All the Kaiser's men : the life and the death of the German army on the Western Front, 1914-1918

Convinced that both God and the Kaiser were on their side, the officers and men of the Imperial German Army went to war in 1914, supremely confident that they were destined for a swift and crushing victory in the West. The much-vaunted 'Schlieffen Plan' on which the anticipated German victory was based provided for an equally decisive victory on the Eastern Front. But it was not to be. From the winter of 1914 until the early months of 1918, the war on the Western Front was characterised by trench warfare. But the popular perception of the war takes little or no account of the reality of life 'across the wire' in the German front line. A re-examination of the strategy and tactics of the German Army throughout the war, from the commanding generals to the ordinary soldiers at the Front, this book also assesses the implications of the Allied naval blockade on the German home front, the increasing problems of food and fuel shortages and the spectres of nationwide disease, hunger and then widespread starvation in Germany. Ian Passingham gives a unique and fully illustrated insight into the daily life of the German troops facing the British and French between 1914 and 1918 and fills a significant gap in the historiography of the First World War. kaiser001.jpg......Page 1 kaiser003.jpg......Page 2 kaiser005.jpg......Page 3 kaiser006.jpg......Page 4 kaiser007.jpg......Page 5 kaiser008.jpg......Page 6 kaiser009.jpg......Page 7 kaiser010.jpg......Page 8 kaiser011.jpg......Page 9 kaiser012.jpg......Page 10 kaiser013.jpg......Page 11 kaiser014.jpg......Page 12 kaiser015.jpg......Page 13 kaiser016.jpg......Page 14 kaiser017.jpg......Page 15 kaiser018.jpg......Page 16 kaiser019.jpg......Page 17 kaiser020.jpg......Page 18 kaiser021.jpg......Page 19 kaiser022.jpg......Page 20 kaiser023.jpg......Page 21 kaiser024.jpg......Page 22 kaiser025.jpg......Page 23 kaiser028.jpg......Page 24 kaiser029.jpg......Page 25 kaiser030.jpg......Page 26 kaiser031.jpg......Page 27 kaiser033.jpg......Page 28 kaiser034.jpg......Page 29 kaiser035.jpg......Page 30 kaiser036.jpg......Page 31 kaiser037.jpg......Page 32 kaiser038.jpg......Page 33 kaiser039.jpg......Page 34 kaiser040.jpg......Page 35 kaiser041.jpg......Page 36 kaiser042.jpg......Page 37 kaiser043.jpg......Page 38 kaiser044.jpg......Page 39 kaiser045.jpg......Page 40 kaiser046.jpg......Page 41 kaiser047.jpg......Page 42 kaiser048.jpg......Page 43 kaiser049.jpg......Page 44 kaiser050.jpg......Page 45 kaiser051.jpg......Page 46 kaiser052.jpg......Page 47 kaiser053.jpg......Page 48 kaiser054.jpg......Page 49 kaiser055.jpg......Page 50 kaiser056.jpg......Page 51 kaiser057.jpg......Page 52 kaiser058.jpg......Page 53 kaiser059.jpg......Page 54 kaiser060.jpg......Page 55 kaiser061.jpg......Page 56 kaiser062.jpg......Page 57 kaiser063.jpg......Page 58 kaiser064.jpg......Page 59 kaiser065.jpg......Page 60 kaiser066.jpg......Page 61 kaiser067.jpg......Page 62 kaiser068.jpg......Page 63 kaiser069.jpg......Page 64 kaiser070.jpg......Page 65 kaiser071.jpg......Page 66 kaiser072.jpg......Page 67 kaiser073.jpg......Page 68 kaiser074.jpg......Page 69 kaiser075.jpg......Page 70 kaiser076.jpg......Page 71 kaiser077.jpg......Page 72 kaiser080.jpg......Page 73 kaiser081.jpg......Page 74 kaiser082.jpg......Page 75 kaiser083.jpg......Page 76 kaiser084.jpg......Page 77 kaiser085.jpg......Page 78 kaiser086.jpg......Page 79 