinary officers. Most enlisted ranks were generally recruited locally.
Military contingents were formed in German East Africa, where they became famous as Askari, in the Kamerun colony of German West Africa, and in German South-West Africa. Control of the German colonies of New Guinea, in Samoa, and in Togoland was performed by small local police detachments. Kiautschou in China under Imperial Navy administration was a notable exception. As part of the East Asian Station the navy garrisoned at Tsingtao the marines of 3rd Sea Battalion, the only all-German unit with permanent status in an overseas protectorate.