Armies of 1914

This page provides easy access to articles that deal with the armies of the first year of the First World War. (Multipart articles do not appear on this page until the last part has been published.)

If you don’t find what you are looking for on this page, visit the pages for “Edwardian Armies,” “Interwar Armies,” and “Imaginary Armies.”

The Tactical Notebook

German Infantry Divisions (I)

The evolution of German infantry divisions during the first half of World War I is, in many respects, similar to the development of their British counterparts. At the start of the war, both the British and German armies rushed to create a large number of improvised formations. As these had to be assembled from resources at hand, the particular shape that these formations took was of much less importance than the rapidity with which they could be sent into action…

a month ago · Bruce I Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

Non-Commissioned Officers

In keeping with Rudyard Kipling’s oft-quoted dictum that “The backbone of the Army is the non-commissioned man,” this series on the German armies of 1914-1918 begins with a description of the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who served the Kaiser on the eve of the First World War. Subsequent articles will deal with such subjects as officers, organizatio…

4 months ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

The French Infantry Company of 1914

In 1914, the organization of the smaller units of the French infantry followed a binary scheme. Two squads (escouades) made a section (demi-section.) Two sections made a platoon (section.) Two platoons made a half-company (peloton.) [1] Two half-companies made a company …

3 months ago · Bruce I Gudmundsson