New book on Imperial German Shoulder Insignia

[Alan Wilson]

I am pleased to announce my book on Imperial German shoulder insignia has been received from the printer. Titled Under Arms for the Kaiser; Shoulder Insignia of the Imperial German Army’s Regiments, 1871-1918 the book is 602 pages with 1827 photos. Beautifully arranged by Tiger III Publications the book traces the multiple strap patterns as they evolved and shows hundreds of examples in quality color photographs. The focus is on those regiments which wore the cyphers of the royals appointed as honorary Chefs with photos of the Chefs and their dates of appointment. Dozens of additional shoulder insignia including those belonging to Kaiser Wilhelm II and other royals are highlighted. Along with photos, each chapter describes shoulder insignia worn by the service branches. There are also dozens of photos of uniforms, headdress, other imperial militaria and several appendices with comprehensive regimental lists including details on regimental piping and underlay colors. The book was a team effort supported by some 35 collectors, with contributions from the finest imperial collections in both North America and Europe. They represent years of study and research in the Imperial era providing not only corrections but also additional commentary and overall accuracy and fact checking. Without their participation this project would be much poorer. Among those contributing are Tony Schnurr, Chip Minx, Tom Suter, and Gary Boward. The goal is to fill a void collectors of imperial insignia find themselves in… no one single source for identifying the patterns of insignia worn during the Kaiser’s time. I believe Under Arms for the Kaiser fills that void. I certainly hope the book adds to the collecting experience.

The book, is now available from me (makelso77@aol.com, 706-329-4319). It will be available at 2017 Show of Shows from Garth Thompson’s table where I hang out along the front wall or from Tiger 3 books tables.

$99.95 plus shipping, $6 or $13.60 (priority). Check, Money order, Paypal (friends & family)
Overseas buyers...the book is heavy so the USPS shipping rate is not nice. Shipment to Europe is $65.

[Alan Wilson]

A couple photos from the book. Please excuse the quality of these examples. The photos in the book are much better. Mike

[Alan Wilson]

Final two examples. Mike

[Fred Green]

Hello,

Looks great Mike. Can you save me a copy and I'll pick it up at the show? Thanks.

Fred

[Alan Wilson]

Fred, will do. Great seeing you as always. Thanks.

Mike

[kaiserwilhelm2]

Hi Guys,

Saw this thread just now. I am waiting with great anticipation on my copy. After seeing some pdf files in the pre-printing stage I knew within seconds I wanted to have this book. It looks fantastic with beautiful shoulder boards and some fantastic uniforms in it. If you are into shoulder boards and/or imperial in general this is a must have book. Also on a personal level the author is a great guy who sold me some wonderful shoulder boards in the past - which are now featured in this publication - and deserves all his work into this splendid publication rewarded with an out of print sale. Get this book! Mike thanks for making it.

Cheers, W

[kaiserwilhelm2]

Got my copy yesterday and could not wait to put the kids to bed. When that was finally done I got into a comfy chair and just sat there for hours going through this wonderful book. Mike thanks for a job well done! Definitely worth every penny!

[Gary B]

I received my copy of "Under Arms for the Kaiser" early last week and have spent much time since then reading and looking over the book.

It is a truly magnificent reference that was a huge undertaking for Mike - definitely a "labor of love". The book, that fills a huge void in the IG collecting community, focuses on all shoulder boards/straps of Imperial Germany. Additionally, the book provides information on the regiments, quick reference charts that can be cross referenced and is supported with thousands of photos of boards/straps and portraits of those boards/straps in wear. This book is a must for any IG collectors library.

The only negative thing I have to say about the book is that I now might have to start collecting IG boards/straps......and as you all know "you can't have it all" but this book makes me want to try.

Gary B

[Viking78]

Review: Under Arms for the Kaiser

I was very pleased to receive my copy of Michael Kelso's text: Under Arms for the Kaiser, the quality simply jumps out as the packing material is torn away, revealing the high gloss cover art and examples of shoulder boards and straps.

While not having a wide array of collector's references this was one I had been looking forward to adding to my library. It covers a wide historical time period and includes a great number of examples, most of which you'll never see since their all in private collections. The coverage of material is extensive and links both the collecting of militaria to the foundations and history of the units themselves.

High quality materials have been painstakingly assembled, which is evident in all the series of photos shot, high resolution and superb color examples as well as a fantastic range of boards, straps and epilettes have been included. Getting a clear look at the stitching and assembly points very much drives home the value to collectors in my opinion.

I personally enjoyed each section having an abundance of related photos and art related to the period and personalities of leaders of the various units; both divisions and regiments. Likewise the key addition in areas where helmets, uniforms and ribbon bars are included divulge a wealth of information both for a historian or enthusiast. The photos are as well planned and executed as the board artwork and a huge bonus is the type size which makes for quick ease of reading and study.

The Kaiser Wilhelm section is alone worth the price of the text itself and the information packed appendices are well organized and laid out.

I would highly recommend this book to military historians, researchers, and period collectors, it engages the reader from the first pages and keeps your interest level up through to the final pages. Well worth the money spent !

Kudos to the Author and editting via Tiger III books, job very well done !

Richard P. Wade, MA

[Alan Wilson]

Thanks for the kind reviews. They are much appreciated. I will have the book for sale at SOS. Available at the tables of Garth Thompson (my location) and Tiger 3 Publications (Neil Stewart ). Safe travels.

Mike

[leibregiment]

Alan, book received with thanks, bloody hell what a fantastic book, and the size of a small country, great achievement and first class research, many thanks again

[Alan Wilson]

Guys, time for an update. I want to thank all that have bought my book. In a little over 6 months 216 of 300 have sold. I am overwhelmed by the positive comments and appreciate the valuable critiques. The book can be found on ebay under WWI, German shoulder boards/straps. Of course, you can by direct from me.

As we all know the cost of USPS shipments overseas is horrible. $65 to Europe. I have arranged for a military store in Berlin, Berlin Zinnfiguren, to be the exclusive seller of the book in Europe. www.zinnfigur.com They now have the book in stock. I don't know what the shipping cost is in Europe but I am positive it will not be $65!

Again, thanks to all for the support. It is very much appreciated.

Mike

[Alan Wilson]

A couple more example pages. Mike

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

more infos for European collectors :

https://www.zinnfigur.com/Buecher-Me...1871-1918.html

The book costs 109.95 euros and the shipping is

- 4.50 euros for Germany
- 6.99 euros for Austria
- 9.99 euros for Belgium, The Netherlands and Danemark
- 11.99 euros for France, UK, Italy, Luxemburg, Monaco, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic
- 13.99 euros for most of the other European countries

See You

Vince

[Alan Wilson]

Vince, thank you for providing shipping costs for European buyers.

For those living in N. America my book can be purchased direct from me or on ebay. Thanks again to all those who have bought Under Arms.

265 of 300 printed have sold.

Mike