GERMAN IMPERIAL ARMY: The Military Force That Built and Defended an Empire | History Documentary

The German Imperial Army became one of the most powerful military forces in Europe between 1871 and 1919. Created after German unification, it inherited the traditions of the Prussian military system and developed into a highly organized army that would fight on an enormous scale during World War I. In this European history documentary, The Warfare Archives explores the rise of the German Imperial Army, its organization, recruitment, weapons, commanders, battlefield doctrine, and the military traditions that shaped Imperial Germany. Discover how Prussian influence helped define training, discipline, the officer corps, mobilization, and operational planning. Infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers, and an expanding reserve system allowed Germany to field millions of soldiers when war began in 1914. The documentary follows the German Imperial Army from the years after unification through the First World War, examining major campaigns on the Western and Eastern Fronts, the impact of trench warfare, artillery, machine guns, logistics, and the immense demands of industrial warfare. It also explores the strengths and limitations of the German military system, the pressures of fighting a multi-front war, and the collapse of Imperial Germany at the end of World War I. Subscribe to The Warfare Archives for more documentaries about legendary armies, military empires, commanders, major campaigns, and the history of warfare.