German Soldiers in the Great War: Letters and Eyewitness Accounts

This vivid selection of first-hand accounts and other wartime documents sheds new light on the experiences of German frontline soldiers during the First World War. It reveals in authentic detail the perceptions and emotions of ordinary soldiers that have been covered up by the smokescreen of official wartime propaganda with its talk of 'heroism' and 'patriotic sacrifice'. Over 200 mostly archival documents are featured in the selection, including wartime letters, military despatches and orders, extracts from diaries, newspaper articles and booklets, medical reports and photographs. This fascinating primary source material provides the first comprehensive insight into the German frontline experiences of the Great War published in English. Bernd Ulrich is a freelance historian and journalist in Berlin, who works for newspapers and magazines, publishing houses, academic journals and museums (www.berndulrich.com). He is a specialist on the First World War and has written a number of books and articles on this topic. Most recently he was the curator of the exhibition.Benjamin Ziemann is reader in modern history at the University of Sheffield. His research has concentrated on German social, cultural and political history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and he has made a special study of the First World War. In addition to his many articles in academic journals and magazines, his publications include Sozialgeschichte der Religion.