David Stone Fighting for the Fatherland

Annotation

The German soldier's cultural legacy is founded in the romanticized Teutonic legends of Germanic mythology, while his sense of national identity was forged by the imperatives of Brandenburg's and Prussia's national survival during the 17th and 18th centuries, posits career British army infantry officer David Stone. Spectacular military victories and imperialist aspirations in the 19th century set the stage for two horrendous failures to conquer Europe in the 20th, after which the German army became divided against itself during the Cold War, emerging finally as the new Bundeswehr under a reunified Germany. Stone explores the true nature of the German soldier—his motivation, his preparation for war, his conduct in battle—and those aspects of his training, organization, leadership, and lifestyle that reveal why this fighter for his fatherland has proven so formidable for 350 years.