Product Description

There have been numerous books written on the German Army since the end of World War II. Books on the men, their tactics, commanders, equipment, weaponry and histories of the major battles they fought in can be found on the bookshelves of almost all 20th Century history enthusiasts. Yet until now, no book has covered the history of the German soldier in such complete detail. Deutsche Soldaten is the definitive visual history of the German soldier and provides a unique reflection of of a soldier's daily life, right down to how they washed themselves on the front, or behaved when at rest, what their pastimes, ambitions, and worries were, and how they spent their leave all through the collections of personal items and other artefacts they left behind. The author, an expert on 20th-Century military history and an avid collector of various militaria, makes available to the general public for the first time his extensive collection, compiled over many years to provide his fellow enthusiasts with the ultimate guide to the World War II German soldier. Each item's history is explained in detail, with numerous close-up photographs showing exactly what the genuine article looks like. With most of the collection in mint condition, and many items having never been seen before, Deutsche Soldaten is quite simply a must-buy for anyone interested in history. Jointly produced by Casemate and Andrea Press, it will be available in 5 languages, English, German, French, Spanish and Italian, from November this year.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103825 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 356 pages

Review
... a substantial work which separates the soldier from the military machine and explores him as an individual...This book will be welcomed by the serious collector. --The Armourer Militaria Magazine. 11/2008

This is an impressive book, obviously painstakingly researched and beautifully put together...the detail into which the author delves is staggering. --Classic Military Vehicle, 03/2009

This book is, indeed, the most in-depth examination of the German infantryman during WWII and will surely become the bible for any modeller, re-enactor, historian, in fact anybody interested in Second World War history. This really comes under the heading must have! --Military Modelling, 9/01/2009

Customer Reviews

Deutsche Soldaten, but only soldaten...
Let me begin by mentioning that I really like this book. It is a book about the uniforms, equipment and weapons of the German soldier in World War Two. You will not find any officer's equipment (the peaked officer cap is missing!) but only things that other ranks would have used. And then only soldiers you'd find in an Infantry Division, so no Panzermen here, nor mountain troops or paratroops. But they are shown in greater detail than I've seen elsewhere. And what's also very intereseting, the book shows how some items worked or were put together (e.g. the different belts and straps, or the Zeltbahn, or how to load the Kar98k).

The index lists chapters on the following: helmets, uniforms, belts and buckles, gas masks, field equipment, obeservation orientation and communication, weapons, complements, documents, decorations, health and hygiene, food, propaganda, music, tobacco and leave and leasure time.

I found that the chapters on gasmasks, field equipment, health and hygiene and food were especially interesting, with lots of details and information. The chapter on medals though was a bit short and I found a fair number of insignia I know about missing here.

The format of the book is that it shows the items under discussion in lots of photo's, but uniforms are not worn by models. Rather they are spread out and shown without a background. Their use is underlined by war-time photo's. I found this an inspiring way of portraying the different items, as it allows you to see lots of details that would be missing if they were shown by models only.

All in all it's a book I'm very happy with. The only problem is that I now have to hope the author will also come up with Deutsche Offiziere as a companian title to this one to find a similar wealth of information on officer's uniforms and equipment!

An excellent guide.
An illustrated guide to the equipment and field gear carried by the German soldier in WW2.
This book is first class , good clear photographs , excellent descriptions .

Deutsche
This is the best book on WW11 German uniforms and equiptment that one could possibly wish for. Absolutely fantastic.