The last bit of research completed .
UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT
In 1907 a new Feldgrau field uniform was introduced in the German Army, known as the M1907/10, and was the standard throughout the army by 1910. It retained many of the styling details of the M1895 Dunkelblau. (Dunkleblau referred not only to the colour “Dark Blue”, but also to the style of uniform regardless of the colour.)
The new uniform was made from a heavy wool material dyed grey-green. The tunic was piped in regiment or branch colours around the collar, cuffs, front fly and rear skirt details. The buttons were either dulled brass or silver. The shoulder boards matched the uniform colour and piped with the Armee Korps colour (with exceptions for senior regiments) and the regimental number or cypher embroidered in red. The trousers were made of the same material with matching piping on the outside seam. Different dye batches and the harder wear on the trousers meant there were a variety of feldgrau shades, spoiling the uniform look of the army. In 1914 the new Steingrau (Stone Grey) trousers were introduced.
In 1913 a Landsturm tunic (often called the M1913) was introduced with some simplified details for manufacture. Most of these details were on the inside of the tunic making them nearly indistinguishable from the M1907/10. With the outbreak of war, this became the standard issue tunic of the German Army after September 1914.
As pressure increased on German industry to clothe the increasing number of troops more modifications were introduced in 1915. The M1910 Vereinfachte (Simplified) tunic introduced the simpler turn back cuff and could be seen with or without piping depending upon supplier. Shoulder boards were also produced without piping. These could be attached by button or sewn directly to the tunic depending upon the manufacturer.
Late 1915 saw the introduction of the M1915/16 Bluse. This was a completely new pattern with a much looser fit that allowed better movement and comfort. It utilized the turn back cuff (favoured by troops to carry ID and travel papers) and simplified skirt of the M1910 and was void of all piping. The collar was made of an apple green cloth (grey for Bavarian troops). The front fly covered 6 buttons made of bone. There were two lower pockets on the front of the tunic. Shoulder boards were now produced with specific colours and piping for each branch (with exceptions for senior regiments). Buttons on the pockets and shoulder boards were a grey painted metal.
In 1917 trousers were again being made in feldgrau as dealers could not supply the large quantities of grey wool. They could be seen with or without piping. In 1916 private purchase items began to supplement government issue clothing. In some units this practice was discouraged for junior ranks, limiting it to officers and some senior NCOs. Corduroy trousers, popular with mountain climbers, were a popular item in the trenches for their warmth and durability. They were seen in two styles, straight leg or breeches, and in brown, grey or black.
Although each new style of tunic was intended to become the standard and replace the previous issues, all 4 styles remained in use from their introduction until the last day of the war. Uniforms from casualties brought to field hospitals that were “lightly worn” were cleaned, repaired and re-issued.
One of the most iconic items of the Germany army also became one of its first casualties, the Pickelhaube. It was quickly found to be unsuitable for modern warfare. The spike provided no practical purpose other than betraying a soldier’s position and providing an aiming point as he peered over the edge of the trench. The pressed leather (later pressed felt and paper or tin) provided no protection against shrapnel.
In early 1915 a study of head wounds was undertaken and the design of a suitable steel helmet began. Testing began on a design broadly based on the 15th century sallet in November 1915. An order for 30,000 M1916 Stahlhems was placed in the New Year with the first issue to troops in February 1916. There was a dramatic drop in head wounds (up to 70%) following its introduction. Initially supply could not keep up to demand and helmets were made “trench stores” handed over by troops leaving the trenches to those relieving them. Incremental improvements were incorporated in the M1917 and M1918 Stalhelms.
From the factory, the helmets were painted with a semi-gloss feldgrau. Troops in the field used mud, foliage, cloth covers and paint for better concealment. An official order was issued in July 1918 that all helmets be painted in a seasonally appropriate 3 colour scheme with each colour separated by a finger width black line. New production helmets followed the ordered paint scheme while those repainted in the field had a much broader interpretation of the order.
