Union of German Scouts in South West Africa

German-speaking Scouts in Namibia
Flag of the Scouts in South-West Africa before 1939

The Union of German Scouts in South West Africa, (Bund deutscher Pfadfinder Südwestafrikas ) the first German oriented Scouting organization, was founded in 1928 in South West Africa and dissolved by the South African administration in 1939 on the outbreak of World War II. The current association, Deutscher Pfadfinderbund in Namibia, was founded in the 1960s, under the name Deutscher Pfadfinderbund Südwestafrika.

Background

At the end of the World War I there was a sizable population of German Namibians in what is now Namibia. Most of these were farmers, craftsmen, and their families. By 1928, there was a movement to bring Scouting to the youth of South West Africa. The program flourished until it was made to become part of the "Hitler Youth" in 1934. In 1939, the group was disbanded at the start of World War II.

In 1937, Heinz Anton Klein-Werner wrote the song Südwesterlied for the German Scouts which later became the unofficial national anthem of the German Namibians.

Further reading

• Deutscher Pfadfinderbund von Südwestafrika: Reise in die Vergangenheit oder Safari durch den Norden von Südwestafrika, o.O o.J. (in German).
• Deutscher Pfadfinderbund von Südwestafrika: Reise in die Vergangenheit oder Safari durch den Norden von Südwestafrika, Windhuk o.J. (in German).
• Falkengruppe (1. Group) of Deutsche Pfadfinder in Windhuk, Windhuk, ed. (1932). Falkengesang (in German).
• Pfadfinder Swakopmund: Mit dem Jukundus durch den Süden, Privatdruck o.O.,o.J (in German).

See also

• Deutscher Pfadfinderbund in Namibia

External links

• Das Südwesterlied (The song of the Deutscher Pfadfinderbund Südwestafrikas)
• "Pfadfinder informieren" [The Scouts inform]. Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 16 February 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
• "Großer Besucherandrang bei den Pfadfindern" [Large number of visitors at the Boy Scouts]. Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 7 July 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
• "Frühschoppen bei den Pfadfinder" [Morning pint with the Boy Scouts]. Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 9 March 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
• "Wasserspaß der Pfadfinder mit dem alten Seeteufel am Hardap-Damm" [Scouts have aquatic fun with the old Sea Devil at Hardap-Damm]. Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 13 September 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
• "Deutsch-Südwest| Bei den deutschen Farmern in Südwest (Jaduland)" [German Southwest Africa|the German farmers in Southwest (Jaduland))]. jaduland.de (in German). 1954. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
• "Pfadfinder aus Namibia beim Grab des Generals Leutwein" [Scouts from Namibia at the grave of General Leutwein] (in German). July 1992. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
• Eberhardt, Martin (2007). Zwischen Nationalsozialismus und Apartheid: die deutsche Bevölkerungsgruppe Südwestafrikas 1915-1965 [Between National Socialism and Apartheid: the German population of Southwest Africe 1915.1965)]. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-8258-0225-7.
• "Der Alemanne article 18 June 1935, No. 168, Von 32 000 Weißen sind 12-13 000 gebürtige Deutsche" [12-13,000 out of 32,000 whites are of German descent]. freiburg-postkolonial.de.