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Reassessing the reasons for the German military success over France in War of 1870 up to the Battle of Sedan, we rely on publications of contemporary artillery generals, such as Kraft zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen and put the topic into the broader context of warfare since the 1866 German War. We reject the idea of success, being simply based on armament or a special 'soldierly spirit', but argue that the main reason for military success was based on reorganization of the Prussian artillery, which paved the way to the future 'battle of combined arms' and the dominance of fire over thrust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of a subset of European militaries in responding to the Afghan insurgency during their deployment as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). While part of a multinational coalition, their heterogeneous military transformation was crucial to fighting the insurrection and confronting American pressure. In comparing the counterinsurgency innovations of Germany, Sweden, and France, we find that Germany acted reluctantly, Sweden largely emulated American doctrine, and France became a counterinsurgency pioneer. We argue that these developments took time and were accompanied by conflicts within ISAF and between the respective national military and political leaderships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article combines linguistic discourse analysis with role theory to create a role-theoretic discourse analysis framework for German security policy. To illustrate this, we employ topos analysis on 30 plenary minutes of parliamentary debates regarding the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, conducted by German Members of Parliament between 2001 and 2014. We interpret their perception of Germany's roles in light of key behavioral norms related to German security policy. The parliamentary discourse, shaped by topoi, sets the stage for decisions on German military operations abroad. The use of topoi is influenced by dominant thought patterns, particularly the perspective on Germany's role in security policy held by the political elite. Political decisions, in turn, reflect behavioral preferences guided by these viewpoints. Our research reveals how changes in German security policy are mirrored in the discourse. This discourse is structured around five categories of topoi for legitimizing or delegitimizing military operations abroad: necessity, obligation, self-interest, capability and preparedness, and solution. An evaluation of the use of topoi through the lens of role theory indicates that perceptions of Germany's role have evolved over time, encompassing roles such as a "civilian power," a "normal state," and an "agenda-setting role" in sync with its foreign military engagements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cameroon Grassfields faced extreme violence during German colonization in the early twentieth century. The German colonial army used various strategies, such as armed attacks, executions, looting, hostage-taking, and other repressive measures. After military subjugation by the German colonial army, however, the use of various forms of violence continued. Germans made use of multiple strategies in this mountain region to procure laborers for the colonial apparatus on the coast. At the same time, they claimed to be fighting "slave trade" and "slavery." However, the coercive measures and violence used for this purpose were and are often characterized by those affected and their descendants as forms of "slave trade" and "slavery." This article adopts an actor-centered approach that combines written sources with corresponding oral accounts and sheds light on local narratives about "labor recruitment." This will reveal how and why colonized actors conceptualized the systems of coercion they resisted against differently from the German colonizers. The article argues that taking the perspective of colonized actors into account calls into question the distinction between "slave trading" and "labor recruitment." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Iron and Blood, A Military History of the German Speaking Peoples since 1500" by Peter H. Wilson is a comprehensive study that challenges common misconceptions about German military history. Wilson argues that the military history of German-speaking peoples is similar to that of the rest of Europe and the world, and that the idea of a uniquely German way of war is a myth. He explores the decentralized political and war-making systems of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and rejects the notion of a German 'genius for war' or any connection to 'blood and soil'. The book covers five centuries of history and examines the political, social, and economic factors that influenced military organization. Wilson also discusses Germany's military strategies and failures in World War I and World War II, as well as its post-war rearmament and current role in global arms sales. [Extracted from the article]

This paper tracks the rise of German dominance since Bismarck’s unification of Germany in 1871 and during the 20th century, when the Germans used their economic, demographic, and military power in addition to geopolitical theories, particularly the vital space theory, to support expansionism. The «German question» evolved in the wake of the two world wars as the European States’ main concern was how to maintain a peaceful, powerful Germany. Following the Ukrainian war, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared Germany’s goal to have the greatest army in Europe, modernize military industries, and allocate 100 billion Euros for the defense budget. Accordingly, as strong Germany, historically, has always sought to dominate its neighbors, the paper examines the possible scenarios for the rise of Germany and its dominance over the European Union. What will be the repercussions of Germany’s rise on the future of the European Union and its institutions, and the potential incentives for cooperation and collaboration among European nations? