Bibliography:
Selected Books on the Imperial German Army in English
Updated November 1, 2007
Introduction: A German friend once stated, "Der Sieger schreibt die Geschichte." (Translated: The Victor Writes the History.) His implication was that, whether intentional or unintentional, most of the post-war battle narratives continue to tell the story of the war from the victor's standpoint or bias. In the author's opinion this appears to be the case. One can still read of the courageous, but green doughboys taking on the experienced Hun and winning the war (by themselves)--with little consideration of the relative strength of the units involved, the exhaustion of the German army, the offensives undertaken at other points along the front, etc. This is slowly changing: There have been an increasing number of books on the German Army published in English in recent years, with many, surprisingly, coming from British authors. When researching a particular battle or war, there is no real substitute for reading and understanding the literature and source documents of both sides. However, this incomplete bibliography will at least give readers who do not speak German a basic understanding of the German Army. If you believe other books should be added, please email the webmaster: lavarennes@patmedia.net.
German Army--Organization, Leadership, Structure, Battles
Asprey, Robert B. The German High Command at War: Hindenburg and Ludendorff Conduct World War I. William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, 1991. ISBN 0-688-08226-2. A very good look at the leadership of the last two years of the war. This also examines the relationship between the General Staff, the Kaiser, and Germany's politicians.
Cron Hermann. Imperial German Army: Organisation, Structure, Orders of Battle. Helion and Company Limited, Solihull, West Midlands, England, 2002. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.
Moser, John. The Myth of the Great War: How the Germans Won the Battles and How the Americans Saved the Allies. HarperCollins, New York, 2001. ISBN 0-06-008433-2 (Paperback.) An eye-opening book. The author states the case that the title suggests by trying to assess hard statistics on both sides of the conflict, rather than biased after-action reports. Unfortunately, the author focuses mostly on front-line combat, and does not suggest home front, economic or political factors that ultimately led to Germany's defeat. Worth reading nevertheless for its assessment of the German Army.
Nash, David. German Army Handbook April 1918. Hippocrene Books, New York, 1977. ISBN 0-88254-437-3. A very good basic outline of the structure and composition of the German Army in the war.
Passingham, Ian. All the Kaiser's Men: The Life and Death of the German Army on the Western Front 1914-1918. Sutton Publishing Limited, Gloucestershire, U.K., 2003. ISBN 0-7509-4241-X. This work has not yet been reviewed by the webmaster.
Sheldon, Jack. The German Army on the Somme: 1914-1916. Pen & Sword, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, 2005. ISBN 1-84415-269-3. The author contends "that the dreadful losses of 1 July 1916 were the direct consequence of meticulous German planning and preparation and that, although the Battle of the Somme was frequently a close-run affair, poor Allied coordination and persistence in attacking weakly on narrow fronts played into the hands of the German commanders." The author's style can be a bit cumbersome at times. He essentially translates sections of regimental histories and other original sources. On the positive side, this style does give a flavor for the structure of the German Army and its strategies and tactics during battle.
Sheldon, Jack. The German Army at Passchendaele. Pen & Sword, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, 2007. ISBN 1-84415-564-1. This newer book by Jack Sheldon is presumably similar to The German Army on the Somme.
Stone, David. Fighting for the Fatherland: The Story of the German Soldier from 1648 to the Present Day. Potomac Books, Inc., Dulles, Virginia, 2006. ISBN 1-59797-069-7. The author outlines historical roots that led to the development of the Prussian State, a unified empire, and German nationalism.
German Army--Units
British General Staff. German Forces in the Field, 11 November, 1918. Published jointly by The Imperial War Museum, London, and The Battery Press, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 1995. 0-89839-217-9. Two maps at the end provide an estimate of the German divisions in place in October and November 1918. This is an invaluable source for locating and identifying the various sub-units of a division. (Most German unit histories were written at the regimental level, not at the divisional level.)
U.S. War Department. History of 251 Divisions of the German Army Which Participated in the War (1914-1918.) First published in 1920. Reprinted by Naval & Military Press, London, 19??. ISBN 1-84342-031-9. This book is similar to the above work, but it includes a brief history and assessment of each division. John Moser, author of "The Myth of the Great War," suggests that it is full of inaccuracies and biases.
Germany--Homefront
Moyer, Laurence. Victory Must be Ours: Germany in the Great War, 1914-1918. Hippocrene Books, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-7818-0370-5. This is a groundbreaking look at the (deteriorating) German home front during the war using German newspaper and magazine articles as well as first-person accounts. It ties the conditions on the home front with those on the battlefield.
Dictionaries
British General Staff. Vocabulary of German Military Terms and Abbreviations. (Second Edition, July 1918.) Published jointly by The Imperial War Museum, London, and The Battery Press, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 1995. ISBN 0-89839-229-2. An indispensible reference tool. In addition to providing a German to English dictionary, it contains over forty pages of abbreviations. This is essential for anyone studying original documents and maps.
Biographies
Jünger, Ernst. The Storm of Steel. Howard Fertig Inc., New York, 1996. ISBN 0-86527-423-1.
Sulzbach, Herbert. With the German Guns: Four Years on the Western Front. Pen & Sword Military Classics, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, 2003. ISBN 1-84415-019-4.
Wittkopp, Philipp. German Students' War Letters. Pine Street Books, an imprint of University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 2002.
Ordnance, Equipment, Etc.
British General Staff. Trench Fortifications, 1914-1918: A Reference Manual. Published jointly by The Imperial War Museum, London, and The Battery Press, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 1998. ISBN 0-89839-291-8. The second of three sections covers the German Army.
Hicks, Major James E. Notes on German Ordnance 1841-1918. Stoeger Arms Corporation, New York, 1937. This book is full of technical details on many of Germany's war-time armaments.
Trench Maps
Naval & Military Press Ltd. Captured German Trench and Operations Maps from the National Archives. Published in association with the National Archives (U.K.). This CD Rom contains 192 large scale German trench maps covering a variety of fronts. When published it was priced at £85, which is extremely expensive with today's weak dollar. Nevertheless, it is a great collection of maps, and it offers a rare glimpse into German cartography.