User:Farawayman/Sandbox Somme OOB

German Forces
The German Army was organised into four main categories.
 * From the age of seventeen all medically fit German men were required to serve as members of the Landsturm [Home Guard] until they reached the age of twenty. Members of the 'Landsturm' were referred to as Landsturmmann. This was a preparatory training stage and the Landsturmmann was not required for active service with the regular army.
 * At the age of twenty, men were drafted into the regular army for a period of two years if drafted into the infantry or three years if allocated to the artillery or cavalry. Men in tjhs category formed the normal line regiments.
 * After the prescribed two (or three) year period of service in the regular army, serving members were transferred to the Landwehr [Territorial Army] as a Wehrmann for a period of eleven years. These forces, when mobilised wre known as "Reserve" formations.
 * The final seven years were again served as a Landsturmmann with the Landsturm [Home Guard].
 * In the years prior to 1914, the German Army required approximately 300,000 recruits per year to meet the envisaged force requirements of the regular army. Many men, although medically fit, were surplus to this annual requirement and were transferred from the Landsturm to the Ersatzreserve instead of being transferred to the regular army.  As mobilisation demands increased, these Ersatzreserve troops were also drafted into reserve formations.

1st German Army
The syntax used for Division naming is:
 * Commander: xxxxxx
 * Chief of Staff: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2nd German Army
The syntax used for Division naming is:
 * Commander: General der Infanterie Fritz von Below
 * Chiefs of Staff:
 * General Erich Falkenhayn (until 28 August 1916)
 * General Paul von Hindenburg