Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-speaking Peoples Since 1500

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However massive the book is, I would have liked to see another 100 pages for this time period, as the analysis could have gone deeper into WWI and, to an extent, WWII as well. A very comprehensive tour of German military history from the Middle Ages to modern times (including GWOT). Moreover, Wilson's treatment of the two world wars and the subsequent division and reunification of Germany is particularly praiseworthy. Astonishingly ambitious and detailed…An absorbing overview of how slowly changing societal forces—such as fiscal systems, scientific and technological capabilities, ideological and cultural beliefs, and the social background of soldiers—have transformed the use of military force across modern times.

Only after Prussia’s unexpected victory over France in 1871 did Germans and outsiders come to believe in a German gift for warfare—a special capacity for high-speed, high-intensity combat that could overcome numerical disadvantage.The primary aggressor in Central Europe was not Prussia but the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, yet Austria’s strength owed much to its ability to secure allies. Why I started this book: Interesting approach to German military history, by including all German speakers from 1500 to the present. Iron and Blood follows his epic history of the Thirty Years War and his even more epic history of the Holy Roman Empire. Alongside Switzerland, which relied on traditional militia, both states exemplify the longstanding civilian element within German military power. We can learn all the intimate details of weaponry from the Thirty Years War or the Franco-Prussian War, but discussions of weaponry for Fredrick the Great aren’t there.

Granted, air power is not a factor before the 20th century, but sometimes, the in-depth breakouts aren’t consistent. No one interested in the history of Europe, and of the Germans in particular, can afford not to read this stupendous book. Nor can I pretend that I have read all of this book - I have tried twice and have abandoned it not through any other reason than lack of time and also a failure to become as engaged with its subject as I had with his earlier books.

He offers an absorbing overview of how slowly changing societal forces—such as fiscal systems, scientific and technological capabilities, ideological and cultural beliefs, and the social background of soldiers—have transformed the use of military force across modern times.

Each section gets an overview of the geo-political situation, followed by more in-depth analysis of the military, from the leaders, to organization and equipment.If there's a second edition ever, I hope the author delves a bit more into explaining why the otherwise professional German armed forces were inclined to wage such brutal wars in the 20th century and to eventually support the genocidal Nazi regime. By the time the author got to the Cold War and modern times, he had run out of steam, I think, because the chapters just glossed over most of that period.