The non-German force consisted of six Sudanese companies of 100 men each, one Zulu company also of 100 men, a unit of Company askaris (60-80 men), 30 Sudanese artillerymen, 40 Somali sailors, and 22 Turks for police (twenty men and two officers).
The Sudanese soldiers wore a khaki jacket with brass buttons, khaki knee-length trousers, blue puttees, and natural color leather lace-up shoes. On their head they wore a light gray or pale yellow turban wound around a fez. Toward the end of 1890 the turban was changed to a gray tarbush and neck shade.
The Effendis (native officers) wore a khaki jacket after the pattern worn by German NCO's, with trousers, puttees, shoes, and headdress as for the soldiers. Their jacket buttons were brass also.
The designation "Effendi" originated during the time of the Wissmann Unit. The equivalent German rank was Leutnant or Second Lieutenant. For insignia they wore three, golden, five-pointed stars on each shoulder strap.
Chevrons denoted rank among the men. These were of blue braid (Zinnfigur mentions that some sources state yellow) and worn on the right forearm of the khaki jacket. From 1890 onward they were red, and worn on the upper left sleeve. One chevron denoted the rank of "Ombascha" (Gefreite, or Lance Corporal), two chevrons denoted the rank of "Schausch" (Unteroffizier, or Corporal), three denoted the rank of "Betschausch" (Sergeant), and four the rank of "Sol" (Feldwebel, or Sergeant-Major). Askaris (Privates) wore none. Specialist badges were worn on the upper right sleeve of the jacket. There was a red flaming grenade for artillerymen, and red crossed flags for signals personnel.
The German East Africa Company askaris continued to wear their white uniform and fez. A photo in Schmidt dated 1889 shows a group of them wearing a waist belt with belly box and their jacket is being worn outside the trousers. Zinnfigur states that during the period of the Wissmann Unit a white jacket with standing collar and black buttons came to be worn with long white trousers; jacket outside. There was a black-white-red braid running along the base of the collar.
Soldiers of the Zulu company wore the same dress as the Company askaris mentioned earlier, but the jacket and knee-length trousers were blue instead of white, and the jacket was worn outside the trousers. For parade they wore a long sleeved white shirt beneath the jacket, and white puttees. According to Zinnfigur, later, when a second company was added, the soldiers of the second company wore a white tassel on their fez as a distinction. At the end of 1889 the Zulu soldiers were given the same sort of dress as the Sudanese; with the exception of headwear as they continued to wear the fez, and the lack of shoes.
The Bacharia, or station oarsman, wore the same white jacket and knee-length trousers as the Company askari, jacket worn inside the trousers, with a blue anchor on the right sleeve. In addition to this, the leader wore a blue chevron on the left sleeve. Headwear was a straw hat similar to the British sennet hat.
Native sailors of the Reich Commissar's flotilla wore the same white jacket and knee-length trousers as the Company askari. The jacket had a blue anchor on the chest, and was worn inside the trousers. They wore the straw hat described above, with a ribbon bearing the ships name. According to Zinnfigur it appears that on occasion the red fez was also worn.
The policemen wore the same dress as the Sudanese soldiers, but had no shoulder straps or rank chevrons on the jacket. They wore a red "P" on the upper right sleeve, and when on duty a red police sash running right shoulder to left hip. Headwear consisted of a gray tarbush with brass eagle on the front. One source mentioned that the fez was also worn.
The Village Policemen (Wali Askari) wore the same white jacket and knee-length trousers as the Company askari, and a red fez without tassel. They wore a cartridge belt and were armed with muzzleloaders. The village policemen were subordinate to the authority of the local magistrate, the Wali jumbe or village headman who had responsibility for collecting the hut tax.
The information provided above used with the kind permission of Rudy Scott Nelson
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