As featured in

Journal for the Pillbox Study Group No. 67

In this new volume THE GERMAN ARMY, FROM MOBILIZATION TO FIRST YPES of the series IMAGES OF WAR, Otto Schwink presents a collection of rare photographs captured by orders of the German General Staff and which was intended to keep the German people informed on the progress of the war.

The book covers the period from mobilization to the first battle of Ypres, the importance of which lies in the stark contrast clearly observed between the first days of the Great War and the stalemate reached a few months later. The book shows the German army in the commencement of hostilities as the well trained, well equipped, highly enthusiastic, formidable fighting machine. The contrast is quite visible in the photographs depicting the battles, the trenches and the destruction which followed. Another set of photos shows the importance attached to cavalry at the beginning of the war which was soon rendered obsolete with the efficient use of the machine gun.

The beauty of this volume also lies in the selection of photos showing the technological advances which marked the start of a revolution in the way warfare was conducted in the Great War. The advance of radio communication, zeppelins, mobile artillery, mobile transport and machine guns are nicely depicted.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Great War and especially the German Army at the early stages.

UNRV

The Images of War series are excellent books both to read, but also suit a busy lifestyle. You can have a read, browse the excellent photographs included, then put it down again. This collection of photographs by Captain Otto Schwink is no exception. Bob Carruthers has done an excellent job of pulling the photos and text together, stating in the introduction that the work was founded on official documents'...

A great book for anyone with an interest in the First World War, or indeed the history of the German army. Also, it is a fitting reminder of the early days of the war.

Jon Sandison, Freelance

An interesting book which covers the early part of WW1 and even more so for looking at the German side of things with text that did just that yet was recorded shortly after the actual events took place. Add the interesting selection of over 190 photos which give lots of details for modellers to enjoy, another good WW1 addition to the popular Images of War series.

Read the full review here.

Military Modelling, Robin Buckland