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, German public health authorities launched various infection control procedures. In line with this, anti-pandemic infection control was also implemented for German military and police deployments. The presented study assessed the impact of this increased infection control effort on deployment-associated infections in a holistic approach. To do so, the results of post-deployment assessments offered to German soldiers and police officers at the Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases of the Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg obtained during the pandemic period were compared to the results recorded during the pre-pandemic period in an exploratory, hypothesis-forming comparative study. In total, data from 1010 military deployments and 134 police deployments, predominantly to the African or the Eastern Mediterranean WHO regions, were included in the analyses. In the main results, a significant decrease in gastroenteritis in deployed soldiers (20.1% versus 61.3%, p < 0.0001) and at least a trend in the same direction in deployed police officers (25.7% versus 35.4%, p = 0.4026) were shown for the pandemic period, while no consistent tendency into the one or the other direction was detectable for febrile illness on deployment. In contrast to the finding of less frequently reported deployment-associated gastroenteritis, the detection rates of enteric microorganisms after deployment, including poor hygiene-related colonization with apathogenic protozoa, remained unchanged. Regarding non-enteric infections, the numbers of serologically confirmed malaria cases on deployment and as expected, due to increased airway protection, Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific immune-conversion dropped significantly with p = 0.0037 and p = 0.009, respectively. As a side finding, soldiers and police officers with post-deployment medical assessments were more likely to be older and male during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. In summary, only minor changes in deployment-associated infection and colonization rates were seen in response to the increased infection control procedures during the pandemic period, apart from respiratory infections. In particular, the clinical finding of less gastroenteritis on deployment was not matched by a concordant decline in poor hygiene-related enteric colonization with apathogenic protozoa in the soldiers' guts, indicating that the fecal–oral transmission risk remained basically the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses implications and challenges of Germany's upcoming military deployment in Lithuania. A permanent stationing of brigade-sized military unit on NATO's Eastern frontier represents a major change in its force posture and a significant shift in Germany's defence policy. Despite the official German position that the implementation of its military commitments is contingent on Lithuania's timely improvement of its host nation support infrastructure, the paper suggests that the speed, quantity, and structure of Germany's deployment also depends on the progress made in rearming the Bundeswehr and its defence policy priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larissa Wegner's book on German occupation during World War I offers a new perspective that challenges existing interpretations. Through extensive research in German archival sources, Wegner argues that the German occupation was not solely a deliberate spiral of terror and compulsion, but rather a result of imprecise legal frameworks, self-fulfilling prophecies, and the German army prioritizing its own interests. The book is structured like a thesis, with five main chapters that examine different aspects of the occupation. While Wegner's work may not convince those firmly entrenched in opposing viewpoints, it is a valuable contribution to the scholarly discourse on German occupation. [Extracted from the article]

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Copyright of Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the Best Paper Prize awarded by the journal Computational Optimization and Applications. The winning paper, written by Alberto De Marchi, focuses on a numerical method for convex quadratic programs (QPs), which are optimization problems with quadratic objective functions and polyhedral constraints. De Marchi's method, called QPDO, combines the proximal point algorithm and a globalized Newton-type method to solve QPs efficiently and robustly. The paper's findings have influenced the development of methods for more general problem classes and have potential applications in various fields, including control systems and data science. Alberto De Marchi is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany, with expertise in computational optimization. [Extracted from the article]

Georg Stammer is certainly not one of those people who are immediately associated with the German military intelligence service. But his private address in Berlin's Courbierestraße became notorious, which soon also presented the English intelligence service with some puzzles and was also used by German agents (including Carl Hans Lody) as a cover address. After the end of World War I, Stammer was immediately involved in the reconstruction of intelligence structures and soonjoined the camouflaged naval intelligence service. Here he was mainly active for the development of counterespionage. From 1926 Stammer built up the industrial espionage of the Navy. After a few years in retirement, Stammer died in 1936 in Berlin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has seen the global growth of military-style reality television programming. These programmes, produced by militaries themselves or through collaboration with the entertainment sector, have proven to be an effective and increasingly powerful public relations conduit. Our article offers a theoretical treatment of reality television, both the aesthetic modes by which it invites the viewing subject as well as the political economy of its use in public relations. These dimensions are explored through two case studies. First, we focus on