Union of German Scouts in South West Africa

{{Short description|Scouting organization, founded in 1928}}

{{use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}

{{Infobox WorldScouting

|name=German-speaking Scouts in Namibia

|image=File:Bund deutscher Pfadfinder Südwestafrikas flag.svg

|caption=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.{{cite book| title = Die postkoloniale Literatur in Namibia (1920-2000) | type = Diplom thesis | first = Thomas | last = Keil | url = http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=968953298&dok_var=d1&dok_ext=pdf&filename=968953298.pdf | language = de | date = 2003-07-24| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110820180133/http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=968953298&dok_var=d1&dok_ext=pdf&filename=968953298.pdf | archive-date = 2011-08-20 }} The current association, Deutscher Pfadfinderbund in Namibia, was founded in the 1960s, under the name Deutscher Pfadfinderbund Südwestafrika.{{cite web| url = http://www.pfadfinder-treffpunkt.de/include.php?path=tp_eintrag_bund_view.php&index=5690 | title = Pfadfinder-Treffpunkt|language=de}}

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.{{cite web | title= Deutsches Leben in Südwestafrika von 1918 bis 1948 - die schweren Jahre | trans-title = German life in SWA, the hard years | url = http://www.wfg-gk.de/geschichte15.html | work = wfg-gk.de| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071010010444/http://www.wfg-gk.de/geschichte15.html | archive-date = 10 October 2007 }}

In 1937, Heinz Anton Klein-Werner wrote the song {{ill|Südwesterlied|de}} for the German Scouts which later became the unofficial national anthem of the German Namibians.{{cite book|first=Bernd G. | last = Längin |editor=Inge Mellenthin |title=Die deutschen Kolonien. Schauplätze und Schicksale 1884–1918 |edition=Sonderausgabe| publisher= E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH |location=Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn |year=2005 |isbn=3-8132-0854-0 |page=145 | language = de}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book| title = Deutscher Pfadfinderbund von Südwestafrika: Reise in die Vergangenheit oder Safari durch den Norden von Südwestafrika, o.O o.J. | language = de}}
  • {{cite book| title = Deutscher Pfadfinderbund von Südwestafrika: Reise in die Vergangenheit oder Safari durch den Norden von Südwestafrika, Windhuk o.J.| language = de}}
  • {{cite book| title = Falkengesang |editor = ((Falkengruppe (1. Group) of Deutsche Pfadfinder in Windhuk, Windhuk)) | year = 1932| language = de }}{{clarify|reason="editor=" doesn't seem to make much sense; is it correct?|date=January 2024}}
  • {{cite book| title = Pfadfinder Swakopmund: Mit dem Jukundus durch den Süden, Privatdruck o.O.,o.J| language = de}}

See also

References

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