08/15 im Krieg

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The title of H.H. Kirst's well-known trilogy may be unclear to some readers. The numbers 08/15 refer to the model of the light machine gun system Maxim, which was modernized twice in the German army—in 1908 and 1915. Despite these changes, the basic design remained the same, and thus the term "Null-acht-fünfzehn" gained idiomatic meaning in colloquial German, roughly translating to "same old, same old." By choosing this title, Kirst undoubtedly aimed to emphasize that the militarism and chauvinism of Hitler's Third Reich were not new phenomena but rather a continuation of the disgraceful traditions of the Wilhelm era. When "The Adventurous Revolt of Bomber Asch," the first volume of the "08/15" trilogy, was published in West Germany, it generated unprecedented controversy, with protests, calls for confiscation, lawsuits, and even vandalism at publishing houses and bookstores. Despite this, the book became a true bestseller, with rising print runs and translations into foreign languages.