My great-grandfather Arno Bierast's life and war service with Kgl. Sächs. 4. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 48 (FAR 48) was the original root of the obsession which eventually blossomed into the body of work highlighted on this site.

This was the third in my blog series for Colonel Joe Robinson's Facebook group WW1 German History. He is continuing to archive them on his website here.

This time I'm drawing on the writings of the highest-ranking diarist to be featured in Fighting the Kaiser's War, namely Generalmajor Richard Kaden of 116. Infanterie-Brigade.

Upon the prudent advice of my lovely wife Diana I changed the format a little, so we will now BEGIN with the diary excerpt. Keener readers can then keep reading for additional detail on the events described and full biographical notes on the diarist! :)

Tragic stories of boys who lied about their age to join the army are all too familiar to British readers. Likewise, there were undoubtedly many underage volunteers in the ranks of XXVII. Reservekorps when it arrived in Flanders in October 1914. But what of those who were rejected as too young, yet remained hell-bent on reaching the front?

In this article we take a look at Fritz Lehmann of Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr.245 and many other adventurous or foolish lads who are mentioned or hinted at in the surviving sources.

This piece expands on some brief references in the diary entries of Major Alfred von Heygendorff as featured in For King and Kaiser.

This article elaborates on what you can expect to find in each chapter of our second English-language book For King and Kaiser. German-speaking readers can also expect to find much the same content in the original German-language version of this book, Von Armentières nach Langemarck.

This preview is illustrated with some of the many relevant pictures which either arrived too late to be included (the illustrated military historian's perennial frustration) or else were excluded in favour of others.

In some cases, the pictures shown here are directly connected to others which DID make it into print - e.g. by belonging to the same group or album. Therefore even those esteemed few who already own both books (thankyou, we love you all!) have some exclusive material here to enjoy.

This was the second in my blog series for Colonel Joe Robinson's Facebook group WW1 German History. He is also archiving them on his website here.

Herein we introduce the most prominent of our featured diarists from For King and Kaiser, Major (later Oberstleutnant) Alfred von Heygendorff, revered commander of RIR 245.

The book draws extensively on von Heygendorff's diary entries from both the First and Second Battles of Ypres. In this article we look at the critical situation in which he found himself upon taking command of the regiment at the height of the fighting in October 1914.

This was the first in a series of weekly blog posts for Colonel Joe Robinson's Facebook group WW1 German History to promote our second book in English, For King and Kaiser. I will be archiving them all on here as and when I find the time to catch up.

The new book includes new personal accounts, from one of which I have taken today's extract. Herein we introduce our featured diarist, Oberleutnant der Reserve Alfred (or Alexander) Pache of IR 182. Freed from the pressure of space, I've expanded the biographical information to enlarge on Pache's later career and added some newly discovered biographical details. I am indebted to my wife Diana Zachau for discovering the shocking circumstances of his death!

My choice of subject was inspired by the crowdfunded excavations at Hill 80 in Wytschaete, which lay inside the regimental sector described in today's extract. The same archaeological team has recently unearthed evidence of the Kortestollen, a huge accommodation gallery constructed by the Prussians who took over Wytschaete from the Saxons in 1916.

Here I present bonus material for my article An 'Argonaut Voyage' into Chaos - Saxon 212. Infanterie-Division in Southern Ukraine, April 1918 - March 1919 in Stand To! Number 132 ('Ukraine special', October 2023).

I may add to this intermittently - please let me know if you would like to see more on this subject!

A review of Chris Dale's second single-volume reference work, this time covering the traditions and uniforms of the (pre-war) German cavalry.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traditions-Imperial-German-Cavalry-Regiments/dp/B0CH2MFBPH/

A review of Chris Dale's indispensable single-volume guide to the traditions and uniforms of the (pre-war) German infantry regiments and Jäger battalions.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traditions-Imperial-German-Infantry-Regiments/dp/B08SP2PK2V

Jürgen Schmieschek recently wrote a piece aimed at local audiences in Chemnitz, introducing the remarkably well-preserved Soldatenfriedhof Quesnoy-sur-Deûle (divisional cemetery of 40. Infanterie-Division until summer 1916) and the wider history of the Chemnitz regiments IR 104 and IR 181 in the Ploegsteert Wood area.

A review of the richly illustrated and lovingly annotated personal war diary of an officer in Kurhessisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 11. Intriguingly for us, he had served in peacetime in the Royal Saxon Army (with Kgl. Sächs. 2. Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 13 in Freiberg).

Buy it here: https://www.theothertrench.com/