Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-speaking Peoples Since 1500

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If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. Wilson’s fascinating and comprehensive chronicle reminds us that the country’s vaunted reputation was of recent vintage anyway and failed to encompass the many Germanic traditions that had little to do with Prussia, which was dominant for only a limited period. Recovering the complexity of German military history gives us a fresh perspective—one that is especially welcome at the current moment, when Germany is debating what its role should be as cannons fire and bombs drop yet again in Europe. ” —William Anthony Hay, Wall Street Journal

The definitive account of Germany’s military history over the long durée… As the country enters a new military epoch, rearming against a resurgent Russia, this timely book offers an invaluable guide to Germans’ rich, long and complex martial history. ” —Alexander Watson, Literary Review A thorough/detailed book indeed, but I've felt the balance of details was a bit off, some numbers could be omitted, as well as enumeration of certain facts. Overall, liked the book a lot and the title of the book lives up to its name. The author has chopped his book into 5 sections: the 1500s, 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, and last, but certainly not least, the rather bloody 1900s of toothbrush moustsche notoriety. Each century is sub-divided into three chapters: 1. A summary of (numerous) wars. Those who like traditional battle narratives may be saddened to learn that Dr Wilson limits discussion of actual fighting to brief, dry summaries: Count Goring von Hess defeated Burgomeister Hitler Rommelstein at the battle of BarbarossaAuschwitz and then most of the Army succumbed to dystentery forcing an anti-climactic peace. Iron and Blood takes as its starting point the consolidation of the Holy Roman Empire, which created new mechanisms for raising troops but also for resolving disputes diplomatically. Both the empire and the Swiss Confederation were largely defensive in orientation, while German participation in foreign wars was most often in partnership with allies. The primary aggressor in Central Europe was not Prussia but the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, yet Austria’s strength owed much to its ability to secure allies. Prussia, meanwhile, invested in militarization but maintained a part-time army well into the nineteenth century. Alongside Switzerland, which relied on traditional militia, both states exemplify the longstanding civilian element within German military power. Troops of the Austro-Hungary Railway and Telegraph Regiment, 1895. Painting by Oskar Brüch, 1895–6.

Members of the German Wehrmacht’s Free India Legion, during training for duties on the Atlantic Wall. Photograph, c. 1943. An ambitious book which was badly needed ... illuminating on the complicated relationship between Prussia, both state and society, and its army .... required reading for serious military historians. Barney White-Spunner, Aspects of History Iron and Blood takes as its starting point the consolidation of the Holy Roman Empire, which created new mechanisms for raising troops but also for resolving disputes diplomatically. Both the empire and the Swiss Confederation were largely defensive in orientation, while German participation in foreign wars was most often in partnership with allies. The primary aggressor in Central Europe was not Prussia but the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, yet Austria's strength owed much to its ability to secure allies. Prussia, meanwhile, invested in militarization but maintained a part-time army well into the nineteenth century. Alongside Switzerland, which relied on traditional militia, both states exemplify the longstanding civilian element within German military power. German soldiers observe the hanging of alleged male and female partisans near Orel, Russia. Photograph, 1941–2.

The two world wars have generated an almost incomprehensible amount of historical writing, but have also posed a historiographical problem: they have “stunted debate and frozen German military history”, as Peter Wilson puts it. Historians imagine that all German military history is rooted in Prussia; and they write mainly about battles. The existing literature focuses on the period between German unification in 1871 and the Third Reich’s destruction in 1945, to which all roads are seen to lead. The author explores how militaries got along with broader society. This ranges from dry discussions of political support for fighter jet upgrades to midlly more interesting accounts of how German civilians coped with their nation's cataclysmic defeat in 1945. Much of the book is taken up with conflicts within or involving that strange entity, the Holy Roman Empire, the collection of mostly German-speaking states dominated by Habsburg Austria that, as Voltaire also quipped, was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. At least until the middle of the 18th century, this alone made the German way of war quite different from those of unitary states such as England or France. The quasi-autonomy of the component parts, which nearly all maintained their own armies, required a decentralised and collaborative approach—the antithesis of the authoritarian model that emerged later with such awful consequences. Storming of Fort Hsi-Ku near Tianjin, China, by the united auxiliary troops, June 1900. Painting by Carl Röchling, 1902. From the author of the acclaimed The Thirty Years Warand Heart of Europe, a masterful, landmark reappraisal of German military history, and of the preconceptions about German militarism since before the rise of Prussia and the world wars.

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A lieutenant and cycle messenger of the Tirolean Feldjäger, 1934. Lithograph from the series Adjustireung und Ausrüstung des Österreichischen Bundesheeres, 1918–38. Well, if you fall into this line of thought, this book will probably reinforce and solidify your current opinions. Peter H. Wilson has devoted his professional life to the study of German military history, particularly the Habsburg Empire and the Thirty Years War of the 1600s. Iron and Blood delves into politics, economics, technology and social developments. Its long view of Germany's military history, magisterial detail and acute analysis provide a new understanding of what was once Europe's warring heart. The Economist You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.

Audiobook) Settle in, for this is a long work. Wilson attempts to give a one-volume treatment to the military history of the German states/Germany, covering over 500 years. He captures a lot, but he can’t get everything. Wilson looks to dispel the myth that the German military really is based on the Prussian model and that it was at its peak in the 2 World Wars. There is far more to the story, as shown here. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved reading all I can get my hands on regarding WW1 and WW2, and the German military figures large in both. I just keep thinking there is more to say - although such stories might be much more involved.

An illustration of the ruthless, loathsome, cruel and abominable beast, which in a few years wretchedly and miserably devastated and devastated most of Germany. Broadsheet by an unknown artist, 1635. The scholarship of this book is breathtaking… No one interested in the history of Europe, and of the Germans in particular, can afford not to read this stupendous book. ” —Simon Heffer, The Telegraph From the acclaimed author of Europe's Tragedy and The Holy Roman Empire, a powerful account of German-speaking Europe through five centuries of military history A work of first-rate scholarship, rooted in broad and deep knowledge of the period and literature… Iron and Blood will become the starting point for all students of military history, not only of Germany but of Europe as a whole. ” —Jonathan Boff, BBC History Magazine