1918

The Defining Features: identical to 1917, with a decline in the use of assault rolls over carrying knapsacks in combat, and the introduction of the ARS-17 gas mask.

The year of final sacrifice, perseverance and peace. With the launching of the German spring offensives, the "war of movement" at last resumed. Fighting in the open fields would once again prove even bloodier than combat in the trenches. Badly exposed to machine-gun and artillery fire, men died at the fastest rate since the opening stages of the war. Miraculously, the French army still managed to slog on despite the heavy losses sustained -- over 200,000 in the month of July alone. Soldiers now lived, fought and died in hastily dug fox-holes or entrenched shell-holes. The fighting spirit of the poilus flickered and was nearly snuffed out entirely. Yet in the final months leading up to the Armistice the flame was rekindled as the Allied counter-attack gained momentum. With the Germans pushed back beyond their original starting point, the war at last came to an end. For those at the front, the most common reaction was simply profound relief of having survived.

The uniform of '18 is essentially the same as that of '17, by which time the army had reached a high level of standardization. The only significant development came in the way of poison gas protection with the introduction of the ARS-17 mask.

Photos and specs coming soon!