The field uniform was worn with the high shaft M1866 Marschstiefels (Marching Boot) in natural or dark tan leather. The soles were studded with hob nails and a heel rim to provide traction. The troops found the marching boot to clumsy for trench warfare and saw the ankle boot and puttees (Schnurschuhe und Gamaschen) being worn in early 1915. There were two main styles of ankle boot, side or front laced, both in brown or black leather. Puttees were produced in many shades of field grey and stone grey with some seen in black or brown. They were worn wrapped upwards from ankle to knee with a hook to secure them to the boot and either hooks or ties to secure them at the knee.
An infantryman’s field equipment consisted of a waist belt and backpack support straps, 6 ammunition pouches (3 on the front of each hip) and support strap, bayonet with frog and knot strapped to the entrenching tool carried on the left hip, bread bag and water flask carried on the right hip and backpack, great coat, shelter quarter and mess kit on the upper back. In “assault order” the back pack and straps were removed with the mess kit rolled into the great coat and shelter quarter carried in a horseshoe over the left shoulder.
At the start of the war all leather equipment was natural brown colour with brass fittings. To reduce the shine troops began painting the brass. In 1915 fittings were changed to blackened or painted steel and leather was ordered blackened including boots. In the field, the blackening orders were not always followed so, as with the uniform, a mixture of brown and black leather could be seen throughout the war.
As the war progressed, an indispensable piece of equipment was added to the soldiers’ burden, the gas mask. The German army issued their first mask in mid-1915. When not in use it was stowed in a canvas pouch, by regulation carried on the belt below the right side ammunition pouches. In practice, it was often carried on the rear of the belt. During the war three main variants were issued with multiple versions as a result of lessons learned in the field. The M1916 gas mask was issued with a circular metal carrying can with a leather or canvas shoulder strap. Throughout the war Germany lagged behind the Allies in gas mask technology due in large part to the naval blockade that forced the use of inferior materials.
WEAPONS
In 1914 line infantry regiments were uniformly equipped with the 1898 pattern Mauser Gewehr 98. It was chambered for a 7.92 mm cartridge fed from a 5 round internal magazine loaded via stripper clip. It was a robust and accurate rifle well suited to the open warfare of 1914 but not trench warfare. The bolt was susceptible to dirt and did not tolerate poor quality ammunition and it held half the ammunition of the British SMLE. ( The SMLE is often referred to as the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield inferring that the magazine is shorter when in fact it is the rifle that is shorter. The correct nomenclature is Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield.)
A shorter and lighter version of the Gewehr 98, the Karabiner Model 1898AZ (K98AZ), was issued to Cavalry, Mountain and Support units.
Officers and NCOs were issued either a P08 Luger or Mauser C96 (Broomhandle) pistol chambered for either 7.65mm or 9mm cartridges. Both of these pistols could be configured with a removable stock improving their range and accuracy. A 32 round “snail” magazine was developed for the Luger making it much more practical weapon in the confines of a trench than a 5 round bolt action rifle.
In 1918 Germany introduced the world’s first practical submachine gun, the MP18. It was chambered for either 7.65mm or 9mm cartridges and could fire 500 rpm. It quickly proved its superiority over the infantry rifle in trench fighting, gaining the nickname “Trench Broom” from the Allies. The MP18 was one of the weapons banned from further development or manufacture in Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.
At the beginning of the war the Hand Grenade was employed solely by the Pioneers. Their success led to the design of the M1915 Stielhandgrenate (Potato Masher) of which every infantryman carried 8. It was composed of a hollow cylinder 4 inches long and 3 inched in diameter filled with explosives. The hollow wooden handle was 9 inches long with the arming cord projecting from the end. The cord could be easily snagged and led to distrust among the infantry who often left them in the trenches during an assault. A screw off cap added to reduce the risk of snagging. In 1916 the Eierhandgranate (Egg Grenade) was introduced.
Both types were concussion grenades relying on blast effect rather than fragmentation. As a result they were much more effective within a trench than the open field. An experienced thrower could throw a stick grenade approximately 40 yds and the small egg grenade up to 55 yds.
The infantry also had a rifle grenade attachment for the Gewehr 98 that could provide direct and indirect fire support between 55 and 380 yds.
Next up, see how the figure stacks up against all this information and what, if any, fixes or tweaks are needed.
Cheers,
Rich