Fighting for Another Fatherland: Combat and the Identity of the Polish Minority in the German Army, 1914–18

This paper explores the relationship between the national identity and combat performance of the Polish-speaking soldiers who fought in the German army during the First World War. The importance of patriotic motivation for martial conduct in twentieth century warfare has long been debated by historians, sociologists and political scientists. Yet research has focused almost exclusively on troops serving in their own nations' armies. By investigating the allegiances, organisation and behaviour of a diverse minority fighting for a Fatherland which was not its own, this paper sheds new light on patriotic ideology's influence on the modern battlefield. It argues that while certainly powerful, patriotic loyalties were not essential for inducing a high level of compliance from combatants. Although ideologically uncommitted or alienated Polish-speaking personnel were initially unreliable, the German army ultimately succeeded in coaxing an acceptable level of obedience from them through a judicious mix of coercion, military integration and identity-building.