Recommended reading on the Imperial German Army & Navy

[Marcus Wendel]

The idea of this sticky is to collect recommandations on good books dealing with the Imperial German Army & Navy.

Please post the title, author and a short (or long) explenation as to why you feel that particular title deserves to be included.

/Marcus



If you buy through the below links you not only get the books you want but you also support the forum while shopping!
* Amazon.com (UK, Germany, France, Canada)
* Abebooks
* Barnes & Noble

[Peter H]

The German Army on the Somme 1914-1916,by Jack Sheldon.

Sheldon,using diaries and extracts from Regimental histories,details the ordeal of the German Army in the Somme fighting of 1916.Provides useful insights into the German view of the war,plus its fighting techniques and abilities.

[Peter H]

Expensive Schiffer tomes by Johan Somers but well worth it for their pictures and layouts.

Imperial German Uniforms And Equipment 1907-1918: Field Equipment, Optical Instruments, Body Armor, Mine And Chemical Warfare, Communications Equipment, Weapons, Cloth Headgear




Imperial German Field Uniforms And Equipment 1907-1918: Infantry and Cavalry Helmets: Pickelhaube, Shako, Tschapka, Steel Helmets, etc.; Infantry and Cavalry

[Peter H]

Our member,joerookery's book

Neumann & Müller Imperial German Military Catalogues: A Resource for Collectors and Historians

Provides insights into what was available, for private purchase, for the Imperial Officer and soldier.Great information here.

[coburg22]

Hello,

I hope this is the right place for the German Air Service and if so, I would like to
recommend:

Above the Lines by Franks, Bailey and Guest which carries a list of Jasta Units/
Kdrs/ Aces and short biographies of all aces with five or more kills from WWI.

Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in WWI and the Men Who Earned Them Vols
1-7 by Neal W. O'Connor which has extended biographies of German Air Service
pilots / Award History / List of Recipients and is heavily illustrated.

Coburg22

[joerookery]

I have a short list here with my opinions in them. Some people do not like my opinions. Most of these books are related to spike helmets. I am woefully behind in reviews.
http://www.pickelhauben.net/books.htm

[Peter H]

The German Army at Passchendaele,by Jack Sheldon

http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/product. ... =23&page=1

http://www.1914-1918.net/books/gpasschendaele.html

[Peter H]

War Experiences in Rural Germany 1914-1923 Benjamin Ziemann




An Amazon review:

For all the books written on the Great War, very few shed real light on the society that fought it. This book does just that, painting a fine picture of the war experience of the men and women of rural Bavaria both at home and in the army. While telling both the stories of the men at arms and those left behind, Benjamin Ziemann shows clearly that the two were deeply interlinked in their attitudes and experiences. These are tracked from their stunned acceptance of war in 1914 (which matches Jeffrey Verhey's study of the `Spirit of 1914'), through disillusion and hopes for peace to the reintegration of those who returned and commemoration of those who did not.

The experience of the ordinary soldier is particularly important for those interested in the war in military terms. While not covering specific battles fought, the general trends of experience and the variations between old and young and urban and rural soldiers are very interesting. Young soldiers were relied on for fighting as veterans became disillusioned; further, this disillusion was spread to the home front by soldiers' letters and those on leave. Rural soldiers were given more leave from the army (and often held in the Replacement Army in Germany) to assist with the harvest so essential to their blockaded country. This book provides useful insights into the workings of the Imperial German army, particularly the progress of soldiers' disillusion from early in the war and the increasing desire for peace and often refusal to fight on in 1918.

The study of the rural home front through the period shows a rural community with a strong feeling of victimisation. Despite their soldiers' extra allocation of leave and the much more reliable supply of food, Bavarian farmers continued to feel hard done by in comparison with their urban contemporaries. Matching the soldiers' disillusionment, there was a profound movement away from the (previously inherent) belief of rural communities in the nation and church, leading to a widespread protest vote for the Social Democrats in 1919. This book gives a fascinating picture of this turbulent period in Germany history, both in general terms and from the specific perspective of rural communities. The results show that broad generalisations about war experiences, like `war enthusiasm' in 1914 and radicalisation of returning soldiers should not be taken for granted. This is a fascinating book, giving a real insight into the Germany and its army in the First World War.

