Why The Germans Were Called Huns (WWI)

Pointy heads, pointy helmets

(Public domain)

During World War I, there was much talk of The Huns, despite the fact that the original Huns ravaged Eastern Europe 1500 years prior. That is because the Imperial German forces were referred to as Huns by the English-speaking world. Today, this feels like an obscure reference. The Huns were not German, and there is no tangible link between the German Empire and Attila’s hordes.

This raises an interesting question. Why were the Germans called Huns during World War I?

There are two reasons for this moniker, and neither is very flattering. It had to do with the perceived brutality of the German army and their distinctive pointed helmets.

Brutality

(Public domain)

The original Huns, led by the infamous Attila, were a warlike people that swept into Europe with little regard for life or liberty. The Imperial German invasion of Belgium elicited similar feelings in 1914. In order to establish a strong front against France, Germany illegally invaded neighboring Belgium at the start of World War I. Millions of men and horses marching through Belgium made the British think about the…