Product Description

Convinced that both God and the Kaiser were on their side, the officers and men of the Imperial German Army went to war in 1914, supremely confident that they were destined for a swift and crushing victory in the West. The much-vaunted 'Schlieffen Plan' on which the anticipated German victory was based provided for an equally decisive victory on the Eastern Front. But it was not to be. From the winter of 1914 until the early months of 1918, the war on the Western Front was characterised by trench warfare. But the popular perception of the war takes little or no account of the reality of life 'across the wire' in the German front line. A re-examination of the strategy and tactics of the German Army throughout the war, from the commanding generals to the ordinary soldiers at the Front, this book also assesses the implications of the Allied naval blockade on the German home front, the increasing problems of food and fuel shortages and the spectres of nationwide disease, hunger and then widespread starvation in Germany. Ian Passingham gives a unique and fully illustrated insight into the daily life of the German troops facing the British and French between 1914 and 1918 and fills a significant gap in the historiography of the First World War.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #202547 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
IAN PASSINGHAM was educated at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Keele University, serving in the British Army for 18 years before leaving as a major to pursue a career as a professional historian and defence analyst. The author of Pillars of Fire (Sutton, 1998), he leads battlefield tours to the Western Front for the celebrated 'Holt's Tours'. Ian lives in Shepperton, Middlesex.

Customer Reviews

Something I've been waiting for.
With All the Kaiser's Men Ian Passingham has given us what is often lacking in many books about the First World War, that is, the view from "the other side of the wire".

The book isn't a detailed academic analysis of the subject, nor does the author claim it to be, but it certainly gives us a clear and very readable overview of the experience of the German Army during the Great War. Having said this I wouldn't want to give the impression that it lacks depth. An enormous amount of research has obviously been undertaken, often using original German material which is rarely used. A glance, for instance, through the German section of the bibliography is revealing. Both the specialist and the general reader will therefore find a great deal of interest, as well as information which is new to them.

Amongst other things the author explores the still frequently held, and mistaken, view of the superiority of German Generalship and tactics over those of the Allies and in a wider context, the rapidly deteriorating conditions of the civilian population inside Germany brought about by the successful Allied blockade.

As with his previous book Pillars of Fire, a history of the Battle of Messines, Ian Passingham provides us with exceptional illustrations and maps which relate closely to the text. For these alone the book is worth buying.

I recommend the book to anyone with an interest in the Great War who wants to gain a balanced view of the conflict.

Not the book I longed for
Having read many books on WW1 I have always been on the lookout for a book written from the German point of view.

I have to say, this isn't it. The book contains no more insight from a German perspective than any other good book by Lyn Macdonald or Martin Middlebrook. However, it does contain many good pictures I haven't seen elsewhere.

For a book that claims to be a soldiers story there are far too few passages written by real German soldiers. It mostly focuses on the Generals and their misgivings.

The campaigns are dealt with on too high a level. For instance, the likes of the Somme and Ypres battles are dealt with in just a few pages each. The reader never gets time to empathise with the men who had to go through these ordeals.

It is very dry reading and each chapter is littered with the divisions and regiments names and numbers involved. This is fine if you want an overview of all the battles and the hard statistics, but for a book entitled 'All the Kaiser's Men', it is definitely not about the men.

As with Pillars of Fire, an excellent read
Having read his first book, Pillars of Fire, I was keen to see whether the author could produce another book with such original content. I wasn't disappointed.
All the Kaiser's Men gives a unique and personal insight into life on the other side of the wire. Well overdue, this book is a must for both academics and novice historians alike. Well done!