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PHAFFM β€” Schellenbaumtraeger 1. Garderegiment zu Fuss

Published: 2014-05-16 10:27:45 +0000 UTC; Views: 1656; Favourites: 8; Downloads: 3
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Description Ben Aissa the Maroccan Turkish Crescent carrier of the 1st foot guards (1907-1918). Wilhelm II. met Ben Aissa on his trip to marocco in 1905. Ben Aissa was the son of a servant of the sultan of Tangier. He was invited to come to Berlin with Wilhelm II where he become a member of the millitary band of the 1sr foot guards and reacched the rank of a Vizefeldwebel (Sergeant Major something like that). Unfortunately I don't know anything about his further stay after WWI.
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Comments: 6

Cid-Vicious [2014-05-18 22:28:29 +0000 UTC]

How Aissa and other colored soldiers were treated in Germany? Did the uniform made all men equal for the populace or they were still "subhumans"?

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PHAFFM In reply to Cid-Vicious [2014-05-20 20:52:02 +0000 UTC]

They were fully integrated. Ben Aissa was NCO and This guy phaffm.deviantart.com/art/Gust… was Musikmeister (cunductor) of a whole regiment that means he held an officer rank so automatically commanding white people. That was possible in the Prussian army. The prussians were always very tolerant. I am not aware of any other coloured people in other armies at that time holding an officer rank at that time.
But of course in germany were just a "hand full" of coloured people compared to other nations like france and britain so you have to keep that in mind.

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Cid-Vicious In reply to PHAFFM [2014-05-20 23:29:58 +0000 UTC]

That always surprised me. I even saw a postcard of a Black soldier wearing a Prussian uniform hugging a WHITE, German woman. Tweenty years later this would be Rassenschande in its finest, and already unacepptable in other countries.
Perhaps in Brazil, some decades earlier. The Imperial Army had a handful of distinguished Black soldiers - some earned their liberty in the field, as slavery lasted until 1888 - and one known as Oba II of Africa (possibly a real African prince) received a Sergeant's pension and frequented the Imperial Palace.
You're right. By the time Germany didn't had whole armies composed of Black soldiers from the colonies like Britain, so I always had the notion they were like "pets" (I know it may sound very gross and offensive, but, have in mind in that era, condescending acceptance was the best they could get most times).

One of the early ideas I had for my AU was an image of the Kaiser - or just a General - reviewing a regiment composed entirely of soldiers from the colonies, like Togo. Or Prince Adolf in his Reichskomissar duties in Burundi.

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PHAFFM In reply to Cid-Vicious [2014-05-21 08:16:50 +0000 UTC]

That black soldier is Gustav Sabac el Cher with his wife (the artist just "dramatized his skin colour a lot ).
It's always easier to get acceptance when you are the only one if you know what I mean? But still: His skin colour just became a problem after the Nazis took the power.

Prince Adolf??? No!!! Thats not a royal Prussian name
There are so many names why Adolf

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Cid-Vicious In reply to PHAFFM [2014-05-22 05:59:49 +0000 UTC]

Oh. Nowadays it's the opposite: "the lighter, the better".
I know. That's why I spoke of condescending acceptance: "it's just one guy, what harm he could do? He seems nice". And, if you're fortunate to serve under a comprehensive man like General Paul Lettow-Vorbeck, you will be seem for what you are: a soldier.
To be honest, I was suprised to see how many Black people were in Germany by that time. Another picture I saw some time ago was a Black train conductor (or usher). A German one!

Well, "Karl Adolf Ferdinand". He was named after one of his ancestors: Adolf II of Schaumburg-Lippe. His parents thought it sounded more German than "George" or "Alexander", as he also had relatives among the Windsors and Romanovs.

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artlovr59 [2014-05-16 10:44:30 +0000 UTC]

Very interesting!

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