Elo Sambo (1885–1933) was a

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

ian who served in the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, notable for being one of very few Africans to do so. He served as the kettle drummer in the Life Guard Hussars of

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

(1907–18) and later the 4th Cavalry Regiment of the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

, also at Potsdam. During his service he was a favorite drummer of German Kaiser

Wilhelm II, German Emperor Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

. He was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

, first and second class. While serving on the Eastern Front he became wounded and after recuperating joined the German effort with its ally, the Ottoman Empire. It was here he became a POW, returning to Germany in 1919.

Post war

The former German Kaiser

, who abdicated in 1918, was able to use his contacts to get Sambo a job Den Linden in a baby blue uniform as a "taxicab man" at the prestigious Berlin hotel,

Hotel Adlon The Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is a luxury hotel in Berlin, Germany. It is on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the central Mitte district, at the corner with Pariser Platz, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate. The original Hotel Adlon ...

. The paper noted Sambo "is a great linguist and speaks fluent German, even rolling his R's in German fashion.

Bibliography

Notes References * * - Total pages: 174
Interesting facts about the German Colonies
1885 births 1933 deaths German people of Cameroonian descent Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class People of former German colonies {{Germany-mil-bio-stub

Post war

See also

Bibliography