ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the origins of interest in military service and the various circumstances that have contributed to the British and German army officer cadets’ decision to enlist. It gives insights into the cadets’ social and educational background, and points out how different experiences in history have not only led to different military systems in Britain and Germany, but also to different external stimuli which influenced the cadets’ decision to enlist. The part on British cadets discusses the impact of heritage and education, linkages between the social and educational background of the cadets and their regimental allocations, preconditioning through funding or cadet training at British schools and universities, and the British cadets’ professional perceptions about the officer profession. The part on German cadets focuses on compulsory and voluntary military service and differences between officer cadets which go back to regimental allocations, their attitudes about the degree course integrated into the officer training and their professional outlook on a career in the military. Finally, the social composition of the British and German army officer corps and different incentives for enlistment are contrasted, followed by a discussion about whether different training systems have led to a certain type of officer, which concludes that the British and German cadets define themselves according to their tasks and can therefore identify with varying roles required in contemporary warfare.
