NOTE: The music and the helmet

98th Medical Battalion taking positions for combat!

And what's the actual connection between Prussia and Chile?

Many good armies are modelled or at least base some of their traditions on the ones of the German/Prussian Army because they were trained by German military advisors. Even in the US military there are traces of People like Stabskapitän von Steuben left. (he was neither a Prussian General but a Captain and not a really a Baron but a Freiherr. - but Washington boosted the morale a bit by promoting him ^^)

The Chilean Armed forces are very bound and proud of there traditions

Like most new Army's in the mid of the XIX century, the Chilean Army was based, organized and followed the traditions and clothing of the French Army of the Napoleon 3rd era, inspired by the Napoleonic victories of 1812 and the Crimean War.

But all that went down the drain after France lost the War against Prussia in 1870. At the end of the XIX century Chile had just won the "War of the Pacific", 1883, against the Peruvian - Bolivian Alliance. Coupled with Chile having quiet some money at that time they decide to modernize there Armed forces. The Navy got tons of new Pre-Dreadnought ship, mothballing the older Ironclads & wooden units. The Army changed from the French to the Prussian structure. The desition to go ahead with the Prussian was made by the President Domingo Santa Maria, putting in charge Artillerie-Hauptmann Emil Körner Henze, given his experience as a teacher in the German Army Artillery and Engineering school in Charlottenburg.

Even thought that the Chilean Army suffered a Americanization in the mid of the XX century, it only was in equipment, but never got to the roots.

Till today you can see the profound routs of the Prussian Army in the Chilean Armys tradition, like the Army Cadets parade uniform or the normal military parade

Parade Uniform


Military Academy Parade Uniform




Pre Prussian modernization French type uniforms



Current Combat Uniforms


/

Ceremony


Maneuvers in the Patagonia


Maneuvers in the Atacama Dessert