Traditions of the Imperial German Infantry Regiments: their Histories, Uniforms & Pickelhauben - Chris Dale

[bierast]

This book is the magnum opus of Chris Dale, author of the excellent German Colonial Uniforms website and co-author of Osprey MAA 490: Imperial German Colonial and Overseas Troops 1885–1918. Having recently made his acquaintance (alas only online due to our current common predicament), I have also learned that he is somewhat of a renaissance man with many other strings to his bow. The most interesting of these for most of readers will be his Youtube channel ‘Chris Dale's Military Museums’, which unfortunately for him was launched immediately prior to the outbreak of the ongoing pandemic.

 

The volume’s scope is clearly set out in its title - the traditions (including previous titles and ‘genealogy’) and uniforms of every German infantry regiment and Jäger battalion. The emphasis is very much on the ‘colourful’ pre-Feldgrau era, going back as far as the Seventeenth Century in describing the origins of the first recorded ancestor formations of the oldest units. It should be noted that the coverage is strictly limited to units which existed prior to WW1, and does not attempt to address the provenance of the vast number of new war-raised formations, no doubt for the sake of the author’s sanity! In my opinion this is not really a problem, as that exceedingly complex subject has been more than adequately addressed by Hartwig Busche’s ‘Formationsgeschichte der deutschen Infanterie im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918’.
 

The book begins with a concise history of the wars involving the German states from the Seventeenth Century onwards, culminating in the wars of unification which produced the final Prussian-dominated system of military organisation and nomenclature which the author then proceeds to describe with admirable succinctness and clarity. After these necessary preliminaries the regiments and battalions are then described in the conventional order (Prussian Garde infantry, line infantry, Bavarian infantry, Jägers) with anything from a paragraph to several pages per unit depending on the complexity of its traditions and uniform distinctions. Each series of units with a common background (such as the original Saxon regiments 100-108) is preceded by an additional introduction. The author has evidently taken great pleasure in unearthing charming idiosyncrasies such as regimental nicknames to add colour to his descriptions. Illustrations include colour photos of every variation of Pickelhaube and Tschako, numerous black-and-white period photographs, a few historic paintings of the earlier conflicts and a comprehensive set of colour plates showing the helmet, shoulderstrap and cuff for every one of the featured units. Curiously there is no page numbering, but as a reference book with a logical and intuitive structure this is not a problem - in fact, I didn’t even notice until I came to write this review!
 

In conclusion, this is a convenient and useful single-volume English-language reference to a subject otherwise covered in huge multi-volume German-language works of limited affordability and portability. One of its most intriguing features from an author’s point of view is that it lacks a conventional publisher - Chris has elected to sell the book directly through Amazon, who print it on demand as a handsome 254-page softback volume. The print quality is in no way inferior to what one would expect from a conventional publisher, and it features an ISBN barcode on the back for retail sale. Whether this means that it will also be available through bookshops remains unclear, but I will be interested to find out. Surprisingly no electronic edition is currently offered, but I expect that this will change if there is sufficient demand from those who use Kindle or other e-readers.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traditions-Imperial-German-Infantry-Regiments/dp/B08SP2PK2V
 

[charlie2]

Sadly out of stock at the moment and no indication as to its cost.

Charlie

[bierast]

57 minutes ago, charlie2 said:

Sadly out of stock at the moment and no indication as to its cost.

Odd... this is what I'm seeing:

[charlie2]

2 minutes ago, bierast said:

Odd... this is what I'm seeing:

Very, this is what I see

[GreyC]

Hi,

I see a third variant. Available.

GreyC

Edited 1 March , 2021 by GreyC

[bierast]

6 minutes ago, charlie2 said:

Very, this is what I see

Looks like you're in Germany and UK Amazon is confused... I'd try replacing the 'co.uk' with 'de' in the URL. This is unknown territory though, books published on demand by Amazon are a total novelty for me!

[charlie2]

12 minutes ago, bierast said:

UK Amazon is confused

Me too  Its available as GreyC says in Germany.

Charlie

[chrispaulodale]

Thanks for the great review!

Yes, the link is slightly different in each country eg.
https://www.amazon.com/Traditions-Imperial-German-Infantry-Regiments/dp/B08SP2PK2V/
https://www.amazon.de/Traditions-Imperial-German-Infantry-Regiments/dp/B08SP2PK2V/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08SP2PK2V/

That way Amazon prints locally, saves postage costs and delivery time!

Hope you enjoy it!
Cheers
Chris

[derekb]

I ordered my copy from Amazon UK on Tuesday 02 March, it arrived at 14.00 hours today 06 March, I am delighted with it.

