Dan Morton
A Fixture
Several new references have come out recently.
The German Infantryman by Jean-Claude Laparra and Pascal Hesse, ISBN 978-2-35250-071-1, and it is a fair to good reference for the subject, particularly for weapons and equipment, not so much for uniforms. It's a short book - 66 pages, but full of photos and illustrations. A little expensive for its' size. In English. Softcover.
By comparison, "14-18" La Grande Guerre by Francois Bertin, 978-2-7373-3979-0, Editions Ouest-France, pub in 2006. In French. 128 pages, 450 color photos. This is a marvelous fairly comprehensive color reference for uniforms, weapons and equipment. If you are familiar with WWI Infantry, Europa Militaria #3, by Laurent Mirouze, well...it's much better in my opinion. I have only complaint - why didn't the photographer give us back and side views of the uniforms instead of just the front? But the complaint is more than overcome by the wealth of other material in this excellent book. Softcover.
In 2007, the same author and publisher came out with Memoires D'Objets and Histoires D'Hommes, 1914-1918, 978-2-7373-4309-4. In French. You probably shouldn't purchase this book if you are looking only for uniform and equipment reference photos in color. But if you want to know more about how the PBI lived, the history of the objects they used routinely, and to get a flavor of what it must have been like then [and you can read a bit of French], this one is fun. Softcover.
and finally,
From time to time, the French magazine, Gazette des Uniformes, publishes a special issue on a given subject. This is probably the best one yet IMHO. L'Uniforme du Poilu 1914-18, Hors Serie 19. Available in French and Italian, but not English. Softcover.
I found all of these on www.abebooks.com or on e-Bay.fr or Amazon.ca. The two Bertin books are a bit difficult to find on non-French book web sites, but well worth the search.
I thought I'd go back and add four scans from two of the books. The three with tan colored insert on the pages are from "14-18". The fourth is from "L'Uniforme du Poilu".
From left to right, a French artilleryman 1914, a French Tirailleur Algerien de Constantine, field equipment back view of a Poilu, and a German medic, 1915.
Then left to right, the covers of the four books, a Lt. Col.'s Chechia of 14th French Zouaves from Memoires, French equipment from L'Uniforme du Poilu, and a German sniper resting in a trench from the German Infantryman.
All the best,
Dan
The German Infantryman by Jean-Claude Laparra and Pascal Hesse, ISBN 978-2-35250-071-1, and it is a fair to good reference for the subject, particularly for weapons and equipment, not so much for uniforms. It's a short book - 66 pages, but full of photos and illustrations. A little expensive for its' size. In English. Softcover.
By comparison, "14-18" La Grande Guerre by Francois Bertin, 978-2-7373-3979-0, Editions Ouest-France, pub in 2006. In French. 128 pages, 450 color photos. This is a marvelous fairly comprehensive color reference for uniforms, weapons and equipment. If you are familiar with WWI Infantry, Europa Militaria #3, by Laurent Mirouze, well...it's much better in my opinion. I have only complaint - why didn't the photographer give us back and side views of the uniforms instead of just the front? But the complaint is more than overcome by the wealth of other material in this excellent book. Softcover.
In 2007, the same author and publisher came out with Memoires D'Objets and Histoires D'Hommes, 1914-1918, 978-2-7373-4309-4. In French. You probably shouldn't purchase this book if you are looking only for uniform and equipment reference photos in color. But if you want to know more about how the PBI lived, the history of the objects they used routinely, and to get a flavor of what it must have been like then [and you can read a bit of French], this one is fun. Softcover.
and finally,
From time to time, the French magazine, Gazette des Uniformes, publishes a special issue on a given subject. This is probably the best one yet IMHO. L'Uniforme du Poilu 1914-18, Hors Serie 19. Available in French and Italian, but not English. Softcover.
I found all of these on www.abebooks.com or on e-Bay.fr or Amazon.ca. The two Bertin books are a bit difficult to find on non-French book web sites, but well worth the search.
I thought I'd go back and add four scans from two of the books. The three with tan colored insert on the pages are from "14-18". The fourth is from "L'Uniforme du Poilu".
From left to right, a French artilleryman 1914, a French Tirailleur Algerien de Constantine, field equipment back view of a Poilu, and a German medic, 1915.
Then left to right, the covers of the four books, a Lt. Col.'s Chechia of 14th French Zouaves from Memoires, French equipment from L'Uniforme du Poilu, and a German sniper resting in a trench from the German Infantryman.
All the best,
Dan
