Company organization of the Wissmantruppe in German East Africa

[Rob Herrick]

Does anybody know what the organization was below company level in the Wissmantruppe and Schutztruppe for German East Africa? Did they organize into platoons, sections, what, as maneuver units? Any idea roughly how many NCOs and buglers, they'd have in addition to German officers and NCOs? The German colonial uniforms website is great for uniforms, and I have the Osprey book, which is pretty useless.

I'm working on putting my figures together for my East African units, and appreciate any help!

[Leigh Metford]

The 'Handbook for Colonial Wargamers', by Ted Herbert, published by the Victorian Military Society in 1976, contains the following information:

In terms of organisational scale, the main difficulty with representing a German company of this period is that a regular company formed in 3 ranks, rather than 2 as with French and British units, and that there were 3 Zuge to a company, rather than 4 sections.

It also gives the establishment of a Schutztruppe mounted company in SW Africa, but that probably doesn't help you.