"Teutonic" attention to detail

[trajan]

I have to admit that reading the occasional Prussian military manual does sometimes bring some extraordinary surprises with regard to the (ahem) semi-legendary ‘Teutonic’ attention to detail…

Take for example this, on p. 35 of the “Schieβvorschrift für die Infanterie” (Berlin 1909):-

“Jeder Schütze schieβt grundsätzlich mit dem ihm dauernd zugwiesen Gewehr (Als Radfahrer ausgebildete Mannschaften erledigen den Schieβdienst mit den Karabiner 98 in gleicher Weise die übrigen Mannschaften)".

Which I would translate as:-

"Each ‘shooter’ in principle shoots with his assigned rifle (So do cyclist troops who shoot with the carbine 98 but in the same way as the other sections)."

Now, who would have thought that a man might dare to use somebody else's rifle instead of his own? And as for those cyclist troops, that they might even begin to think of possibly adopting independent behaviour!

TTFN,

Trajan

PS: Yes, I can hear the unspoken thoughts - 'Doesn't that man have anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon than read Prussian military manuals?'. Well, not this Saturday (so far, anyway!)