German Soldier Newspapers of the First World War

"The literature on trench journalism is well-established for Britain and France during the First World War, but this book is the first systematic study in English of German soldier newspapers as a representation of daily life and beliefs on the front. Printed by and for soldiers at or near the front line these newspapers were read by millions of 'ordinary soldiers.' They reveal an elaborately defined understanding of comradeship and duty. The war of aggression, the prolonged occupation on both fronts, and the hostility of the local populations were justified through a powerful image of manly comradeship. The belief among many Germans was that they were good gentlemen, fighting a just war and bringing civilization to backward populations. This comparative study includes French, British, Australian, and Canadian newspapers and sheds new light on the views of combatants on both sides of the line"-- "Why do soldiers fight? Why did German soldiers follow orders throughout a seemingly endless war from 1914 to 1918? Did German soldiers really believe that they were waging a 'war of defence' while occupying foreign soil and populations? Were German soldiers atavistic nationalists or bitter pacifists? In other words, were these men perpetrators or victims? What was the postwar legacy of these soldiers' experiences for the dark events to come? Every major study of German soldiers in the First World War (and ninety plus years has produced a vast library) attempts to tackle most, sometimes all, of these questions. This book is no exception. I posit partial answers to all of these queries through my analysis of German soldier newspapers, printed at or near the front, by and for soldiers. I will show that this incredibly popular medium, bought and read by millions, provided 'ordinary soldiers' with a language of manly justification for the aggressive and occupational practices of the German army. The soldier newspapers largely bypassed the popular nationalist discourse, a troublesome category in the still 'young' Germany with its many 'ethnic' divisions and decentralised mass culture, and instead focused upon the ideal of comradeship. This comradeship involved both that among fellow soldiers with its associated concepts of what it meant to be a 'man,' as well as the idea of the German comrade, an honest, good gentleman, as a participant in an occupying, or 'colonizing,' force"--