The S?ºdwester- Slouch Hats of the German Colonies-

[BellyTank]

German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and even English- some words are very similar- yes.
North, South, East and West are all very recogniseable words.

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[Haversack]

I believe the German name for the hat, "S?ºdwester", derives from the name of the German colony, Deutsch-S?ºdwestafrika, now known as Namibia. Given the climate there, the hat is appropriate.

Haversack.

 

[BellyTank]

Deutsch S?ºdwestafrika.
Correct.

Been there already.

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[griffer]

this thread inspired me to do a little research- trus me it was very little, but this gem surprised me...

The German Colony of Tsing Tau-

The area of which Qingdao is located today was called Jiao'ao (胶澳) when it was administered by the Qing Dynasty. In 1891, the Qing Government decided to make the area a primary defence base against naval attacks, and planned the construction of a city. Little was done, however, until 1897 when the city was ceded to Germany. The Germans soon turned Tsingtao into a strategically important port that was administered by the Department of the Navy (Reichsmarineamt) rather than the Colonial Office (Reichskolonialamt). They based here their Far East Squadron, allowing the fleet to conduct operations throughout the Pacific. Since 1898 the III. Seebatallion (Marines) was based at Tsingtao. The German Imperial government planned and built the first streets and institutions of the city we see today, including the world-famous Tsingtao Brewery. German influence extended to other areas of Shandong Province, including the establishment of rival breweries.

So the Tsingtao I like is actually a GERMAN COLONIAL BEER! Makes so much sense.

 

[Feng_Li]

Well, the Chinese certainly didn't have a tradition of brewing clear, golden Pilsners!

One of the goals of the Qingdao administrators was to build a sort of living exhibition of all the best elements of German culture. During the colonial era, the Germaniabrauerei beer was reputed to be the best in Asia.

 

[20thCenturyTim]

Belly Tank,

Thanks for this thread and images! Wow! I love slouch hats with the brim up on the side. I would love to have a new reproduction of a few of these.

20CT:eusa_clap

 

[BellyTank]

Long time, no see-


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[Sam Craig]

nice collection:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

anybody reenact these units?

what do they use for replica hats?

just wondering [huh]

 

[BellyTank]

Some folks do reenact German Colonial.
I would hope their hats are custom made.

http://www.altearmee.org/Bilder2007.htm


German forces in Africa in WW1 is quite an interesting field.
I just read "Tanganyikan Guerilla", which decribes Paul von Lettow Vorbeck giving the British
the run around in the jungle, during WW1.

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[mayserwegener]

Very nice! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap Do you have any info on the makers of the posted hats?

 

[BellyTank]

Sorry, no.


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