Men in German Uniform

Men in German Uniform PDF Author: Antonio Thompson
Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press
ISBN: 1572337427
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Examining the largest prisoner-of-war handling operation in U.S. history, this book offers a meticulous account of the myriad history, this book offers a meticulous account of the myriad problems—as well as the impressive successes—that came with problems—as well as the impressive successes—that came with housing 371,000 German POWs on American soil during World War II. Antonio Thompson draws on extensive archival research to probe the various ways in which the U.S. government strove to comply with the Geneva Convention’s mandate that enemy prisoners be moved from the war zone and given food, shelter, and clothing equal to that provided for American soldiers. While the prisoners became a ready source of manpower for the labor- starved American home front and received small wages in return, their stay in the United States generated more than a few difficulties, which included not only daunting logistics but also violence within the camps. Such violence was often blamed on Nazi influence and control; however, as Thompson points out, only a few of the prisoners were actually Nazis. Because the Germans had cobbled together military forces that included convicts, their own POWs, volunteers from neutral nations, and conscripts from occupied countries, the bonds that held these soldiers together amid the pressures of combat dissolved once they were placed behind barbed wire. When these “men in German uniform,” who were not always Germans, donned POW garb, their former social, racial, religious, and ethnic tensions quickly reemerged. To counter such troubles, American authorities organized various activities—including sports, arts, education, and religion—within the POW camps; some prisoners even participated in an illegal denazification program created by the U.S. government. Despite the problems, Thompson argues, the POW-housing program proved largely successful, as Americans maintained their reputation for fairness and humane treatment during a time of widespread turmoil.

Men in German Uniform

Men in German Uniform PDF Author: Antonio Thompson
Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press
ISBN: 1572337427
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Get Book

Book Description
Examining the largest prisoner-of-war handling operation in U.S. history, this book offers a meticulous account of the myriad history, this book offers a meticulous account of the myriad problems—as well as the impressive successes—that came with problems—as well as the impressive successes—that came with housing 371,000 German POWs on American soil during World War II. Antonio Thompson draws on extensive archival research to probe the various ways in which the U.S. government strove to comply with the Geneva Convention’s mandate that enemy prisoners be moved from the war zone and given food, shelter, and clothing equal to that provided for American soldiers. While the prisoners became a ready source of manpower for the labor- starved American home front and received small wages in return, their stay in the United States generated more than a few difficulties, which included not only daunting logistics but also violence within the camps. Such violence was often blamed on Nazi influence and control; however, as Thompson points out, only a few of the prisoners were actually Nazis. Because the Germans had cobbled together military forces that included convicts, their own POWs, volunteers from neutral nations, and conscripts from occupied countries, the bonds that held these soldiers together amid the pressures of combat dissolved once they were placed behind barbed wire. When these “men in German uniform,” who were not always Germans, donned POW garb, their former social, racial, religious, and ethnic tensions quickly reemerged. To counter such troubles, American authorities organized various activities—including sports, arts, education, and religion—within the POW camps; some prisoners even participated in an illegal denazification program created by the U.S. government. Despite the problems, Thompson argues, the POW-housing program proved largely successful, as Americans maintained their reputation for fairness and humane treatment during a time of widespread turmoil.

Uniforms of the German Soldier

Uniforms of the German Soldier PDF Author: Alejandro M. de Quesada
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783830824
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 756

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Book Description
This book traces the evolution of the German Army uniform from 1870 to the present day, using nearly 800 photographs to offer the reader an unparalleled analysis. Each image is accompanied by a detailed caption, explaining interesting aspects of the soldiers uniform, insignia and equipment.It begins with the German Empire at its height, with the iconic spiked Pickelhaube and the colonial troops in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and moves on to the field-grey uniforms of the First World War. After 1918, the uniforms of the Reichswehr and the Freikorps are detailed, and then those of the revived Wehrmacht up to the end of the Second World War. The post-war years saw the establishment of the Bundeswehr in the West and East Germanys Nationalen Volksarmee, facing each other across the border of a divided Germany, before reunification in 1991.No other countrys army has undergone such changes in the past century-and-a-half, and this book provides a unique visual record of those changes.

Men in German Uniform

Men in German Uniform PDF Author: Antonio Scott Thompson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 548

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Book Description


Deutsche Soldaten

Deutsche Soldaten PDF Author: Agustin Saiz
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1932033963
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
A visual history of the German soldier, providing a unique insight into how they lived, ate, maintained themselves at the front, and how they behaved when out of line, through a collection of personal items and artifacts they left behind.

German Uniforms of the Third Reich, 1933-1945

German Uniforms of the Third Reich, 1933-1945 PDF Author: Brian Leigh Davis
Publisher: Arms & Armour
ISBN: 9781854094209
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
During the Third Reich, almost every German wore a uniform, whether military or civil. Nearly 250 of the most important ones appear here, modeled by their most typical wearers. The paintings -- based on contemporary photographs for accuracy-depict all the primary styles ptive sections explain each uniform's place in the hierarchy, the battle roles of the wearer, and a fascinating range of detail.

