Imperial German Army

German Army
Deutsches Heer
The Kaiserstandarte
Active	1871–1919
Country	Germany
Type	Army and air force
Role	Protecting the German Empire and its interests by using ground and air forces.
Size	5,000,000 (1871) 3,800,000 (1914) 4,500,000+(1918) 13,250,000+ (1914-1918)
Motto(s)	"Gott mit uns" (God with us)
Colors	Black, white, and red
Engagements	Franco-Prussian War Boxer Rebellion Maji Maji Rebellion World War I Finnish Civil War
Commanders
German Emperor	Wilhelm I Friedrich III Wilhelm II
Oberste Heeresleitung	Helmuth von Moltke the Younger (first) Paul von Hindenburg (last)
German General Staff	Moltke the Elder (first) Hans von Seeckt (last)

The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially called the German Army (German: Deutsches Heer^[1]), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Prussia, and was dissolved in 1919, after the defeat of the German Empire in First World War (1914–1918). In the Federal Republic of Germany, the term Deutsches Heer identifies the German Army, the land component of the Bundeswehr.

1. ↑ "Militair-Strafgesetzbuch vom 20. Juni 1872" in Gesetz-Sammlung für das Deutsche Reich, 1867 bis 1883, incl. Vol. 1. Berlin, 1884. p. 408. (in German)