“An excellent writing looking at WW 1 from a German soldier’s perspective. I have read many accounts of the US activities in the war to include my Grandfather’s war diary detailing his observations. This is a rare glimpse into the same view for a German Soldier and to look at the similarities of some of their comments, although on different sides of the conflict. My Grandfather, as mentioned in the book, was close to Infantry Regiment 169’s sector in the same battle in the Meuse Argonne. It was a very good reading and I highly recommend it to everyone interested in learning more about the Great War.” Gerald York, Colonel (ret), US Army; Grandson of Sergeant Alvin York, famed US Army WW I Medal of Honor Recipient
“In the past few years there have been numerous books that deal with the German view of World War 1. These works have given historians a better rounded knowledge of the Great War. Rieth’s book stands head and shoulders above previously published unit histories and should not be ignored for its substantial value in providing the whole picture of many of the war’s landmark battles.
John Rieth is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who brings his considerable experience in military matters to bear in this work. Prior to this work, he authored Patton’s Forward Observers, The History of the 7th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. This book is a personal endeavor in that it is based on his grandfather’s, who served in the 169 Infantry Regiment from 1914-15, war observations. To that record, Rieth has expertly added excerpts from Otto Lais’s book A Machine-gunner in the Iron Regiment (8th Baden Infantry Regiment #169) and the Commemorative Publication for the 1st Regimental Day of the Former 8th Infantry Regiment #169 on 30 and 31 August 1924. The result of the blending of the three, plus smatterings from other primary sources, is a treat to read.
Anyone who has studied these battles from the English and American perspectives will readily appreciate how Rieth completes the picture of the overall battle. Drawing from Lais’s work and the regimental history the reader will get a real feel for the preliminary bombardment the 169th IR endured before the first day of battle on the Somme and how material conditions, but not attitudes, deteriorated after August 1918 when over 1500 of the division that the regiment was part of were captured.
Don’t miss this book. The portion on Mulhouse is a gem and the description of opposing the Americans Meuse-Argonne offensive is priceless.” Reviewed by Michael Kihntopf, “Roads to the Great War” Website (http://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2015/03/imperial-germanys-iron-regiment-of.html)
“Generally speaking, war histories of German regiments during either the First or Second World War are comparatively rare. Thus, the author’s book is a welcome addition to the limited published resources of this genre. Inspired by a wartime journal written by the author’s grandfather, a veteran of the regiment, much of the book is drawn from this rare testimony. Published for the first time in English, it immerses the reader in an aspect of trench warfare that quite rarely sees. This is an information-packed and well edited book, illustrated with maps relevant to particular sections. It is fully referenced and contains a section period images. Certainly a worthwhile publication giving a German perspective of the war. Review published in Britain at War Magazine, February 2015.
-- “Great Book, I think the most striking account came from the 1st July 1916 catastrophe as described by Otto Lais. As a machine gunner he describes the misery they endured by the week long barrage and then the hideous slaughter as they emptied their machine guns into the poor advancing Infantry. We all need to know these accounts. The book was well structured and gave me a good understanding of the makeup of an infantry Regiment. I would like to have seen more from Albert but I suppose he was lucky to get Hospitalized .His chances of serving the whole of the war from 1914 with IR169 would have been most unlikely. The Regiment did serve in most of the "hot-spots" so everything is covered.”
-- “Excellent book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning from - a great resource. Well done John Rieth.”
-- “Well I have gotten to the final stages of this book. I must congratulate John on what is a superb book. The narrative, the various extracts from the regimental history and for me the best bit, the soldiers accounts are really well woven together giving an insight to a German trench swine’s existence.....read Otto Lais' account of a year of misery at Serre to see what I mean. The written words of life in Nov / Dec 1916 is truly grim! I simply like this book. Easy to read, informative and another welcome edition for the other side. With Jack Sheldon’s volumes, Ralph Whitehead’s books and other German accounts on my bookshelves I feel a gap has been filled....thank you all. (Now can someone do the same for France for us English only readers.) Well done John.”
-- “You won't regret this purchase. I am now down to the last few pages and in the Argonne. It is a very readable book indeed.”
-- “I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I found this to be very well written and easy to understand. It was well-documented. Following the story of one individual the author dovetailed the work throughout the Regiment. I thought it was very well placed. While I might disagree with this point or that and his use of Tuchman as a source this is what books are about. It makes you think about those things. It is an easy read that I found myself quickly turning pages on. I recommend anyone who wants to read this to do so. I only wish we had had some of those insights when we wrote our big book. Great job!”
