Germany
Hermann Foertsch, (1885-1961)
German general of infantry and military theorist Hermann Foertsch was born in Munich, joined the army, and rose rapidly through the ranks. He was best known as a military pedagogue and theorist, the author of a number of books on the special role of the interwar Wehrmacht and, most famously, on modern warfare. Kriegskunst Heute und Morgen, published in 1939,…
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The Wings of the Abwehr: The Dawn of Secret Missions
Theodor Rowehl The secret activities of the talented organizer of secret missions Theodor Rowehl left a significant mark on the history of the Luftwaffe, German military intelligence and the Third Reich. However, before going into Rowehl’s career, a brief overview of the recovery of German military intelligence after defeat in…
For the Freedom of Northern Ireland!
The influence of aviation on intelligence activities was not limited to photographing the territory of other states. The use of aircraft greatly simplified the problem of delivery of agents and saboteurs. It was a real revolution in the work of the secret services! Previously agents were able to enter the…
MANNA FROM MARS: THE ARRIVAL OF SMSÂ GOEBEN
to force the Turks, even against their will, to spread the war to the Black Sea against their ancient enemy, Russia. —ADMIRAL WILHELM SOUCHON, commander of the German dreadnought SMS Goeben On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, were murdered by an assassin…
Volkssturm Small Arms
Primitiv-Waffen-Programm As a last-ditch measure in the nearly lost war, on 18 October 1944 the Deutscher Volkssturm was mobilized – a German national militia. To arm them under conditions of depleted manpower and limited available production capacities the Primitiv-Waffen-Programm (“primitive weapons program”) was initiated. It called for weapons that were…
Imperial Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882–1951)
German Imperial Crown Prince Wilhelm seen here cracking a joke with officers and men during an Iron Cross award ceremony for the 1st Company, Bavarian Infantry (Bavarian King’s Guard Regiment), during the Verdun campaign, July 7, 1916. The First Battle of the Marne had recently been won by the French…
The Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch, March 13–18, 1920
Walther von LĂĽttwitz The major move by the right to overthrow the revolutionary government of the Soci left and replace it with a military dictatorship came during March 13–18, 1920 at Berlin. This was what has come down in German history as the Kapp Putsch, although his purely civilian part…