This guide will address only the DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA 1901 clasp which was worn on the bronze combatant version of the Kolonialdenkmünze. The Imperial German Colonial Medal (Kolonialdenkmünze) was established by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 13 June 1912 with revisions on 17 February 1914.  The medal with clasps was awarded retroactively.  

The clasp  DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA 1901 was awarded for actions in the St. Mathias (Matthias) Islands group of the Admiralty Islands which was part of the Bismark Archipelago.  St. Mathias consists of Mussau (a volcanic island), Emirau (an uplifted reef) and Eloaua (another uplifted reef).   In 1901, a small Lutheran Mission and several German palm and tobacco planters were living on the islands when they were attacked by native cannibals sailing from other parts of the Admiralty Islands.  They had been through an especially bloody attack the previous year and were prepared in case the natives returned.  The German colonials requested assistance and a force of troops was sent in July.  After a few actions on the islands, the natives were either killed or driven off and peace returned for a short period.  There appears to be far fewer than 500 men authorized this clasp (in all categories) and possibly only 1/3 to 1/4  received it in 1912.

• In 1999, a single clasp DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA 1901 was sold in Germany for €231, which is the only authentic single, loose clasp I've noted for sell from 1991 to 1 March 2007.

This clasp was awarded only to Imperial German Colonial Protection Troops and Police Troops.  Some military &/or naval personnel were attached and received the appropriate clasp.  Native New Guinea troops did not total over 600 at any one time.  While the medal is somewhat rare, these bronze clasps are very rare.  As of November 2006, this bronze clasp is only known in one officially issued type:  same width as the ribbon, wide lettering, flat back, pebbled background and with soldered prong backs.   This is not to say that another type wasn't officially issued as well but that only this one type has been verified. 

If you found this guide helpful, a Yes vote is appreciated.  This will help me gauge the level of interest in this and similar topics for further guides.  For your convenience, other associated guides can be found at:  medal guides is located at:  http://reviews.ebay.com/Imperial-German-Medal-Guides-Index_W0QQugidZ10000000002386112 and/or  http://reviews.ebay.com/Imperial-German-Colonial-Medal-DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA_W0QQugidZ10000000002379852.  Please visit my blog (http://blogs.ebay.com/tsa-li) and/or guides for further information.  Thank you for your visit!