At the start of World War I, in August 1914, the army of imperial Germany was considered the best and most efficient in the Old Continent. Such a conviction resulted mainly from the fame of the victories won in the course of the wars with Austria in 1866 and with France in the years 1870-1871. Also, many organizational solutions used at that time in the Prussian army, and later in the German army (e.g. strategic railway lines or mobilization techniques) were copied in other European countries. As in the French and Russian armies, the largest number of armed forces in the German army in 1914 was infantry. The German infantryman at that time was his main armament with the successful 7.92mm Mauser Gewehr 98 rifle, and on his head he wore the famous pickelhaub - so mercilessly used as a symbol of German militarism in the caricature of the Entente countries. It is worth adding that the German infantry uniform was much less colorful than its French counterpart. At the outbreak of the Great War, the German corps consisted of the headquarters, 2 infantry divisions, a heavy artillery squadron (16 150 mm caliber howitzers), a communications battalion, a searchlight company and an air company. The infantry division in turn consisted of two brigades, each of them two infantry regiments. On the other hand, a single infantry regiment consisted of 3 battalions and a machine gun company of 6 heavy machine guns. It is worth adding that the infantry division was supported by an artillery brigade of 72 guns. Of course, in the course of World War I, the German infantry underwent far-reaching changes. First of all, a steel helmet (German Stahlhelm) was introduced into the weaponry, which, with minor changes, survived in the German armed forces until the end of… World War II! Hand grenades, gas masks and light machine guns (German: leichte Maschinengewehr - abbreviated as lMG) also began to be used on a large scale. Branches such as Stosstruppen also appeared.
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the entire British army, including infantry, consisted of volunteers and numbered around 250,000. regular troops. It is worth adding that the army underwent considerable changes after the Second Boer War (1899-1902), which concerned uniforms (e.g. the introduction of khaki uniforms), equipment and weapons. She was undoubtedly excellently trained and put a lot of emphasis on shooting training. However, the realities of World War I led to the introduction of general conscription in Great Britain in January 1916, which led to a significant increase in the size of the British armed forces - including infantry. As in other European armies at that time, the basic organizational unit at the tactical and operational level was the division. For example, the 27th Infantry Division formed in 1914 consisted of three, and from 1915, four infantry brigades. In addition, there were support units in the form of artillery units, sappers, medical and supplies. The primary weapon of the British infantryman was the Lee Enfield Mark III Short Magazine rifle. During the course of the war, the successful light Lewis machine guns were introduced on a large scale. The field artillery units, on the other hand, most often used 84 mm 18-pounder guns. The tactics of British infantry in the course of the war clearly changed and evolved - from emphasizing the fire of a single infantryman, through attack with a tyralier, to the use in 1918 of the most flexible tactics of attack with the maximum use of machine guns and grenades. It is worth adding that at the end of 1918, the British army had a total of 3.82 million soldiers formed in 70 divisions. The lion's share of them are infantry. It is quite commonly accepted that the British infantry underwent its baptism of fire in World War I at Mons in 1914, and its bloodiest battle was the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
The French army at the start of World War I, in August 1914, was perceived as one of the largest and most modern in Europe. This army was also eager to retaliate for the defeats suffered at the hands of Prussia in the years 1870-1871. The basic, numerically largest, type of armed forces was infantry. On the peace foot, in 1913 it consisted of 173 line regiments and other regiments, e.g. zouaves or mountain infantry. After the mobilization in 1914, the number of infantry soldiers increased significantly. In 1914, the average French infantryman (French poillou) was armed with the Lebel Mle1886 rifle, modernized in 1893. The defective Saint Etienne Mle 1907 rifle was used as the basic machine gun. The uniform of the French infantryman did not meet the standards of the then battlefield and consisted of a blue kepi, a grant coat (designed as early as 1877) and red pants! In the course of the first months of World War I, it was realized very quickly and, as a result, in 1916 the French infantryman already had an iron M15 Adrian helmet, gray breeches and, unfortunately, a light blue uniform jacket that was supposed to blend in with the morning mist. He also received a gas mask and hand grenades. At the end of the war in 1918, its armament and equipment differed and often exceeded those used in 1914. Another combat tactic was also used, with a strong emphasis on the use of heavy artillery on the battlefield.