German Soldiers in the Great War: Letters and Eyewitness Accounts

This edited volume presents more than 200 largely unknown primary documents that offer a vivid and harrowing picture of the reality of First World War as the first total war in the 20th century: letters from soldiers in  the field, military edicts and orders, diary extracts, medical reports, extracts from books and brochures as well as photos and other sources. After 1918, the experiences of the German soldiers at the front during the First World War were often instrumentalized for propaganda and political purposes. The book offers  informative  primary document material on the every day life of war at the battle front for the teaching in schools, colleges and universities, which is also interesting for other readers. Through this material, a key epoch in the history of violence in the 20th century is explored.