Imperial German Colonial and Overseas Troops 1885–1918

Imperial German Colonial and Overseas Troops 1885–1918 PDF Author: Alejandro de Quesada
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780961650
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
This book tells and illustrates the little-known story of Germany's 30-year episode as a colonial power in Africa and the Pacific, and her enclave in China. Under the ambitious young Kaiser Wilhelm II, rivalry with the old colonial powers saw the protectorates originally established by trading companies transformed into crown colonies, garrisoned by the newly raised Schutztruppe with emergency support from the Imperial Navy's Sea Battalions. This book explains their organization and operations, including the horrific 1904-07 Herero campaign in Southwest Africa. It is illustrated with rare photos, and with color plates detailing a wide variety of the uniforms of German and native troops alike.

Uniforms of the German Soldier

Uniforms of the German Soldier PDF Author: A. M. De Quesada
Publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal
ISBN: 9781853677083
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Through periods of glory, defeat and renaissance, the German Army uniform has evolved. Prussianistic and Germanic traditions have remained strong throughout the uniform's history, and can still be found in the insignia and equipment of the present-day soldier. In 1870 the uniforms worn by Imperial German soldiers varied between the different principalities. The spiked helmet (pickelhaube) was first adopted by Prussia in 1842, but it was later used throughout Germany. The pickelhaube was made out of leather, with metal reinforcement and a metal spike. It went through a number of modifications, such as the introduction of a round visor and the replacement of the rear spine. Within the colonies, there was even greater variation in uniform and equipment. In German East Africa, the soldiers wore white service uniforms with white tropical helmets and the national cockade of black, white and red. The East Asia Brigade wore a field gray jacket with four front pockets lined with leather, designed for carrying cartridges. Uniforms of the German Soldier has more than thirty color photographs and more than 300 black-and-white photographs, giving the reader an unparalleled analysis. Each photograph is accompanied with a detailed caption, explaining interesting aspects of the soldier's uniform, insignia and equipment.

German Army Uniforms of World War II

German Army Uniforms of World War II PDF Author: Stephen Bull
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 147283805X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
In the years after World War I, the defeated and much-reduced German Army developed new clothing and personal equipment that drew upon the lessons learned in the trenches. In place of the wide variety of uniforms and insignia that had been worn by the Imperial German Army, a standardized approach was followed, culminating in the uniform items introduced in the 1930s as the Nazi Party came to shape every aspect of German national life. The outbreak of war in 1939 prompted further adaptations and simplifications of uniforms and insignia, while the increasing use of camouflaged items and the accelerated pace of weapons development led to the appearance of new clothing and personal equipment. Medals and awards increased in number as the war went on, with grades being added for existing awards and new decorations introduced to reflect battlefield feats. Specialists such as mountain troops, tank crews and combat engineers were issued distinctive uniform items and kit, while the ever-expanding variety of fronts on which the German Army fought – from the North African desert to the Russian steppe – prompted the rapid development of clothing and equipment for different climates and conditions. In addition, severe shortages of raw materials and the demands of clothing and equipping an army that numbered in the millions forced the simplification of many items and the increasing use of substitute materials in their manufacture. In this fully illustrated book noted authority Dr Stephen Bull examines the German Army's wide range of uniforms, personal equipment, weapons, medals and awards, and offers a comprehensive guide to the transformation that the German Army soldier underwent in the period from September 1939 to May 1945.

German Military Police Units 1939–45

German Military Police Units 1939–45 PDF Author: Gordon Williamson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 178096997X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Book Description
The military policeman must be one of the least appreciated yet most indispensable military figures in modern history. In the mobile warfare of the 20th century no army could keep its vital supply routes open without the military policeman. This book documents the organisation, uniforms and insignia of the many and varied German military police units of World War II. Their duties included traffic control; maintaining military order and discipline; collection and escorting prisoners of war; prevention of looting; disarming civilians; checking captured enemy soldiers for documents; collection of fallen enemy propaganda leaflets and providing street patrols in occupied areas.

Comrades in Arms

Comrades in Arms PDF Author: Tom Smith
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 1789205565
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Without question, the East German National People’s Army was a profoundly masculine institution that emphasized traditional ideals of stoicism, sacrifice, and physical courage. Nonetheless, as this innovative study demonstrates, depictions of the military in the film and literature of the GDR were far more nuanced and ambivalent. Departing from past studies that have found in such portrayals an unchanging, idealized masculinity, Comrades in Arms shows how cultural works both before and after reunification place violence, physical vulnerability, and military theatricality, as well as conscripts’ powerful emotions and desires, at the center of soldiers’ lives and the military institution itself.