the genesis of military-style reality TV in the United States, where, after 9/11, the US military seized on the genre to pioneer and field-test various themes in response to public exigency as the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq drew on. Second, we analyse the German military as both a latecomer and innovator to these new public relations endeavours. By reading the generic and aesthetic strategies in both cases, we argue that the genre's public relations function goes beyond the immediate task of recruitment to cultivate civic participation in militaristic fantasies through a mediasphere rife with invitations to 'go soldier'. Military reality TV, we argue, represents the militarization of civic identity and the gradual displacement of values from deliberative to authoritarian, cosmopolitan to nationalistic and diplomatic to combative. Jeux éliminatoires : L'essor mondial de la télé-réalité militaire et la formation du citoyen sujet [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the Second World War broke out, Romania was undergoing in a rather difficult economic, political, military and especially diplomatic situation. Germany’s territorial expansion triggered the fall of the system of alliances Bucharest was relying on, given that France signed the armistice in April 1940. That is why the pressures exerted by Germany forced Romania’s entry under Berlin’s sphere of influence, an actual example being that the German Military Mission was sent into our country, with the clear purpose, among others, to take over oil resources and processing capacities in the Ploiești area. The act of 23 August 1944, through which Romania turned its weapons against Germany, with the clear intention of joining the United Nations, led to a state of confusion among Romanian and German troops deployed in Valea Prahovei. However, the dynamic orders of the Romanian General Staff were to annihilate any German resistance in the area, even by the force of arms, if needed. This mission was assigned to the 18th Oilfield Guard Detachment, commanded by Brigadier General Grigore Moșteoru. This large unit was subordinated to the 5th Territorial Army Corps, commanded by Major General Constantin Vasiliu-Rășcanu. The conclusion of this study illustrates the effort and heroism of Romanian troops, who annihilated, between 31 August and 1 September 1944, sometimes after heavy battles and human losses, any resistance of the German units who were thus forced to retreat to the North and lose all control over the oil resources in the Ploiești area. These aspects are highlighted from a military, economic and socio-historical perspective, by using the documentation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is still unclear, who instigated the arrest of scholars at the Jagiellonian University and the Mining Academy, which occurred in Kraków on 6 November 1939 - two months after the beginning of German occupation of Poland. SS-Sturmbannführer Bruno Müller, the head of task force of German Security Police and Security Service (Einsatzkommando 2/I), who commanded this operation, had been definitely carrying out an order issued by his superiors. The content of this order and the identity of the person who issued it, remain unknown. Some new findings from the German Federal Military Archive in Freiburg im Breisgau let us suppose that the instigator of the arrest of scholars in Kraków was Otto von Wächter, who at that time was the governor of Kraków district, the highest representative of the German occupation authorities in the city, before Hans Frank, the head of the General Government, moved to Kraków on 7 November. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Babylon Center for Humanities Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ioannis Metaxas was born in Cephalonia in 1871. At the age of twenty, Metaxas graduated from the Athens Military Academy with the rank of lieutenant and proceeded to the German Military Academy to further his studies. Metaxas, who served in the Balkan Wars, was promoted to the position of Chief of the Military Staff in 1915. After Venizelos came to power, Metaxas, who could not reconcile with Venizelos, left his duties, and embarked on political life in 1917. He served as the Minister of War in the Demircis Cabinet formed in 1936 and was later appointed as the Prime Minister. On August 4, 1936, General Metaxas became the Head of Government with extensive authority. The present study analyzed the visit of Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas to Türkiye on October 18-22, 1937, and his meetings and contacts in İstanbul and Ankara within the scope of this visit. Metaxas' negotiations in Ankara were of great significance for the course of Turkish-Greek relations and the unity of the Balkan Entente. Metaxas met with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Prime Minister Ismet Inonu, and Deputy Prime Minister Celal Bayar during his visit to Ankara. Metaxas visited various sites and institutions in Ankara and was welcomed with interest, enthusiasm, and love by the people of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After regaining independence in 1918, Poland faced many fundamental and strategic challenges. One of them was the issue of border crossings on the German-Polish border in Silesia. It was a region dominated by modern heavy industry, to which both the modern states laid claim. The course of the border was to be decided by a plebiscite, but the parties to the conflict resorted to violence and military means. In a complicated international situation and without the possibility of open military intervention, Poland effectively used the strategic tool of special operations – known more widely today as unconventional warfare. Thanks to their skillful application, the German military advantage was effectively eliminated and strategic goals were achieved. Poles effectively cut lines of communication, making it impossible to support pro-German organizations in Silesia, and successfully organized insurgent forces that achieved the goals important for Poland's development policy. This paper tells the story of a special mission unit called