Sure, they say this NOW...

[kiltimabar]

So the Germans didn't fear Scottish troops in kilts, eh?

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/10138...-World-War-One

[chasem]

hahaha


Another leading German military historian, Professor Gerhard Hirschfeld of the Netherlands Institute of Advanced Study, who has written on the Battle of the Somme, said: "There isn't any evidence that German soldiers were especially frightened of Scottish soldiers. They were fascinated by the kilt though, and my own grandfather used to tell me - and this comes up in other interviews too - that they used to send soldiers out into No Man's Land to check the bodies of fallen Scots because they were fascinated by the question of what was under the kilt."

[Splash_4]

Revisionist history strikes again. One does not have to look far in our modern day to find history challenged and an alternate offered. Regardless of where the truth happens to lie. Just consider the source.

[Andrew Green]

I think I would be afraid of anyone, or ANY group of people running at me, armed, and with serious harmful intent.

[SnakeEyes]

Its all propaganda, be it for the the 'good guys' or the 'bad guys'. Us Canadians have long held that the Germans were terrified of us in WW1, each unit or regiment feeling that they were the ones who inspired this fear. The US has the same story. Of course an army or a regiment is going to invent stories that the enemy is afraid of them, and of course the enemy is going to deny it. Thats what bugged me the most about the article... "there was nothing in the German war archives to support the suggestion that Kaiser Wilhelm II's soldiers feared the Scots more than the other Allied troops" they were an army for Pete's sake, of course they're not going to go on record and say they're afraid of anyone.

No offense to the Scottish Regiments, or any other regiment, intended here.

And like Andrew Green said... I'd be afaid just to be there, nevermind who was attacking me.

[sirdaniel1975]

There's no written record of German's commenting on the effect that Highland regiments had on them because they lost. History is written by the victors. I firmly believe that the Germans feared the Scot's.

-They probably didn't know what to make of the Highland psychological warfare.

-I've heard historians say that WWI Kilts were bullet proof, by shere chance. That's probably why they checked under the kilts. (It's supposed to be noticable in WWI footage, the bullets bouncing off kilts that is.)

-There's a story about a Highland officer who caught his kilt on barbed wire, removed the kilt to preserve the tartan, and continued with combat scaring the $%^ out of his German enemies. In other words he was wearing no bottoms at all.

[thescot]

All I know is that anyone brave enough to charge to the tune of pipes wearing a kilt would scare the hell out of me!

[Warhoover]

-There's a story about a Highland officer who caught his kilt on barbed wire, removed the kilt to preserve the tartan, and continued with combat scaring the $%^ out of his German enemies. In other words he was wearing no bottoms at all.

Ahhh showing his "wild highlander" roots! It is known that in many battles between clans and other foes, they would often disrobe to make it easier to fight.

As far as whether any of the German's were scared by a Highland Regiment advancing on them , you have to remember that terms such as the "Ladies from Hell" and "Devils in Skirts" usually come from such situations. I know that just the shear frightening experience of battle is overwhelming enough to scare the hell out of any man, but to look out and see a line advancing wearing not the traditional battlefield uniform but a garment that you are not familiar with, being led by the sound of warpipes has got to be an even more intimidating and impressive sight. One that is definately going to stay with you and you are going to relate to others if your lucky enough to survive the action. That is how legends and mystique get started. In WWI the kilt was worn by the highland regiments for several reasons, one was for moral. Moral instills confidence, add to that the sound of the pipes, which for many (including myself) gets the blood going. Its all about adreniline, added to high moral and confidence. LOOK OUT! Eyes get wide, breathing gets deeper, heart is pounding... let loose a few hundred screaming soldiers in kilts, there is going to be a major fear factor there on the other side. Talk about psychological warfare! You don't get awarded a Victoria Cross for prancing in the poppies.

Sir Daniel is right the victors do write history and there is no doubt the whole psychological effect of Highland warfare. Its too bad that there are not any WW1 German veterans if very few that are still around that Dr Benjamin Ziemann could interview to verify or refute his claims. Its all too easy to just say something and state it as fact since there is "little or no evidence" to show otherwise. I am sure some of those veterans woke up in the middle of the night for a major portion of the rest of their lives reliving memories from their encounter with a highland regiment. Many did and do even without experiencing a "highland" charge. But if they had I would lay odds that those nightmares wore kilts. Its an old cliche' but its true, war is hell.

[IEScotsman]

What's up with this quote:
"Scottish regiments traditionally regard their soldiers as charging fearlessly into battle to the bloodcurdling sound of the bagpipes."

BLOODCURDLING?!?! How insulting!!!

[SnakeEyes]

What's up with this quote:
"Scottish regiments traditionally regard their soldiers as charging fearlessly into battle to the bloodcurdling sound of the bagpipes."

BLOODCURDLING?!?! How insulting!!!

Yeah that does seem a bit over the top. But you also have to remember that we've been hearing bagpipes all of our lives, and to someone who'd never heard them they might something of a "what-the-heck-is-that?" effect. Too call the sound "bloodcurdling" in these modern times, however, is just ignorant.