Click here for enemy uniforms
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For the men
of the 42nd Bn AIF the enemy was German, not Turkish. They called him the
Boche, Fritz, The Hun, or Jerrie. They probably called him a few other names that we
won't record here.
What follows are some photos of various
German soldiers. I cannot help with Unit names or much detail about
uniforms. All I know is what is here.
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Kaiser
Wilhelm II
1859-1941
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German
emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia from 1888 to the end of World
War One in 1918, known for his militaristic manner as well as for
his indecisive policies.
Wilhelm was the eldest child of
Crown Prince Frederick (later Emperor Frederick III) and Victoria.
That made him Victorias grand son , nephew to the English King
Edward VII and cousin to King George V with whom he went to war.
In 1888 Wilhelm's grandfather died.
Crown Prince Frederick died shortly afterwards and, aged just 29,
Wilhelm became Kaiser. Within two years he had forced the resignation
of Chancellor Bismarck and later appointed von Bülow to the position.
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the Reichstag to accept whatever policies the Kaiser and the upper classes
wanted, usually completely unsuitable for the rapidly industrialising
Germany. Responsible for government appointments and commander in chief of
the armed forces, Wilhelm was the only person in Germany who could ensure
that military and diplomatic policies were in tune. |
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During and immediately
after the war he was vilified in Britain for causing the war. However, his
real failure was to encourage Germany's leaders instead of restraining
them at a time when German expansion made some form of conflict with the
established great powers seem inevitable.
Following the assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Wilhelm encouraged the Austrians to adopt an
uncompromising line but lost his nerve and was unable to stop his generals
mobilising their forces. While theoretically supreme commander, once at
war he found himself excluded from decisions, but crippled chances of a
compromise peace by encouraging the grandiose war aims of the generals and
of many politicians. After Germany surrendered, he was forced to abdicate
and left for the Netherlands. This removed the possibility of any form of
monarchy and the resulting Weimar Republic saw the rise of Hitler.
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All photos below are
thumbnails. Click on them for full size.
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The
Enemy (1) these German soldiers are wearing the older style,
ceremonial helmets (Pickelhaube) that proved too costly to manufacture and of no real
worth in trench warfare. Ersatz Model 1915 Preußen (Hannover) felt
Infantry enlisted Pickelhaube. The helmet was manufactured as a Model 1915
with all Feldgrau steel fittings. Although the vast majority of Ersatz
felt helmets are unmarked, this example has faint Army Korps "BA
X" markings which are visible on the top of the skull interior and
also on the rear visor. |
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The
Enemy (2). These German soldiers are wearing the new model
metal helmet designed for trench warfare. The Model 1916 helmet was
developed in 1915 to counter the effects of countless head wounds due to
der Stellungskrieg (trench warfare). The helmets were first issued for
field testing in Dec 1915 to the 1st Assault Battalion. The trials were so
satisfactory that an initial issue of helmets was made by Jan 1916. Unlike
the Allied helmets, the German helmet used a very high quality
chromium-nickel steel and afforded superb protection to the neck and ears.
The helmet weighed approximately 1 Kilogram (2.2 Lb.) and was issued in
six sizes 60 to 70 in 2 cm increments. There are two ventilation lugs on
either side of the temple area. |
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The Enemy
(3) A group of young German soldiers from Wurtemburg. They are
members of the 248th Regiment, a new unit created after 1916. The soldier
seated on the right, and the others standing behind are wearing dark brown
corduroy trousers. By 1916, many private purchase items began to
supplement standard government issue clothing and boots, which were
becoming more difficult to supply on a regular basis. The corduroy
trousers were popular with mountain climbers, and soon with soldiers in
the trenches as well |
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