In contrast to the extra-constitutional position of army and navy in Imperial Germany, the German colonial troops were not under the exclusive command of the Kaiser. This contradicted Prussian military traditions. The specific constitutional position of Germany’s colonial troops was largely the result of a lack of interest by army and navy. To the latter the colonial fringe was of little importance in a future war. Yet, as a matter of principle, the military authorities insisted on denying civilian administrators a say in military affairs. Consequently army and navy fought a long battle with the colonial office over the constitutional position of the colonial troops. In the end the notion of civilian control over the military in the colonies prevailed. But this victory over the traditions of Prussian militarism remained on paper. When crisis struck in summer of 1914, the military commander in German East Africa, von Lettow Vorbeck, ignored all constitutional obstacles and simply took control of the war effort. Although this action ended up in a coup it was deeply rooted in Prussian military tradition and therefore made it possible for Lettow Vorbeck to become a war hero.
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Volume 71, Issue 1 -
Contents
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Publicly AvailableInternecine Secret Service Wars Revisited. The Intelligence Career of Count Gerhard von Schwerin, 1945–1956October 23, 2012
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Publicly AvailableNachrichten aus der ForschungOctober 23, 2012
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Publicly AvailableAllgemeines, Altertum, MittelalterOctober 23, 2012
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Publicly AvailableFrühe Neuzeit, 1789–1870October 23, 2012
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Publicly Available1871–1918October 23, 2012
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Publicly Available1919–1945October 23, 2012
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Publicly AvailableNach 1945October 23, 2012
