As a result of the Austro-Hungarian settlement, after 1868 the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s armed forces were made up of three separate parts: alongside the k. u. k. Army, two separate territorial armies were formed, one for Austria and one for Hungary. By the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Royal Hungarian Territorial Army, known as the ‘Honvéd’, had developed, in virtually every branch of arms, into a veritable Hungarian miniature version of the Common Army. The Honvéd Army, with its motto, ‘For King and Fatherland’, embraced the Hungarian soldierly traditions that had evolved from the revolution of 1848, the Napoleonic Wars and the great hussar legends. This book details the development of the small ‘second line’ Hungarian army from its formation to the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918; its historical background and political significance, as well as its structure, uniforms and equipment. The subtle nuances and differences compared with the uniforms of the k. u. k. Army are illustrated by many items of headgear, uniform and equipment. Contemporary photographs, many of them never before published, and colour photographs of items from the collections of the Museum of Military History in Budapest, and a number of private collections, present a vivid and colourful picture of the lives and work of the ‘Honvéd’.

Exquisitely detailed study of the Feldgrau uniform in the Imperial German army before and during the First World War. The 700-page hardcover volume contains 1,100 photographs - portraits, group photos and field pictures - detailing the history and use of the feldgrau uniform.  The text is in German, but the photos alone make this book a must-have for any World War I historian, collector or modeller.

Uniforms and Equipment of the German Army from 1919 to 1932 For the first time this illustrated volume of 464 pages describes and shows in minute detail the entire clothing and equipment of the German Army from 1919 to 1932. More than 1000 photographs and illustrations show the appearance of the German Reichswehr, which developed in the Weimar Republic immediately after the first World War and whose uniforms and items of equipment were still in use up to the Second World War. During the experimental phase of the Provisional Reichswehr 1919/1920, an entirely new course was taken in the design of uniforms, but with the establishment of the final Reichswehr in 1920 uniforms received their last appearance with a return to more traditional designs. Following the German Army in the First World War, a modern standard uniform was created with an entirely new system of insignia. Its components, including insignia and personal items of equipment, are described in detail, and the text is based on comprehensive research of sources. All the items of clothing are shown to the viewer in brilliant colour photographs. For this purpose the assets of the Bayerisches Armeemuseum could be utilized for the first time, which also contain an impressive collection of original samples. Additions are provided by important artefacts from the Wehrgeschichtliches Museum in Rastatt and from private collections. Contemporary black and white photographs show the way the artefacts were worn or carried. Often the photographs show officers who were to gain military fame years later in the Second World War.

This 600-page illustrated volume deals first with the history of Germany’s colonial ambition, thus providing a historical and political framework. Starting with the first tentative colonisation projects, this part of the book concentrates on the years between 1884 (the establishment, under Imperial constitutional law, of the first ‘protectorate’) and 1919, the formal end of Germany’s colonial Empire with the Treaty of Versailles. It describes the motives of a country striving to obtain ‘a place in the sun’ and the initial reluctance of Reichs Chancellor Bismarck, who eventually conceded to the idea of colonisation, and then deals in detail with the security organisation in the protectorates as well as the special case of Jiaozhou, China. This introductory section closes with the campaigns and military operations prior to the First World War and the occurrences during the War, 1914 to 1918.

The second part deals with the uniforms and equipment of the Schutztruppen: based on the early uniforms worn from 1889 in German East Africa and German South-West Africa, the universal uniform for all ‘Imperial Schutztruppen’ was established in 1896. Along with the representative grey home uniform, this also included a sand-coloured or white tropical uniform adapted to the climate in the protectorates. In 1913, the field grey uniform was finally introduced. Despite the basic form, uniforms and equipment varied in the protectorates. All the various items, such as pith helmets, caps, tunics and cartridge belts, are described here in great detail. The African soldiers’ tropical uniform is also dealt with in a special section. The troops for East Asia presented a completely different picture. Initially, the East Asia Expeditionary Corps, sent out in 1900, was only issued an improvised uniform, which made quite an exotic impression with its straw hats. By 1901 the troops were issued special field grey winter and summer uniforms with brand new helmets, pith helmets, tunics and equipment. These items were not only worn by the East Asia Occupation Troops until 1909, they also became trial models in the search for a new field uniform and many important elements were later incorporated into the field uniform of the German Army.

With more than 500 original artefacts this illustrated book shows for the first time the appearance of the French army at the outbreak of the First World War, i.e. at the time of mobilization in August 1914. Approx. 1,000 photographs on 528 pages give the reader a vivid picture of the different headgear, uniforms and items of clothing and equipment including cavalry equipment (saddlery). The originals illustrated in the book derive from the Musée de l'Armée in Paris and Salon-de-Provence (L'Empérie) and are supplemented by major public and private collections. The majority of the artefacts are shown to the public for the first time. All of this presents a well structured and authentic picture of the French army at the beginning of the war and during the initial fighting in the Battle of the Marne. With more than 300 carefully selected black and white and ten contemporary, original colour photographs ('autochromes') the reader is given a realistic impression of the appearance of the French army in the 'Belle Epoque'. The book shows the reader the colourfulness of the French army at the beginning of the war in Europe, supplemented by the traditions of African and Arab units and influences on uniforms. The orientally inspired clothing of 'L'Armée d'Afrique', the uniforms of the Foreign Legion and colonial troops and elegant officers' clothing mirror both the fashions of the time and the prestige of wearing uniform. The complete equipment of a colonial soldier before 1914 - from his képi to his knife - in almost mint quality, each individual item stamped with the personal registration number of the soldier, gives these objects a human and emotional dimension. The large number of artefacts available makes it possible to produce a second volume covering the period from the end of 1914 until 1918. It will present the extraordinary development of uniforms during the war and especially the introduction of the horizon-blue dress which was so typical of the French soldier during the Battle of Verdun. This volume will also contain the personal uniforms and items of equipment of famous personalities and officers up to the rank of field marshal.

This work of 640 pages presents the incredible development of uniforms, armament and equipment of the French army from mobilization in August 1914 until the armistice in 1918. It thus completes the work published in 2007 on the French army at the outbreak of the war. Several hundred uniforms, artefacts and weapons belonging to the Musée d l’Armée in Paris, other prestigious museums and rich private collections have been photographed in this magnificent book typical of publications by Verlag Militaria. Access to these exceptional collections and the exploitation of archives has enabled new fields to be explored. With astonishment the reader will discover original items never before published from such varied fields as aviation, body armours or gas masks. The uniforms of the most senior French military commanders, including the marshal’s batons of Foch, Joffre and Petain are equally presented to the public for the first time under optimal photographic conditions. Finally, an incredible iconography of the time, consisting of nearly 400 unpublished black-and-white and 10 contemporary coloured photographs from WW1 (“autochromes”) drawn from the depths of private and public photograph archives make this work into an indisputable reference book on the uniforms of the French army in the First World War.