Some Living History Facts &
Other Useful"tid-bits."
The Art of Communication
Unfortunately this is the real world and not everyone in JR459 speaks German. However we do have a few members that are very fluent. They manage to help us that are not so fluent.
We understand that not everyone can pick up another language but we do expect you to become familiar with German words that describe your uniform and equipment, as well as the most common military terms and phrases (i.e. Stahlhelm, Gewehr, Hande hoch!, Zeltbahn, and Mütze) that you may encounter.
In this section of "Useful Tid-bits" you will find pronunciation guide for the German language and some common commands and phrases. No this will not make you fluent but it will help you "blend in" with the unit. With practice you will be able to muster in.
Pronunciation Guide for the German Language
In the German language, letters have a different pronunciation than they do in English. The following is a list of these.
| a |
cat
or father |
a (short)
ah (long) |
das
haben |
dass
hah-bèn |
| ä |
met
or gate |
e
ay |
Äpfel
Käse |
ep-fèl
kay-ze |
| au |
cow |
ow |
braun |
brown |
| äu |
boy |
oy |
Geräusch |
gè-roysh |
| e |
met
or gate
or garden |
e
ay
è |
Hotel
geben
Woche |
ho-tel
gay-ben
vo-khè |
| ei |
wine |
i...e |
Wein |
vine |
| eu |
boy |
oy |
heute |
hoy-te |
| i |
bit
or meet |
i
ee |
bitte
ihn |
bi-tè
een |
| ie |
meet |
ee |
Sie |
zee |
| o |
note
or thought |
o
o |
wo
Woche |
vo
vo-khè |
| ö |
hurt |
ur' |
möchte |
mur'kh-tè |
| u |
hook
or food |
oo
oo |
Fluß
schuh |
floos
shoo |
| ü |
see text above |
oo |
über |
oo-ber |
| b |
book
or tap |
b
p |
Bad
Urlaub |
baht
oor-lowp |
| ch |
loch (Scottish) |
kh |
Woche |
vo-khè |
| d |
date |
d |
die |
dee |
| g |
get
or pick
(rarely) measure |
g
k
zh |
gehen
Zug
orange |
gay-en
tsook
o-ran-zhe |
| h |
hat
or honor
|
h
h |
haben
gehen |
hah-ben
gay-èn |
| j |
yes |
y |
jemand |
yay-mant |
| qu |
k + v |
kv |
Qualität |
kva-lee-tet |
| s |
sat |
s or ss |
das |
dass |
| sch |
sh |
sh |
Schuhe |
shoo-è |
| sp |
sh + p |
shp |
sprechen |
shpre-khèn |
| ß |
loss |
s or ss |
Fluß |
floos |
| st |
sh + t
or last |
sht
st |
Stadt
nächste |
shtat
nekh-stè |
| th |
time |
t |
Theater |
tay-ah-tèr |
| v |
fat |
f |
von |
fon |
| w |
vine |
v |
Wein |
vine |
| z |
cats |
ts |
zu |
tsoo |
The syllable to be stressed is the one in bold type.
*This table was put together by Marshal Wise and stolen from JR63 handbook
Auf Deutsch
1. Basic Commands
| Fall in (at attention) |
Angetreten |
| Fall in (not at attention) |
Antreten |
| In two lines, fall in |
In zwei Linien...angetreten |
| Attention |
Achtung...stillgestanden |
| Count off |
Abzählen |
| Right face |
Rechts...Um |
| Left face |
Links...Um |
| Eyes left |
Die Augen...Links |
| Eyes right |
Augen...Rechts |
| Dress right...dress |
Nach rechts...Richt Euch |
| Ready...front |
Augen...gerade...aus |
| About face |
Kehrt...Um |
| At ease |
Rührt...Euch |
| As you were! |
Grundstellung |
| Detail dismissed |
Abteilung...Wegtreten |
| Left shoulder arms |
Das Gewehr...Über |
| Present arms |
Präsentiert das...Gewehr |
| Order arms |
Das Gewehr...Ab |
| Sling arms |
Gewehr...Umhängen |
| Fix bayonets |
Seitengewehr...Pflantzt...Auf |
| Unfix bayonets |
Seitengewehr...an Ort |
| Stack arms |
Setzt die Gewehr...Zusammen |
| Take arms |
Gewehr in die...Hand |
2. Marching Commands
| Fall in, march order |
In Marschordnung...Antreten |
| Behind stacks - fall in |
An die Gewehre |
| Line |
Linie |
| Column (file) |
Reihe |
Route Step
if this command is not given |
Ohne Tritt...Marsch
all troops automatically march in step! |
| Column right |
Rechts schwenkt...Marsch |
| Column left |
Links schwenkt...Marsch |
| Column half right |
Halb rechts schwenkt...Marsch
(followed by Augen...gerade...aus) |
| Column half left |
Halb links schwenkt...Marsch
(followed by Augen...gerade...aus) |
| Detail halt |
Abteilung...(kompagnie, Zug, etc.)...Halt |
| Right wheel |
Nach rechts...schwenkt Um |
| left wheel |
Nach links...schwenkt Um |
| Double time |
Marsch - Marsch! |
| Detail, halt |
Abteilung...Halt |
Basic Phrases
| Yes |
Ja; Jawohl |
| No |
Nein |
| Thank you |
Danke |
| You're welcome |
Gern geschehen |
| Please |
Bitte schön |
| Good morning |
Guten Morgen |
| Good day / afternoon |
Guten Tag |
| Good night |
Gute Nacht |
| What? |
Wie bitte? |
| What is that? |
Was ist das? |
| Come here, please. |
Kommen Sie her, bitte. |
| How are you? |
Wie geht's? |
| Who is there? |
Wer da? |
| Halt! Who goes there? |
Halt!...Wer da? |
| Hands up! |
Hände hoch! |
| 