Books & more: Military Technology of the First World War

War can always be described in several ways. Of course, there is always the history of human suffering that it causes. But there is also the history of political goals and how they are supposed to be achieved, according to the classic saying that war is actually "the continuation of politics by other means". And there is also a technical history of war, which is particularly fascinating in the First World War, as it represents a radical change in its four years. The artillery, the machine guns, the equipment have an impact on tactics and strategy. Static fronts dividing the entire continent, artillery bombardment described as "steel storms" ... At the beginning of the First World War, one is still riding towards the battle, but after years of hiding in the ground, the dawn of the new weapon types of air force and tanks is approaching. Wolfgang Fleischer has excellently documented and summarized the development in his book. It is also well illustrated to understand how the First World War has changed over time. A fascinating story of mass armies and destruction technologies in trench warfare. Science in the service of war. And also a look at the misery that is produced by it. SPARTANAT recommendation for this book.

“Military Technology of the First World War: Development, Deployment, Consequences” by Wolfgang Fleischer, Motorbuch Verlag, 2014, 225 pages. The book is available in bookstores or on Amazon for Euro 29.90.