Sample of Comments from “The Great War Forum” (http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/)
The Following Book Review from Jonathan Vernon, Digital Editor of the Great War Society
-- " The strengths of ‘Imperial Germany’s Iron Regiment of the First World War’ (IR 169) is that it is the complete lifecycle account of a German regiment for the duration of the First World War, and so a rare contribution to those wishing to see the war from the German perspective. IR 169 is so very much more than the kind of dry, blow by blow regimental or divisional history that we are all used to. Whilst the author covers every moment of the regiment’s history, from its formation in 1914 to it demise and demobbing in 1918/19 he also brings us the personal stories and voices of three others: his grandfather Albert Rieth who carries the story in the opening weeks of the war in 1914, before passing on the baton to his grandson John who in turn uses a new translation of the war memoir of Otto Lais, and from amongst the usually anonymous voices of the IR 169 ‘informal’ Regimental History machine gunner Kuebler and others to paint a vivid picture of events. An official history of IR 169 was never published so the few primary resources that could be found have been deciphered and translated from the challenging old German ‘Kurrentschrift’.
At times both Otto Lais and Kuebler are well able to match the insight and narrative storytelling of Ernst Jünger ‘Storm of Steel’ or Erich Maria Remarque ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’
As John Rieth, a former US Army Lieutenant Colonel, states in the Prologue, his aim is to tell the tactical history of a German Regiment from the perspective of a German soldier throughout the duration of the First World War this he achieves with aplomb. IR 169 happens to be the regiment in which his late grandfather Albert Rieth served in, albeit briefly. For this reason IR 169 is both a labour of love and a thoroughly researched, detailed account. It is more than just a dry record of what took place though, far from it, drawing on his grandfather’s memoir, the rare translated words of German artist Otto Lais who served in IR 169 and the equally rare ‘informal’ Regimental history, which includes the voice of machine gunner Kuebler, you get something that is part like the typical BEF Divisional History, part ‘voice of the veteran’ in the style of Lyn Macdonald or Peter Hart, while also having the authoritative and guiding voice of the author himself. In fact, unlike Macdonald and Hart you get to know Albert Rieth, Otto Lais and Kuebler who are the primary voices. If you know Ernst Jünger’s ‘Storm of Steel’ then you get some of that in tone and detail from Otto Lais. The genuine delight with the book is that particular voices come through and you are left with a sense of what it might have been like to serve in IR 169 from August 1914 and survive, as Otto Lais did through four and a half years to the Armistice. At full strength IR 169 had 3,500 men. By November 1918 over 22,000 men had ‘cycled through’ the regiment, this number dead, wounded, missing or perhaps transferred. By November 1918 it is a spent force of less than a 1,000.
The book is topped-and-tailed by a prologue that introduces the author’s grandfather and a postscript which describes how the author followed his grandfather’s bootsteps of August 1914. A gallery of photographs of the author’s grandfather create an imbalance. Many maps support the story, and if thought a little tricky to decipher, there is a link to an online resource.
The losses by the French in the first weeks and month of the war are brought home graphically. On 22nd August 1914 27,000 French soldiers were killed. The author admits to trying to ‘mesh together stories of the French, British and American Expeditionary Forces’ when they are facing IR 169. At times this leaves IR 169 as ‘the ones being faced across the trenches’, on the other hand it is intriguing to cross noman’s land to get some insight, for example, on the Accrington Pals at Serre on the Somme in July 1916 the Indian troops from Lahore who IR 169 faced, as well as the French Chasseurs Alpines and American Marines. Therefore, there are multiple valuable insights into some of the key events up and down the Western Front of 1914-18 from the German perspective. On first reading some readers may be tripped up by some minor editorial slips and the author admits to only turning to three sources to set the context John Keegan, Max Hastings and Barbara Tuchman. Everything is referenced carefully though some readers will think that the author’s reading should have expanded to include a few authorities on the First World War from the German perspective.
Thanks to John Rieth’s book I picked up Ernst Jünger’s ‘Storm of Steel’ again, translated by Michael Hofman, and stumbled upon a brief description by the translator of Ernst Jünger’s style.
‘I would like first to put the idea of a star shape in the reader’s mind, The characteristic focus and form, it seems to me, of Storm of Steel is just such an in-and-out, the points, the capes, the nooks and spines. It is not actually the most tightly drawn book one can imagine: that would have made it a small circle.’ p xvi (Michael Hofman, 2003) With IR 169 by John Rieth I would visualize something of a star, not entirely even, with some spikes large than others but it is nonetheless, as promised, a complete telling of one German regiment’s experience throughout the First World War from formation to demise, told largely by three or four German soldiers on the ground who were there and put down their words at the time or afterwards. There are some weaknesses that readers should brush off, as the strength of ‘Imperial Germany’s Iron Regiment of the First World War’ ris that its goals are met: this is the First World War from the perspective of a single German regiment told by the soldiers and an informed grandson of one of the combatants."
