Men-at-Arms 419: The German Army in World War I (3) 1917-18

by Nigel Thomas PhD, illustrated by Ramiro Bujeiro

Osprey Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-84176-567-8, 48 pages.

This third instalment takes us up to the end of the Great War. By coincidence my review copy arrived on Remembrance Day, which made me stop and think for rather more than the usual two minutes.

Anyway, here we begin with a note on the composition of the German Empire in the relevant period – not the Austro-Hungarians but the states under Prussian leadership including the puppet states set up in eastern Europe. The composition of German Imperial forces is then described, with a note about the new organisation of divisions introduced in June 1917.

Next is a chapter on Strategy and Tactics, discussing the German plans on each of the fronts (far more than just Western and Eastern Fronts, the Italian. Balkan, Rumanian and Palestinian fronts are here too) with the major German units and their offensives and retreats. The events leading to the Armistice are here too.

The remaining two-thirds of the book is devoted to the uniforms worn in this period by all ranks, including the tankers and air service. Line and light infantry, artillery, support troops, observation balloon crews - no-one is overlooked. This chapter also contains a very interesting section on special unit insignia, including the little that was recorded about the Divisional identification badges and cloth markings used after the numbered Regimental shoulder traps were abandoned.

The plates are excellent and there’s a good selection of photographs, with equally excellent captions to all. Very highly recommended!

John Prigent

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