The “Guidelines for the Military Pre-Training of Youth” from 1917 represent a significant historical document that reflects the increasing militarization of German society during World War I. Published by the Royal War Ministry (königliches Kriegsministerium) and issued through the renowned military publisher Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn in Berlin, this 47-page booklet documents the systematic efforts of the German Empire to prepare youth for military service.

In 1917, the German Reich was in its fourth year of World War I. The devastating losses on the Western and Eastern Fronts, the battles of attrition at Verdun and the Somme, and the increasing exhaustion of human resources forced the military leadership to find new ways to ensure a supply of trained soldiers. The Supreme Army Command (Oberste Heeresleitung) under Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff had effectively taken control of the entire war effort and large parts of civilian administration since 1916—a development often described as a “silent military dictatorship.”

The publisher Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn had been the leading military publisher in the German-speaking world since its founding in 1789. As the official court bookseller and publisher of the Royal Prussian Army, the company published all service regulations, military journals such as “Militär-Wochenblatt,” and numerous works on military science. The fact that these guidelines were published through this house underscores their official and binding character.

Military pre-training of youth had been a tradition in the German Empire even before 1914. Organizations such as the Jungdeutschlandbund, founded in 1911, and various paramilitary youth associations aimed at physical conditioning and pre-military training of young men. With the outbreak of war in 1914, these efforts intensified considerably. The Auxiliary Service Law (Hilfsdienstgesetz) of 1916 already obligated all male Germans between 17 and 60 years of age to serve in the war economy, but preparations effectively began even earlier.

The year 1917 marks a turning point: the American declaration of war in April, increasing supply problems due to the British naval blockade (the so-called “Turnip Winter” of 1916/17 had led to famine), and growing war weariness among the population required intensified propaganda and mobilization efforts. The systematic military pre-training of youth was viewed as indispensable in this context.

Such guidelines typically contained detailed instructions for physical training, the teaching of basic military knowledge, and ideological education in the spirit of patriotism and loyalty to the fatherland. They were directed at teachers, youth group leaders, and other instructors charged with the practical implementation of pre-military education. Topics usually included map reading, marching exercises, simple tactical fundamentals, shooting training, and the promotion of discipline and obedience.

The compact form as a “small-format booklet” was characteristic of practical service regulations of this era. It enabled wide distribution and easy handling in the field or in training facilities. Production took place under the difficult conditions of the war economy, when paper and other resources were scarce, which was often reflected in the simple presentation of such publications.

After the end of World War I and the collapse of the Empire in November 1918, these guidelines lost their practical significance. The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 explicitly prohibited the German Reich from any form of pre-military training. Nevertheless, such concepts remained present in various military sports groups and paramilitary associations of the Weimar Republic and were later revived in perverted form during National Socialism.

Today, such documents possess considerable historical source value. They document not only the military preparations and strategies of World War I but also the social structures, educational ideals, and the increasing totalization of war that permeated all areas of social life. For military historians, social scientists, and education researchers, they offer important insights into the history of mentalities of this era and the mechanisms of war mobilization.