Jonathan Vernon
“In the past few years there have been numerous books that deal with the German view of World War 1. These works have given historians a better rounded knowledge of the Great War. Rieth’s book stands head and shoulders above previously published unit histories and should not be ignored for its substantial value in providing the whole picture of many of the war’s landmark battles.
John Rieth is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who brings his considerable experience in military matters to bear in this work. Prior to this work, he authored Patton’s Forward Observers, The History of the 7th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. This book is a personal endeavor in that it is based on his grandfather’s, who served in the 169 Infantry Regiment from 1914-15, war observations. To that record, Rieth has expertly added excerpts from Otto Lais’s book A Machine-gunner in the Iron Regiment (8th Baden Infantry Regiment #169) and the Commemorative Publication for the 1st Regimental Day of the Former 8th Infantry Regiment #169 on 30 and 31 August 1924. The result of the blending of the three, plus smatterings from other primary sources, is a treat to read.
Anyone who has studied these battles from the English and American perspectives will readily appreciate how Rieth completes the picture of the overall battle. Drawing from Lais’s work and the regimental history the reader will get a real feel for the preliminary bombardment the 169th IR endured before the first day of battle on the Somme and how material conditions, but not attitudes, deteriorated after August 1918 when over 1500 of the division that the regiment was part of were captured.
Don’t miss this book. The portion on Mulhouse is a gem and the description of opposing the Americans Meuse-Argonne offensive is priceless.” Reviewed by Michael Kihntopf, “Roads to the Great War” Website (http://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2015/03/imperial-germanys-iron-regiment-of.html)
“Generally speaking, war histories of German regiments during either the First or Second World War are comparatively rare. Thus, the author’s book is a welcome addition to the limited published resources of this genre. Inspired by a wartime journal written by the author’s grandfather, a veteran of the regiment, much of the book is drawn from this rare testimony. Published for the first time in English, it immerses the reader in an aspect of trench warfare that quite rarely sees. This is an information-packed and well edited book, illustrated with maps relevant to particular sections. It is fully referenced and contains a section period images. Certainly a worthwhile publication giving a German perspective of the war. Review published in Britain at War Magazine, February 2015.
-- “Great Book, I think the most striking account came from the 1st July 1916 catastrophe as described by Otto Lais. As a machine gunner he describes the misery they endured by the week long barrage and then the hideous slaughter as they emptied their machine guns into the poor advancing Infantry. We all need to know these accounts. The book was well structured and gave me a good understanding of the makeup of an infantry Regiment. I would like to have seen more from Albert but I suppose he was lucky to get Hospitalized .His chances of serving the whole of the war from 1914 with IR169 would have been most unlikely. The Regiment did serve in most of the "hot-spots" so everything is covered.”
-- “Excellent book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning from - a great resource. Well done John Rieth.”
-- “Well I have gotten to the final stages of this book. I must congratulate John on what is a superb book. The narrative, the various extracts from the regimental history and for me the best bit, the soldiers accounts are really well woven together giving an insight to a German trench swine’s existence.....read Otto Lais' account of a year of misery at Serre to see what I mean. The written words of life in Nov / Dec 1916 is truly grim! I simply like this book. Easy to read, informative and another welcome edition for the other side. With Jack Sheldon’s volumes, Ralph Whitehead’s books and other German accounts on my bookshelves I feel a gap has been filled....thank you all. (Now can someone do the same for France for us English only readers.) Well done John.”
-- “You won't regret this purchase. I am now down to the last few pages and in the Argonne. It is a very readable book indeed.”
-- “I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I found this to be very well written and easy to understand. It was well-documented. Following the story of one individual the author dovetailed the work throughout the Regiment. I thought it was very well placed. While I might disagree with this point or that and his use of Tuchman as a source this is what books are about. It makes you think about those things. It is an easy read that I found myself quickly turning pages on. I recommend anyone who wants to read this to do so. I only wish we had had some of those insights when we wrote our big book. Great job!”