[Peter H]

German Flamethrower Pioneers of World War I Thomas Wictor



Another excellent work from Schiffer.

[Sewer King]

Two more in the Schiffer series on the World War I armies -- although most likely known already to many here, they are worth listing for the intent of the thread.

Charles Woolley's Uniforms & Equipment of the Imperial German Army 1900-1918: A Study in Period Photographs (2000)

Volume 1: Infantry, Artillery, Jäger, Landsturm, Mountain, Insignia, Weapons
Volume 2: Air Service, Cavalry, Assault Troops, Signal Troops, Pickelhauben, Steel Helmets, Vehicles

The best single feature of these books is the analysis of each of their many photographs, helped by the large format. This often includes source dates from the backs of the photos they came from, and mentions of their context and background details. Or foreground details, for that matter.

"Study" in Woolley's subtitle emphasizes the broader approach to photos as a resource in his two books, rather than focusing on details of uniform and field equipment items as some might want. Reviews (from eight years ago) given in the above link have since been outdated by Schiffer's 2005 publication of Johan Somers' books, mentioned earlier here, which do cover those other areas. Together with those, Woolley's studies are a superb addition to the English-language bibliography of WW1 militaria.

-- Alan

[Peter H]

Another Schiffer.

German Amateur Photographers in the First World War: A View from the Trenches on the Western Front,Sebastian Remus

Hundreds of new,unpublished photos!

[Peter H]

More by Jack Sheldon.

The German Army At Passchendaele




The German Army On Vimy Ridge 1914-1917




Carries on the excellent accounts by German veterans as per his Somme book.

[Peter H]

I found this book(in paperback) quiet good as well.

German Intelligence reports on the Allies opposing them on the Somme are presented,including POW interrogations.Very interesting.The British campaign from the German perspective.

Through German Eyes:The British & The Somme 1916,Charles Duffy

[Peter H]

Verlag Militaria has some very expensive,but excellent,works on the Imperial German Army.English editions also available.

http://www.militaria.at/Default.aspx

The German Infantry from 1871 to 1914 Ulrich Herr and Jens Nguyen

http://www.militaria.at/Book.aspx?book= ... anguage=de


The German Cavalry from 1871 to 1914 Ulrich Herr and Jens Nguyen

http://www.militaria.at/Book.aspx?book= ... anguage=de


The German Army in the Great War Jürgen Kraus

http://www.militaria.at/Book.aspx?book= ... anguage=de


The German Reichswehr Jürgen Kraus and Adolf Schlicht

http://www.militaria.at/Book.aspx?book= ... anguage=de

[panzerkrieg]

I am looking for these books , please recommend where would be a good place to find them.I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin



SCHIRMER. Hermann : Das Gerät der schweren Artillerie vor, in und nach dem Weltkrieg : Das Gerät der leichten Artillerie vor, in und nach dem Weltkrieg, 5/1. Berlin : Bernard & Graefe 1937,

REICHSARCHIV : Der Weltkrieg, 1914-1918, Neunter Band: Die Operationen des Jahres 1915 Die Ereignisse im Westen und auf dem Balkan vom Sommer bis zum Jahresschluss. Berlin : E.S. Mittler und Sohn, 1933, Anlage 3 : Planmässiger Bestand und Vorräte des deutschen Heeres an Waffen und Munition bei Kriegsausbruch

WRISBERG. Ernst von : Wehr und Waffen 1914 1918. Leipzig : K. F. Koehler 1922,

KAISER. Franz Nikolaus (Bearbeiter) : Das Ehrenbuch der Deutschen Schweren Artillerie. Berlin : Verlag Tradition Wilhelm Kolk 1931,