German Tactical symbols 1914
Joseph P. Robinson
This is a long-overdue very very short synopsis of the German Tactical Symbols used on maps at the very start of the war in 1914. These morphed over time however the general staff officers used these symbols for operations prior to and at the beginning of World War I. This comes directly from the general staff officer’s handbook which was issued personally to the general staff officer. It is also known as the Red Donkey. There is a copy I understand in the Potsdam archive library and we used a copy in the research and writing of “The Great War Dawning”. While the huge book seems to have everything in it the symbols were left out or did not make the cut. I thought this could be of great use to anyone looking at the maps of 1914 and maybe beyond. While we have donated most of the German research library to the University of North Texas we retained our copy of the Red Donkey. It is extremely rare and I don’t think you’ll find it easily anywhere. It is not in the bibliography of the works that I have looked for. Hope you enjoy.
