The Army of the German Empire 1870–88


Book Description

The army of the German Empire was born out of the once great Prussian army that Napoleon Bonaparte had humbled at the Battle of Jena-Auerstädt in 1806, during the Napoleonic Wars. The eventual defeat of Napoleon initiated a slow process of military reform that gained momentum during the pan-German and expansionist policies of King William I of Prussia and his chancellor Bismarck. This book charts the consolidation of Prussian power and details the structure of the new imperial army that was created after the triumph of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Uniforms and equipment are also examined in full detail.




The Culture of Military Organizations


Book Description

Examines how military culture forms and changes, as well as its impact on the effectiveness of military organizations.




French Army 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War (1)


Book Description

At the time of the Second Empire, under Napoleon III, the French army, elevated from tactful obscurity, was re-modelled on Napoleonic lines. This army first fought in the Crimea, and then against Austria. Later, In Mexico, they had a disastrous adventure while in Europe Prussia was fast emerging as a challenge to France's military pre-eminence. Together with Austria, Bismarck first crushed Denmark before turning on Austria herself. The victory at Sadowa in 1866 stunned Europe, and in Paris Napoleon and his advisers set to thinking of a way to counter this new threat. In this first of two volumes looking at the French Army of the Franco-Prussian War, Stephen Shann and Louis Delperier examine the history, organisation and weapons of the French Imperial troops.




German Military Rifles


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Prussian Line Infantry 1792–1815


Book Description

At the beginning of this period, the battalions of the Prussian Line usually fought in a linear formation three ranks deep, overwhelming the enemy with fire before a well-timed bayonet attack. By the end, the preferred formation was eight to 12 ranks deep. The responsibility for conducting the fire-fight was now given to the skirmish elements and the artillery. The formed battalions provided support for the fire line, and conducted the decisive bayonet charge. Whatever the change, the spirit and ability of the infantry remained consistently high throughout this bloody period.




Toward Combined Arms Warfare


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European Elites and Ideas of Empire, 1917-1957


Book Description

Explores European civilisation as a concept of twentieth-century political practice and the project of a transnational network of European elites. This title is available as Open Access.




German Strategy and the Path to Verdun


Book Description

Almost 90 years since its conclusion, the battle of Verdun is still little understood. German Strategy and the Path to Verdun is a detailed examination of this seminal battle based on research conducted in archives long thought lost. Material returned to Germany from the former Soviet Union has allowed for a reinterpretation of Erich von Falkenhayn's overall strategy for the war and of the development of German operational and tactical concepts to fit this new strategy of attrition. By taking a long view of the development of German military ideas from the end of the Franco-German War in 1871, German Strategy and the Path to Verdun also gives much-needed context to Falkenhayn's ideas and the course of one of the greatest battles of attrition the world has ever known.




The German Pioneers


Book Description