Curt's younger brother Hermann von François (1856–1933) served as a general in World War I and was one of the key contributors to the German victory at the 1914 Battle of Tannenberg.

In 1883, the German merchant Adolf Lüderitz had purchased the coastal area of Angra Pequena, following negotiations with a local African chief.

Fearing that the British were soon to declare the area a protectorate, Lüderitz advised the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck to claim it, which he did at the Berlin Conference of 1884.

When in 1888 their officials were forcibly expelled from Okahandja, the German Colonial Society engaged Hauptmann Curt von François to provide security to the territory.

Soon afterwards François stationed himself at Otjimbingwe (against the advice of acting commissioner Heinrich Göring) in order to deal with opponents to German authority in the interior of the territory.

In May 1890 he renewed a former peace agreement with the Herero chief Maharero and eventually occupied the completely destroyed settlement of Windhoek (founded by Jonker Afrikaner decades earlier).

Within this time period (on 12 September 1892) he established the coastal town of Swakopmund as the main harbour of German South West Africa[1] and mapped large parts of the colony.

On 12 April 1893 he led an attack of 225 German soldiers on Nama leader Hendrik Witbooi's headquarters at Hoornkrans west of Rehoboth.

[2] François' force was formally established as the Imperial Schutztruppe for German South West Africa by the Reich Law of 9 June 1895.