Uniforms of the German Soldiers: an Illustrated History from 1870 to End of Wwi - Tapa dura

Military Collector & Historian", Winter 2006"Alejandro M. de Quesada brings a remarkable visual presentation of the uniforms worn by the Reichsheer, Wehrmacht, Nationalen Volksarmee, and Bundesheer ... Well over 500 photographs provide an encyclopedic coverage of the evolution of uniforms worn by German soldiers from the early days of the Weimar Republic through the changes of the WWII era, and to those of the twenty-first century. He has left no stone unturned in his efforts to bring together this illustrative opus ... The uniforms of the German military from the days of Frederick the Great have been the subject of books far too numerous to enumerate, extremely popular among Militaria collectors and uniformologists, and de Quesada's Uniforms of the German Soldier" ranks with the best of them."

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 grey jacket with four front pockets lined with leather, designed for carrying cartridges. "Uniforms of the German Soldier" has more than thirty colour 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.