Fighting for the fatherland

Fighting for the Fatherland traces and analyses the development of the German soldier and the army in which he served during the three and a half turbulent centuries of international conflict that have so often found him on some of the most violent and testing battlegrounds encountered by the soldiers of any nation. The author, himself a former infantryman, relates the story of the German soldier in war and peace: his motivation, his key battles and campaigns, his uniforms, weapons and equipment. Furthermore, David Stone explores those particular aspects of the army's training, organization, leadership and lifestyle, all of which have had such a pronounced impact upon the course of European and world history during the last 350 years