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/

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 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/

On Thursday November 11th 2021 I had the great pleasure of accompanying my lovely wife Diana to the Esher Theatre, for the most appropriately scheduled premiere of a short run of R.C. Sherriff's Journey's End. Neither of us had been to the theatre in years (and haven't been out much at all since 2019 of course), which added an extra frisson of excitement...

This play has had a special significance for the Lucas family ever since the discovery of our family connection to the battalion, which set my father on the path which led to the writing of The Journey's End Battalion.

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

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 week we return to the First Battle of Ypres to introduce another diarist from my first book together with Jürgen Schmieschek, Fighting the Kaiser's War.

On 25th October 1914, Einjährig-Freiwilliger Curt Penther of 6. Kompagnie / Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr.242 (53. Reserve-Division / XXVII. Reservekorps) took part in the regiment's first full-scale assault against the British defensive positions on the Menin Road, at the village of Kruseik.

Wounded a week later, he subsequently described his experiences in a letter from hospital to his sweetheart.

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! :)

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.

A review of the personal war diary (in the original German) of a senior staff officer with the Saxon / Württemberg XXVII. Reserve-Korps.

The launch of Fighting the Kaiser's War at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke on 25th-26th April 2015.