kaiser087.jpg......Page 80 kaiser088.jpg......Page 81 kaiser089.jpg......Page 82 kaiser090.jpg......Page 83 kaiser091.jpg......Page 84 kaiser092.jpg......Page 85 kaiser093.jpg......Page 86 kaiser094.jpg......Page 87 kaiser095.jpg......Page 88 kaiser096.jpg......Page 89 kaiser097.jpg......Page 90 kaiser098.jpg......Page 91 kaiser099.jpg......Page 92 kaiser100.jpg......Page 93 kaiser101.jpg......Page 94 kaiser102.jpg......Page 95 kaiser103.jpg......Page 96 kaiser104.jpg......Page 97 kaiser105.jpg......Page 98 kaiser106.jpg......Page 99 kaiser107.jpg......Page 100 kaiser108.jpg......Page 101 kaiser109.jpg......Page 102 kaiser110.jpg......Page 103 kaiser111.jpg......Page 104 kaiser112.jpg......Page 105 kaiser113.jpg......Page 106 kaiser114.jpg......Page 107 kaiser115.jpg......Page 108 kaiser116.jpg......Page 109 kaiser117.jpg......Page 110 kaiser118.jpg......Page 111 kaiser119.jpg......Page 112 kaiser120.jpg......Page 113 kaiser121.jpg......Page 114 kaiser122.jpg......Page 115 kaiser123.jpg......Page 116 kaiser124.jpg......Page 117 kaiser125.jpg......Page 118 kaiser126.jpg......Page 119 kaiser127.jpg......Page 120 kaiser128.jpg......Page 121 kaiser129.jpg......Page 122 kaiser130.jpg......Page 123 kaiser131.jpg......Page 124 kaiser132.jpg......Page 125 kaiser133.jpg......Page 126 kaiser134.jpg......Page 127 kaiser135.jpg......Page 128 kaiser136.jpg......Page 129 kaiser137.jpg......Page 130 kaiser138.jpg......Page 131 kaiser139.jpg......Page 132 kaiser140.jpg......Page 133 kaiser141.jpg......Page 134 kaiser142.jpg......Page 135 kaiser143.jpg......Page 136 kaiser144.jpg......Page 137 kaiser145.jpg......Page 138 kaiser146.jpg......Page 139 kaiser147.jpg......Page 140 kaiser148.jpg......Page 141 kaiser149.jpg......Page 142 kaiser150.jpg......Page 143 kaiser151.jpg......Page 144 kaiser152.jpg......Page 145 kaiser153.jpg......Page 146 kaiser154.jpg......Page 147 kaiser155.jpg......Page 148 kaiser156.jpg......Page 149 kaiser157.jpg......Page 150 kaiser158.jpg......Page 151 kaiser159.jpg......Page 152 kaiser002.jpg......Page 153 Convinced that both God and the Kaiser were on their side, the officers and men of the German Army went to war in 1914, confident that they were destined for a swift and crushing victory in the West. The vaunted Schlieffen Plan on which the anticipated German victory was based expected triumph in the West to be followed by an equally decisive success on the Eastern Front. It was not to be. From the winter of 1914 until the early months of 1918, the struggle on the Western Front was characterised by trench warfare. But our perception of the conflict takes little or no account of the realities of life'across the wire'in the German trenches. This book redresses that imbalance and reminds us how similar these young German men were to our own Tommies. Drawing from diaries and letters, Ian Passingham charts the hopes and despair of the German soldiers, filling an important gap in the history of the Western Front. Convinced that both God and the Kaiser were on their side, the officers and men of the Imperial German Army went to war in 1914, supremely confident that they were destined for a swift and crushing victory in the West. The much-vaunted Schlieffen Plan on which the anticipated German victory was based provided for an equally decisive victory on the Eastern Front. But it was not to be. From the winter of 1914 until the early months of 1918, the war on the Western Front was characterized by trench warfare.