Instrument of War: The German Army 1914–18 (General Military)

Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Dennis Showalter presents a fresh perspective on the German Army during World War I. Showalter surveys an army at the heart of a national identity, driven by – yet also defeated by – warfare in the modern age, which struggled to capitalize on its victories and ultimately forgot the lessons of its defeat. Exploring the internal dynamics of the German Army and detailing how the soldiers coped with the many new forms of warfare, Showalter shows how the army's institutions responded to, and how Germany itself was changed by war. Detailing the major campaigns on the Western and Eastern fronts and the forgotten war fought in the Middle East and Africa, this comprehensive volume, now publishing in paperback, examines the army's operational strategy, the complexities of campaigns of movement versus static trench warfare, and the effects of changes in warfare. Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Dennis Showalter presents a fresh perspective on the German Army during World War I. Showalter surveys an army at the heart of a national identity, driven by - yet also defeated by - warfare in the modern age, which struggled to capitalize on its victories and ultimately forgot the lessons of its defeat. Exploring the internal dynamics of the German Army and detailing how the soldiers coped with the many new forms of warfare, Showalter shows how the army's institutions responded to and how Germany itself was changed by war. Detailing the major campaigns on the Western and Eastern fronts and the forgotten war fought in the Middle East and Africa, this comprehensive new volume reveals operational strategy, the complexities of campaigns of movement versus static trench warfare, and the changes in warfare Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Dennis Showalter presents a fresh perspective on the German Army during World War I. Showalter surveys an army at the heart of a national identity, driven by--yet also defeated by--warfare in the modern age, that struggled to capitalize on its victories, and ultimately forgot the lessons of its defeat. Exploring the internal dynamics of the German Army, detailing how the soldiers coped with the many new forms of warfare, Showalter shows how the army's institutions responded--or did not--and how Germany itself was changed by war. He goes on to detail the major campaigns on the Western and Eastern Fronts and the forgotten war fought in the Middle East and Africa, revealing operational strategy, the complexities of campaigns of movement versus static trench warfare, and the changes in warfare. "Forged in the fires of German unification in the 19th century, the German Army in 1914 was the ultimate expression of national identity; yet, despite its tactical and operational successes on the battlefields of World War I, it failed to either capitalize on its victories or learn from its defeats. Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Professor Dennis Showalter analyzes its place in German society, the challenges of modernization and advances in technology and tactics to tell the story of the German Army of 1914-1918 as an institution: an instrument of war."--Résumé de l'éditeur "Forged in the fires of German unification in the 19th century, the German Army in 1914 was the ultimate expression of national identity; yet, despite its tactical and operational successes on the battlefields of World War I, it failed to either capitalize on its victories or learn from its defeats. Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Professor Dennis Showalter analyzes its place in German society, the challenges of modernization and advances in technology and tactics to tell the story of the German Army of 1914-1918 as an institution: an instrument of war."--Publisher description Drawing on research, this title presents a fresh perspective on the German Army during World War I. Exploring the internal dynamics of the German army and detailing how the soldiers coped with the many new forms of warfare, it shows how the army's institutions responded to and how Germany itself was changed by war.