German Marine-Brigade uniforms?

[area23]

I'm considering using Copplestone's German marines as a unit in my Freikorps.

The idea is that they would be dressed in home uniform (not the Africa colours) but they would wear the tropical helmets anyway because they want to show they are africa-veterans.
Was the standard uniform different from the africa one and if so are there any online references?

[von der Tann]

I only have a book. I have too look it up, but I think "normal" color (i.e. when at home) was field grey. I will see what I can find.

[former user]

Can You be a bit more precise please

the miniatures are "Seebataillon", which were technically marines, garrison of the East Asian Colonies (Tsing Tao) and also deployed to East Africa. There was also a home unit that was expanded during WW1 to fight on land.

these would have a dark blue service uniform with the light infantry Chako, although I am not sure if this was not changed to khaki for the abroad veterans at the same time when the field army changed to field grey.

Or are You referring to the "Schutztruppe", that garrisoned the African Colonies and had a light grey service uniform and Khaki tropical uniform, both with the typical hat?

[area23]

the miniatures are "Seebataillon", which were technically marines, garrison of the East Asian Colonies (Tsing Tao).

That's even better! I don't know anything about the Seebatalion, I'm just looking to justify these miniatures in a (ahistorical-) Freikorps force. 

[former user]

I see
so first I have to correct myself, the Seebatallion was deployed in Cameroon and SWA as well, but not during WW1
here, read for Yourself
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seebataillon

the african veterans You might be referring to would be the remnants of von Lettow-Vorbeck's troops, who indeed took some stance during the German civil war, but they displayed their tropical uniforms and hats that made them recognizable, as well as toppees


and these would have been Schutztruppe and commandeered sailors from the Königsberg, not marines

[former user]

as to the miniatures - I can't give You good advice here
my osprey "armies in East Africa"  shows various types of toppee,all light khaki, and the uniforms are pretty generic and could be field grey I guess or Khaki drill too. I am not sure though if a marine uniform would not be double breasted in blue

You'll have to wait until someone with more knowledge on that pops along, I'm afraid 

[Plynkes]

They wouldn't be Africa veterans, not from the Great War, at any rate. As former user said, they served in China and on the Western Front during the war, not in Africa. In photos of their service in China, they are wearing jaeger-style shakos, not sun helmets. On the Western Front they wore shakos and later metal helmets, making them pretty indistinguishable from regular army infantry. The home uniform of the Seebataillon was a dark blue, but they mostly wore field grey when actually fighting in Europe during the war.




I fancy Schutztruppe veterans who wanted to show their African legacy would probably wear the "Südwester" slouch hat if they still had one, as that was really the emblematic headgear of German colonial forces, rather than the sun helmet.

[Plynkes]

The dark blue uniform with shako (pre war picture)


Dark blue uniform with Seebataillon Peaked Cap (pre war picture)


Dark blue uniform with soft cap (pre war picture)


A mix of field grey and dark blue (wartime picture)

[von der Tann]

Ok .. here we go.

I will try to answer your questions with the help of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.de/Uniforms-German-Colonial-Troops-1884-1918/dp/0764333577/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371301299&sr=8-1&keywords=uniforms+of+the+german+colonial+troops"; target=&amp;quot;_blank&quot; target=&quot;_blank" target="_blank">"Uniforms of the German Colonial Troops, 1884-1918"[/url].

To complicate things (we Germans find "easy" obviously slightly irritating ...), uniforms where not uniform (come up with a better one ). This means that uniforms in Africa where different from those in China or those in Oceania.
Since you mentioned them as "Marines", this is what I found out about the Seebatallion:

Home Service uniform:
"The Home Service uniform, or peace-time uniform, was dark blue and cut in the army pattern. The uniform collar and cuffs where white with Litzen applied in the Garde Regiment style. The shoulder straps where also white with yellow crossed anchors, Imperial Crown over a banner and the Bataillon roman numeral number below the crossed anchors. The uniform whas piped in white down the front, around the cuffs and rear coat flaps."
(quoted from "Uniforms of the German Colonial Troops, 1884-1918", page 111)

Now I know that pictures where more helpful but the internet doesn't show the pictures of the book. But as you don't want to go historical correct (the Tropenhelm was only worn overseas) the little details seem a bit redundant. If you take a look at Osprey's "The German Freikorps 1918–23", most Freikorps members wore the standard grey uniform. Marine-Brigade Ehrhardt for example didn't and doesn't look all that "maritime" on the old photos.

I hope this is of some help. If you have more questions drop me a pm. I don't want to bother people.

[former user]

Anyway, You want to use the Copplestone Seebatallion miniatures, so let's take it from here

the tunic is with turn down collar and skirt pockets, no breast pockets but no recognizable embroidery on the collar

I cannot count the buttons, but they look prominent enough to be the service dress and not the field dress.

so we can discharge the blue prewar parade uniform or the post war big service dress, because the latter would not be worn with puttees. I would opt for the field grey small service dress because the cloth looks thick enough to be wool. The toppee would be light Khaki in any case, a yellowish tone for german khaki I remember, and it is the navy style. At least it was worn for parade in the first picture I showed, so why not counterfactual....

Osprey shows dark blue puttees from improvised cloth (which I would go for), the facings would been white (with light blue piping for Schutztruppe). Seebatallion would have worn imperial cockade and toppee band, but You wanted Schutztruppe, right? The webbing would be black faded into brownish

there You are

[area23]

Amazing. A wealth of information.

So in short, in post-Great War Germany it would be improbable to see troops dressed like these miniatures, apart from some of Lettow-Vorbeck's men.

China veterans are very inspiring to add to my freikorps though. I only need to find a way to justify the sun-helmets. But then, there were also freikorps with Adrian helmets and Turkish visor-less ones.

Thanks guys.

[area23]

Ah! Thanks former user!

[former user]

here is a photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joerookery/6172749235/

toppee for Tsingtao Seebatallion - impossible
toppee for East African veteraan Schutztruppe - improbable, but a picture reference for one occasion at least
 

You are welcome

[Franz_Josef]

Another possibility is Robert Murch's Pulp Figures German Seebattalion pack PGS 04 troops in the billed cap (see link below).  They could be dressed in field grey, but with their marine caps as a unit identifer.

http://pulpfigures.com/products/view/120

[cdr]

German units from the seebataillon at the siege of Antwerp in 1914 still used the blue uniform

Carl