1898 postcard of German Southwest Africa including scenes of the capital of Greater Windhoek, a square in the city, and Major Leutwein, Governor from 1894 to 1904.

Panorama von Gross-Windhoek

Platz in Gross-Windhoek

Gouverneur Major Leutwein

Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika



Verl. u. Eigent d. Deutschen Kolonialhauses, Berlin, C 19. Ges. geschützl. Must. No. 15



Panorama of greater Windhoek

Square in greater Windhoek

Governor Major Leutwein

German SouthWest Africa



Publisher and Property of the German Colonial House, Berlin, C 19 Registered Trademark of the Heavy Artillery Muster [?] No. 15



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Deutsche Schutzgebiete

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German protected areas

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A German colony in southwest Africa from 1884, German Southwest Africa, now Namibia, was conquered by Allied forces, primarily South African, in 1915.

Although much of the territory was desert, it was also rich in mineral deposits including gold and diamonds. German colonists aggressively and increasingly ruthlessly dispossessed the native Herero, Ovambo, and Nama people of their land.

The first uprising against German rule was by the Nama in 1893-94. Further uprisings culminated in the Herero revolt of 1904. With the addition of 14,000 troops from Germany, the revolt was crushed and became the German Genocide of the Herero. The Herero were driven eastward into the desert where German troops with orders to shoot any adult male Herero on sight guarded all water sources. Many Herero died of thirst in the desert.

In 1914, approximately 3,000 German troops were stationed in Southwest Africa. Over 50,000 troops were in neighboring South Africa, part of the British Empire. In September, the Royal Navy's Cape Division took the harbor of Swakopmund, Rhodesian troops seized the Caprivi Strip in the northeast, South African troops crossed the southern border and were landed further north at Luderitz.

By February 1915, South African forces advanced from Swakopmund east to the colonial capital at Windhoek with the support of armored cars from the British enclave of Walvis Bay. By April they were joined by additional troops under the command of South African General Jan Smuts. The Allied forces took Windhoek on May 13 after the German forces had retreated by rail north to Omaruru. South African cavalry occupied Omaruru on June 20. The Germans continued retreating north until surrendering on July 9, 1915.

The Germans lost 1,331 dead in the campaign, the South Africans 266.

German Southwest Africa is a colony in Africa.