Sample of Comments from “The Great War Forum” (http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/)
The Following Book Review from Jonathan Vernon, Digital Editor of the Great War Society
-- " The strengths of ‘Imperial Germany’s Iron Regiment of the First World War’ (IR 169) is that it is the complete lifecycle account of a German regiment for the duration of the First World War, and so a rare contribution to those wishing to see the war from the German perspective. IR 169 is so very much more than the kind of dry, blow by blow regimental or divisional history that we are all used to. Whilst the author covers every moment of the regiment’s history, from its formation in 1914 to it demise and demobbing in 1918/19 he also brings us the personal stories and voices of three others: his grandfather Albert Rieth who carries the story in the opening weeks of the war in 1914, before passing on the baton to his grandson John who in turn uses a new translation of the war memoir of Otto Lais, and from amongst the usually anonymous voices of the IR 169 ‘informal’ Regimental History machine gunner Kuebler and others to paint a vivid picture of events. An official history of IR 169 was never published so the few primary resources that could be found have been deciphered and translated from the challenging old German ‘Kurrentschrift’.
At times both Otto Lais and Kuebler are well able to match the insight and narrative storytelling of Ernst Jünger ‘Storm of Steel’ or Erich Maria Remarque ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’
As John Rieth, a former US Army Lieutenant Colonel, states in the Prologue, his aim is to tell the tactical history of a German Regiment from the perspective of a German soldier throughout the duration of the First World War this he achieves with aplomb. IR 169 happens to be the regiment in which his late grandfather Albert Rieth served in, albeit briefly. For this reason IR 169 is both a labour of love and a thoroughly researched, detailed account. It is more than just a dry record of what took place though, far from it, drawing on his grandfather’s memoir, the rare translated words of German artist Otto Lais who served in IR 169 and the equally rare ‘informal’ Regimental history, which includes the voice of machine gunner Kuebler, you get something that is part like the typical BEF Divisional History, part ‘voice of the veteran’ in the style of Lyn Macdonald or Peter Hart, while also having the authoritative and guiding voice of the author himself. In fact, unlike Macdonald and Hart you get to know Albert Rieth, Otto Lais and Kuebler who are the primary voices. If you know Ernst Jünger’s ‘Storm of Steel’ then you get some of that in tone and detail from Otto Lais. The genuine delight with the book is that particular voices come through and you are left with a sense of what it might have been like to serve in IR 169 from August 1914 and survive, as Otto Lais did through four and a half years to the Armistice. At full strength IR 169 had 3,500 men. By November 1918 over 22,000 men had ‘cycled through’ the regiment, this number dead, wounded, missing or perhaps transferred. By November 1918 it is a spent force of less than a 1,000.
The book is topped-and-tailed by a prologue that introduces the author’s grandfather and a postscript which describes how the author followed his grandfather’s bootsteps of August 1914. A gallery of photographs of the author’s grandfather create an imbalance. Many maps support the story, and if thought a little tricky to decipher, there is a link to an online resource.
The losses by the French in the first weeks and month of the war are brought home graphically. On 22nd August 1914 27,000 French soldiers were killed. The author admits to trying to ‘mesh together stories of the French, British and American Expeditionary Forces’ when they are facing IR 169. At times this leaves IR 169 as ‘the ones being faced across the trenches’, on the other hand it is intriguing to cross noman’s land to get some insight, for example, on the Accrington Pals at Serre on the Somme in July 1916 the Indian troops from Lahore who IR 169 faced, as well as the French Chasseurs Alpines and American Marines. Therefore, there are multiple valuable insights into some of the key events up and down the Western Front of 1914-18 from the German perspective. On first reading some readers may be tripped up by some minor editorial slips and the author admits to only turning to three sources to set the context John Keegan, Max Hastings and Barbara Tuchman. Everything is referenced carefully though some readers will think that the author’s reading should have expanded to include a few authorities on the First World War from the German perspective.
Thanks to John Rieth’s book I picked up Ernst Jünger’s ‘Storm of Steel’ again, translated by Michael Hofman, and stumbled upon a brief description by the translator of Ernst Jünger’s style.
‘I would like first to put the idea of a star shape in the reader’s mind, The characteristic focus and form, it seems to me, of Storm of Steel is just such an in-and-out, the points, the capes, the nooks and spines. It is not actually the most tightly drawn book one can imagine: that would have made it a small circle.’ p xvi (Michael Hofman, 2003) With IR 169 by John Rieth I would visualize something of a star, not entirely even, with some spikes large than others but it is nonetheless, as promised, a complete telling of one German regiment’s experience throughout the First World War from formation to demise, told largely by three or four German soldiers on the ground who were there and put down their words at the time or afterwards. There are some weaknesses that readers should brush off, as the strength of ‘Imperial Germany’s Iron Regiment of the First World War’ ris that its goals are met: this is the First World War from the perspective of a single German regiment told by the soldiers and an informed grandson of one of the combatants."
Jonathan Vernon