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The Kaiser's Lackey
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The Kaiser's Lackey or also known as Man of Straw and The Loyal Subject is a 1951 East-German movie directed by Wolfgang Staudte based on the 1918 novel Der Untertan by Heinrich Mann. Diederich Heßling is an effeminate, authority-hungry child who is afraid of everything. But soon he realizes that one must serve power if one wants to exercise power oneself. Bucking up and kicking down becomes his maxim of life from now on. Thus he makes his way as a student in Berlin and later as a businessman in his paper factory in Netzig. Submissive to President von Wulkow, he knows he will have his support. So he denounces his competitor and forges a fraudulent plot with the corrupt Social Democrats in the town council. On his honeymoon with the rich Guste in Italy, he finally gets the opportunity to do his emperor a service.
The following weapons were used in the film The Kaiser's Lackey:
Rifles
Mauser Gewehr 1898
Diederich Heßling (Werner Peters) and other recruits are briefly seen holding Gewehr 1898 rifles during the basic training. Since this scene takes place shortly after Wilhelm II's coronation (1888), the use of this Mauser is an anachronism.
Vetterli Model 1878
Some German soldiers are armed with Vetterli Model 1878 rifles.
Trivia
Rifle Mock-Ups
Several rifle mock-ups standing in for period-correct Mauser Gewehr 1871, Gewehr 1871/84 and Gewehr 1888 rifles are used by German soldiers including Diederich Heßling.
Seitengewehr 71
At least, the Seitengewehr 71 bayonets are seen.
