German Stormtrooper 1914-18

by Ian Drury

Book Overview

The first official German stormtroop unit was authorized on 2 March 1915 when the Supreme Command of the field army ordered the VIII Corps to form a detachment for the testing of experimental weapons and the development of approximate tactics that could break the deadlock on the Western Front. By the summer of 1915, stormtroop units were springing up throughout the German armies in the west, and by the end of 1916 official stormtroop battalions were...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1855323729
• ISBN13: 9781855323728
• Release Date: May 1995
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.3" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

A tight history of the evolution of Infantry

This is a tight book and I admire it. The author crams a lot of information into less than 100 pages. If you want a quick over view of modern infantry then this is you book. The nice thing is the book can be used as an overview for more historical research. This book and another book I'm reading on the German World War One infantry are the "Rosetta Stones" of training a good, effective infantry. This book breaks down the organization of the German Army prior to its reorganization to modern infantry. Then after the reorganization the infantry basically has a modern lay out. You will find at least a medium MG attached per squad and organic mortars at the company level and attached to the squad on an ad-hoc basis. This book is plain excellent for an over view. Indeed, some infantry NCOs or Officers may want to assign this book as part of OPD or NCODP. The NCO and the infantry squad are the heart of the modern infantry unit. This book has those nice things that a person loves. The author give the complete chemical composition for a hand grenade (no ratios, you'll have to do that on your own). The author presents on how the 98 Rifle was replaced by the K-98 Carbine. The author details on how the Germans took captured Russian 76.2 mm field guns and attached them to the companies for direct support. Every other page has a nice tid-bit on the German army. You come away with dozens of nice bits of information. I could quibble on the book. There are few pictures of fighting life in a trench. There are few individual pictures of the Storm Troopers. The color plates are fine but could use a little more detail. But this book has less than 100 pages and it just can't put the volumn that people would enjoy into it. I salute this book. The author quickly makes the case that the reforms in infantry are the stunning reasons why Germany defeated France in hardly three weeks back in 1940. The British Army, using Storm Trooper tactics, defeated larger Argentinian forces in 1982 using the very infantry techniques the Germans first used in 1918. Indeed, the Author observes the Germans of WWI actually had better artillery support than the British had in 1982. I endorse this book. It give a quick overview of the German Storm Trooper. The training and organization of the Storm Trooper is used by every major western army to this day. Excellent.

A Gem of a Book!

I was very favorably impressed with this book. It was thoroughly researched and well put together. I found the information enlightening and revelatory in many aspects. In accordance with some of the other reviews I have read with regard to this book, some of the art work could be regarded as sub-standard in quality but that could be a matter of subjectivity. I regard this book as a valuable addition to my World War One library and I plan to acquire other volumes from this series and author. Another book I found equally enlightening was World War I Gas Warfare Tactics and Equipment by Osprey Publishing. Here is the link you can click on to check it out! World War I Gas Warfare Tactics and Equipment (Elite)

Recommended for modellers

Although few Osprey "Warrior" series books deal with soldier's uniforms and equipment, "German Stormtropper" gives all comprehensive information on German assault units' specialist equipment and weapons, as well as uniforms alterations. Furthermore, the book is packed with interesting facts on combat on the Western front and is interesting to read.

Full of facts but below average drawings

The subject of the German stormtroopers in World War I and the German innovative tactics is extremely interesting and Ian Drury achieves his target presenting a wide variety of facts in a very readable manner. The photographs are very good also and well chosen and the text analyzes every aspect of the stormtroops, like uniforms, weapons, organization and battle tactics. The drawings section is a great disappointment though, because its quality is below average for the Osprey standards. Buy it if you are a student of tactics and military theory and skip it if you are a modeller.

Quite good for modellers

I'm a modeller, and the kind of information you find in this book is just what you need for finishing WW1 German Assault troops.The book is filled with pictures of about every used item, and you also find the usual Osprey center color drawings.I'd recommend getting this book, along with Brassey's book on german uniforms, and Osprey's book on the german army from 1914 to 1918, so as to get the widest possible coverage of the subject.