Cooperations

The German Commission of Military History (officially: Commission of Military History of the Federal Republic of Germany) is an association of historians who work in the field of military history. Its purpose is to promote this branch of history. The Commission intends to serve as a platform on which military historians (in the broadest sense) exchange ideas; it considers itself a means of “new military history”, which in addition to classical aspects of the history of warfare also encompasses all other aspects of military history research. The German Commission holds an annual , each one focussing on a different subject.

Historians are accepted as members of the Commissions if they have academic evidence of their work in military history. To become a member of the Commission, a historian must be recommended by another member; the decision on applications is made on the annual members’ meeting. The German Commission currently has almost 100 members.

The German Commission is part of the International Commission of Military History - Comité international d’histoire militaire (ICMH – CIHM), an international organisation under the auspices of UNESCO promoting especially comparative military history research, publication and education aids on a global basis.

Subordinate to the board, ICMH – CIHM has three committees – Bibliographic, Archives, Education –that offer important information and contacts for all members. Currently, ICMH – CIHM includes 40 national commissions representing military historians from the member states. The national commissions are the basis and strength of the work of ICMH – CIHM. The national commissions are autonomous in their composition, organisation and activities. The German Commission of Military History is the one with the largest membership witin ICMH – CIHM.

The ICMH – CIHM holds an annual international conference of several days which is organised by one of the national commissions.

A cooperation with the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command

The researchers of the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences are tasked with writing (describing) most recent German military history. This includes, of course, the share of the Bundeswehr operation in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014, in particular within the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Most of the military records required for this research are kept at the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command.

In October 2020, the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command and ZMSBw agreed on a cooperation to make the records accessible to researchers. This allows the researchers of ZMSBw to access documents on the Afghanistan operation in order to study, analyse and describe this operation.

The signing of the cooperation document by the Commander of the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, Lieutenant General Erich Pfeffer, and the Commander of ZMSBw, Captain (Navy) Dr. Jörg Hillmann, marked a huge step for the researchers of ZMSBw. It will promote future projects in the form of academic publications, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (habilitation).
 

Since the 1970s, there has been a very friendly and profitable cooperation between various Austrian military historians and members of the Military History Research Institute, which has been cultivated mostly through personal contacts. Johann Christoph Allmeyer-Beck, Manfried Rauchensteiner, Erwin A. Schmidl, Felix Schneider and Christian Ortner are probably the most prominent researchers from Austria who have also attended the International Conference of Military History (CIHM) on a regular basis.

On 2 April 2014, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences and the National Defence Academy of the Austrian Bundesheer with the approval of both ministries of defence. It is the objective of that agreement to “strenghten the cooperation between [the two institutions] in fields of joint interests; in particular in view of their activities in research and training in the fields of military history, social sciences and humanities.”

With the objective of providing an appropriate framework for this cooperation, the “Military – History – Society” binational symposium was born. The intention is to schedule at least one meeting per year to discuss recent structural and academic developments in both countries.

So far the conferences, which had been developed, organised and conducted in a joint effort by the two researchers responsible tor the cooperation , Hofrat Dr. Erwin Schmidl and Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Dieter Kollmer, were dedicated to the topics “Military history and history of operations” (2015), “Universal conscription” (2016), “History of Medicine” (2017), “Acceptance of officers from dissolved armed forces” (2018) and “Understanding of tradition in the armed forces” (2019).

In previous symposiums, at least one researcher of each nation presented their research results and brought them up for discussion.
In addition, in the autumn of 2017, Privatdozentin Dr. Nina Leonhard and Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Dieter Kollmer were appointed members of the Academic Commission of the Austrian Ministry of Defence, for an initial period of five years, in order to provide their expertise in the advisory committees for social sciences and military history.

In a joint effort with the Chair for Military History - Cultural History of Violence at Potsdam University and its holder, Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel, the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences established the new War and Conflict Studies Master Course.

As from the winter semester 2016, it replaced the previous Military Studies Master Course.
The War and Conflict Studies course researches the causes, dynamics and contexts of violent conflicts at national and international level. Important sub-disciplines are military history, the cultural history of violence and military sociology with their specific methodological approaches and theories. Beginning with the early modern period, the study course analyses the interrelationships between state, society and military up to the present day. The course focuses on modern history (19th and 20th centuries). Researchers from the ZMSBw offer seminars for this study course and mentor examination papers.

For further information on the new master study course click here.

Since 2014, the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences in Potsdam has been cooperating with the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, Land Forces Faculty, in Hamburg (FüAkBw). Once a year, a seminar on the history of operations entitled “Development of German command and control thinking” takes place in Dresden, Jičín and Hradec Králové (German: Königgrätz) within the National General/Admiral Staff Officer Course.

Based on the example of the Battle of Königgrätz of 1866, the course explains the development of several command and control principles of the German Army that are still applicable today. Above all, the intensive discussion of (military) history serves to broaden the view of the prospective general staff officer.

The four-day seminar begins with introductory lectures on the didactic approach of the seminar, the political developments until June 1866 and the evolvement of events and the battle on 3 July. It also explains the operational concepts, tactics and weapons effect of the time, followed by a display of contemporary arms at the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History in Dresden. In the two subsequent days, the lecturers explain not only the battles at various locations in the vicinity of Jičín and Hradec Králové, they also discuss more extensive questions, for instance how the command and control philosophy of the actors shaped their decisions. The last day of the seminar is dedicated to the discussion of comprehensive topics, including references to current events. Military leadership philosophy is always the point of reference for analysis.

Meanwhile, the seminar has become an established part of the faculty’s curriculum. Members of ZMSBw, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Hans-Peter Kriemann and Major Chris Helmecke, as well as Lieutenant Colonel Lars Zacharias of the NATO Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz/Poland accompany the army personnel of LGAN. In addition, various historians of ZMSBw, but also external experts, contribute their expertise in the form of lectures on the final day of the seminar.

In previous years, Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel (Potsdam University), Prof. em. Dr. Stig Förster (University of Bern), Dr. Marco Sigg as well as Colonel (ret.) Dr. Gerhard Groß, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Thorsten Loch and Dr. Peter Lieb of ZMSBw delivered papers and headed discussions.

There is hardly any other battle that is as well suited for this seminar as Königgrätz. Important developments in German leadership philosophy can be understood in a compact manner, as if under a magnifying glass. The terrain near Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic is also ideal. The three Prussian armies under the command of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder encountered the Austrian Northern Army under the command of Ludwig von Benedek in an area of a mere six to eight square kilometers on 3 July 1866. The gently rolling terrain with its elevations and an observation tower in the middle, at the outskirts of Chlum, facilitate the reconstruction of the various stages of the battle at operational and tactical level in an ideal manner. Ostensibly, it reveals the events of a battle. In fact, it serves as a didactic vehicle that offers an ideal approach to further reaching political, social and military questions. 
The cooperation between ZMSBw and the Land Forces Faculty of the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College is to be repeated on an annual basis.