the Destruction Group 'Wawelberg' and its use as a tool for implementing the state policy of unconventional warfare during the Third Silesian Uprising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic changed not only the working conditions but also the private conditions we live in. Health care professionals especially were confronted with multiple stressors, e.g., the risk of infection, lack of staff, and high workloads. Methods: To estimate some of the pandemic-related impacts this anonymous personnel survey was conducted in two German military hospitals (Hamburg and Berlin). This study presents a comparative analysis of the hospital staff in general vs. the psychiatric personnel (N = 685) at two measurement time points (MTPs) in April 2021 (n = 399) and December 2021 (n = 286). The survey contains the German version of the Covid Stress Scale (CSS) to assess the perceived level of pandemicrelated stress, the Patient Health Questionnaire (German Version: PHQ-D) to screen for three major mental disorders, and the adjustment disorder--New Module (ADNM) to estimate the problems of adaptation to change. Results: The results showed a process of adaptation over the two MTPs with significant stress reduction at MTP2 in the general staff. The psychiatric staff did not report significantly higher pandemic-related symptoms. Quite the contrary, not only did the CSS show significantly lower xenophobia, traumatic stress, and compulsive checking, but the PHQ also showed lower stress symptoms and somatic symptoms at both MTPs. Also, the ADNM scores delivered evidence for a more effective adaptation process in psychiatric personnel (e.g., depressive mood, avoidance, anxiety). Discussion: The presented results must be interpreted while taking the unique situations of German military clinics into account. The supply of protective material was sufficient and there was no dramatic shortage of psychiatric staff during the pandemic. The inpatients were quite often (40%) elective treatments for trauma-related disorders, which could be discontinued in the case of a COVID-19 infection. The results of this study showed good adaptative skills among the psychiatric staff in military hospitals, which could be interpreted as a sign of good resilience. This might have led to lower stress-related symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Even after the First World War, the British and German armies remained strongly influenced by Clausewitz, for whom personality rather than mass was the best means to reduce friction. This article explores how this was reflected in their military doctrine between the two world wars. The German regulations showed a clear alignment with Clausewitz's thinking. The British tended to focus on the characteristics Clausewitz had argued were necessary for the troops, rather than for their commanders. The campaigns of 1939/40 caused the Germans to place even greater emphasis on boldness, while the British focused on steadiness and caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AirLand Battle doctrine is often seen as an epoch-making new concept that changed how the United States approached war and warfare. The doctrine is also referred to as the adaptation of the principles of Auftragstaktik into the American military theory. The Auftragstaktik is the product of the great military theorists of the German school of military science in the 19th Century - Scharnhorst, Clausewitz, and Moltke. This idea created the highest level of decentralized mission command. But the Auftragstaktik is more than a tactical theory, it is an institutional culture. In contrast, the AirLand Battle doctrine uses a more conservative concept of command and control. Although it gives officers more freedom than before, it seeks to standardize the execution of missions and tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capture of Sevastopol, on 4 July 1942, and the military developments of the following months marked a genuine peak of German military presence and power at the Black Sea. Until the autumn of 1944, this presence would be history, after a quasi-uninterrupted series of Red Army successes. In this article, the impact of these military and political developments on Romania and Bulgaria and the relations between the two neighbouring states west of the Black Sea is analysed. Thus, from the position of asymmetrical allies of the Third Reich, Romania and Bulgaria would finally almost simultaneously become allies of the Soviet Union, but still find themselves in asymmetrical positions compared to the new regional hegemon. The bibliography of the article includes important Romanian, Bulgarian and Western historiographical contributions, which vary in terms of typology and range, to which many documents from the Romanian military archives, partly original ones, are added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit der Einsatzbereitschaft der Bundeswehr, sich an Auslandseinsätzen im gesamten Konfliktspektrum beteiligen zu können. Vor dem Hintergrund der „Zeitenwende" werden drei Konflikte unterschiedlicher Intensität in der Ukraine, Afghanistan und Mali untersucht. Er bewertet sodann das Leistungspotenzial der Bundeswehr und gibt Empfehlungen für den Fähigkeitenaufbau: Neben der Modernisierung des Panzer- und Artilleriedispositivs fehlen vor allem Drohnen zur Fernaufklärung und als verharrende Waffen sowie eine wirksame Luftunterstützung – die jedoch in zwischenstaatlichen Konflikten hoher Intensität nur eingeschränkt einsetzbar sein wird. This contribution looks at the readiness of the Bundeswehr to contribute to external deployments in the full spectrum of conflict. Against the backdrop of the "Zeitenwende" three conflicts of differing intensity are analyzed. It then assesses the potential performance of the Bundeswehr and gives recommendations for the improvement of capabilities: Apart from the modernization of the tank and artillery weapon, what is lacking are drones for long-range reconnaissance and as loitering munitions, as well as effective air support – that will, however, only have limited use in interstate high intensity conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]