[Steven Broomfield]

Good Lord! I do hope the Amazon driver arrives while Mrs Broomfield is otherwise engaged. She's starting to notice ...

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Steven Broomfield said:

Good Lord! I do hope the Amazon driver arrives while Mrs Broomfield is otherwise engaged. She's starting to notice ... 

 

     The medical term for it is "Mushroom Syndrome"- when  SWMBO  notices each morning- as with the eponymous agaricus- that  there seem to be more books that have miraculously appeared in the night.  The danger time is when SWMBO has her suspicions confirmed- such as by,say, the splintering of main floor joists or the Borough Surveyor on the doorstep to investigate reports of subsidence.  Delightful members of the species SWMBO are usually forgiving,as books are not quite as hazardous as drink, gambling, smoking and drugs. On the other hand, it may be wise to keep kitchen knives out of sight.......

[Steven Broomfield]

I hear what you say and, on the whole, I agree. Indeed, I think Mrs Broomfield sees the 'Extensive Library' in realistic terms. An investment when I pop my clogs. She also uses it, I am sure, in one of those 'Look what I married, but hey, what's a girl to do' sort of scenarios with friends and family.

[Steven Broomfield]

Well, my copy arrived yesterday - not bad considering I ordered it on Sunday. Stroke of luck, too. Our Amazon delivery man always arrives between 1700 and 1730, at which point my wife is usually on the phone to our elder daughter. By hanging around in the kitchen I was able to see him walking up the drive and got to the front door before he did. Packaging straight in the recycling bin and book slipped into a handy pile of books, and Mrs Broomfield is none the wiser. I assume.

 

As for the book: a cracker. The first 31 pages (I counted) cover the Unification of Germany and the creation of the Imperial Army, the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries, the Napoleonic/French Revolutionary campaigns, the numbering system used in German units, the organisation of the infantry in 1914, and uniforms.

 

We then come to the real meat: a numerical listing of all Imperial infantry units in existence in 1914. An entry at random follows, and is typical of the level of detail:

 

****

67th Infantry Regiment (4th Magdeburg) 

 

The 4, Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.67 was formed on 5 May 1860 as the 27. kombinierte Infanterie-Regiment. They first saw action in the Second Schleswig War against Denmark in 1864. During the Austro-Prussian War they fought at the Battle of Koniggratz against Austria and Saxony. In the Franco-Prussian War they saw action at the Battle of Gravelotte-St Privat and the Siege of Metz.

 

In 1914 they were garrisoned at Metz (in modern France) as part of XVI Army Corps. During the First World War they fought on the Western Front, including the Battles of Verdun and St Quentin.

 

Helmet Plate: Yellow metal Prussian Line Eagle

State Cockade: Prussian (black/white/black)

Parade plume: None

Tunic buttons: yellow metal

Shoulder straps: Yellow with a red number 67

Collar: red piped along the upper edge in dark blue

Cuffs: Brandenburg style in red with yellow piping round the vertical panel.

 

****

 

As noted above, uniform details refer to the pre-war blue uniform; the various items mentioned are explained and pictured. 24 pages of coloured plates illustrate the uniforms discussed. The photographs included are superb (many in colour) and excellently-reproduced.

 

As very much not an expert in this field, I cannot recommend this book too highly; it really is a lovely piece of work.

 

It reminds me that another visit to the Fort de la Pompelle is long overdue. It also makes me even more cross than usual at the vandalism of the IWM. Their collection of Pickelhauben was the highlight of my schoolboy visits - where are they now?

 

For £29.99 I would say this is value for money to the Nth degree! Just keep an eye open for the Amazon delivery man.

 

 

[charlie2]

19 minutes ago, Steven Broomfield said:

and Mrs Broomfield is none the wiser. I assume.

Dream on, you are only deluding yourself  

 

my copy arrived today and I agree completely with Steven (as regards the book).

 

Charlie

Edited 10 March , 2021 by charlie2

[Steven Broomfield]

The more I dip into this, the more I like it. Quite superb: not just for the uniform detail, but the potted histories of the regiments (many every bit as old as the oldest regiments in the British Army) and the histories of the smaller and more obscure German States. Can't recommend it too highly.

 

Is it cheeky to wonder whether a companion volume of cavalry might be along at some point?

[charlie2]

A very interesting book for anyone with an interest in the German army. Unfortunately it is let down slightly in places by the reproduction quality of some of the black and white photos. The detail that the readers attention is being drawn to is no doubt clearly visible in the original but in some cases it is very hard or impossible to see in the reproduction. 
 

Charlie

[bierast]

He's done it again... cavalry this time!

http://imperialgermanuniforms.co.uk/traditionscavalry.htm