This book shows the daily life of the ordinary German infantryman from 1914 to 1918, through Michel (Deutscher Michael?), the archetype of the German soldier, the national personification of the German people, the symbol of patriotic union. We see his life, his material surroundings, his joys, his hardships, the way he ate, expressed himself, his relationship to authority, mobilisation, moving up to the front, life in the front line and the rear, the fighting, his assignment to the assault troops, care in hospital the way the uniforms and equipment altered as the war went on. The context of the period is also particularly well rendered thanks to extracts from songs in vogue at the time and a host of anecdotes and accurate details which make this book something of a novelty. This study is particularly well backed up by lots of illustrations which expose each of these aspects. Illustrated