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To enable the individual to execute any military movements, one must first the master the basics of German drill.  Below is a list & description of such drill movements.  I would like to thank the 1.SS Panzer Division for providing some of the images below.  We hope that you use this article as a building block for future drill studies.  Once you master the information on this page, one should be ready proceed to the "Manual of Arms" article.   Enjoy!

This is not a command, per se. The term more refers to the "state of being formed up". One could say for example, without using the formal commands, "Okay, everybody, head outside and antretenn." Or, auf Deutsch, "Jedermann, antreten drausen in fünf Minuten!" ("Everyone form up outside in five minutes!") Remember, the formal command to form up uses "Angetreten!" and is preceeded by the type of formation desired (ie. "Gruppe! In Linie zu einem Gliede -- Angetreten!") However, you are correct that when asked to form up using the word "antreten", the men can be at the "Rührt Euch" position. For example, every morning for Appell at 0700 Uhr, the men will automatically make their way outside and "antreten" at ease while waiting for their Kompaniechief.

Body rigid, heels together, and toes at slightly LESS than 45-degree angle of each other, hands with palms flat against upper thighs, elbows out slightly from the body, and eyes front.  Movement on this command is on the first syllable of "Still" and the feet should be coming together by the syllable "stand".

An example of a formation with the soldiers at "Stillgestanden," the men are aligned abreast of their Gruppenführer, who is on the formation's right, hands down at their sides, palms flat against the upper thighs, and elbows slightly away from the body.  Feet are together at the heels, and toes at slightly LESS than 45-degree angles.  Immediately behind the 1.Gruppe is the out line of the 2.Gruppe, who falls in directly behind.

Important: when you speak of the right or the left of formation, you are speaking as if you are standing within the formation.  The officer or NCO giving commands must take this into consideration before executing movement.  For example, if the NCO gives "Rechts Um!" it would be the formation's right in which he is commanding them to turn, not toward his right.

For the Gruppe, this is actually proceeded by one of the following:

"Gruppe -- In linie zu einem Gliede -- Angetreten!" - for a single LINE, men stand side by side

"Gruppe -- In linie zu zwei Gliedern -- Angetreten!" - for two LINES, one line behind the other

"Gruppe -- In Reihe -- Angetreten!" - for a single ROW, men stand one behind the other

"Gruppe -- In Doppelreihe -- Angetreten!" - for a double ROW, front to back, one beside the other

"Gruppe -- In Marschkolonne -- Angetreten!" -- column of three ROWS, men stand front to back

The Gruppenführer (Squad Leader) establishes the right side of the formation and the rest fall in to his left or rear (depending on the formation) in a straight line.  The soldiers stand at "Stillgestanden."  The body is rigid, heels together, and toes at slightly LESS than 45-degree angle of each other, hands with palms flat against upper thighs, elbows out slightly from the body, and eyes front. 

While at attention, snap the head sharply to the right, and dress (align body and feet) off the Flügelmann (right marker) with short, sharp shuffles of the feet. The Flügelmann is the rightmost, front man, and he does not turn his head. (If there are men behind him, they do not turn their heads either). The Gruppenführer would only be the Flügelmann if the Zugführer (Platoon Leader) was calling the formation, otherwise it is always the front, right man.

When shuffling into position, move to the state known as Tuchfühlung (literally, cloth touching) where the cloth of your elbow is every so slightly touching the cloth of the man to your right. Do not press into the man beside you. DO NOT move your arms, or raise your hands, or make a fist. 1940s German drill does NOT use "elbow dressing" where the right arm is raised (this is post-war).

As soon as you are dressed off the Flügelmann, remain at the position of attention and keep the eyes to the right. Men in the second and third Linie (rank) must also be able to move their eyes to the man in front of them and align their body with his. Await the "Augen -- Geradeaus!" command.

From the eyes right position, sharply bring the head forward.

At the command, the feet are moved to shoulder width apart, left foot slightly forward of the right, rest weight on the right leg, arms hanging down to the sides with hands relaxed.  Speak only if permission is given.

Rotate to the right by turning on the right heel while turning and pushing to the right with the ball of the left foot.  After facing is completed, bring left foot in line with the right, assuming the position of attention.  Do not leave a pause between the turn and the bringing forward of the foot, rather executing them as a single movement, one flowing directly into the other.

Rotate to the left by turning on the left heel with the ball of the right foot.  After the facing movement is completed, bring the right foot in line with the left, assuming the position of attention.  Do not leave a pause between the turn and the bringing forward of the foot, rather executing them as a single movement, one flowing directly into the other.

This command is for the individual soldier only. It is used for practice, or for small formations such as an Ehrenwach (honor guard) and such. When turning around a formation from Gruppe to Kompanie, use the "Ganze Abteilung -- Kehrt!" command instead

At the command, rotate to the left by turning on the left heel with the ball of the right foot 180 degrees.  After the facing movement is completed, bring the right foot in line with the left, assuming the position of attention (basically a left face, but all the around).

The informal equivalent of "Antreten", and not a command. Not to be confused with the formal "Weggetreten" command.

For the parade square, use the formal "Weggetreten" command as follows:

"Gruppe -- Nach links -- Weggetreten!" (Group -- To the left -- Dismissed!) which would consist of a turn to the left, three steps in step, then a break up of the formation. This command could be proceeded with "Nach rechts" (to the right) or "Nach rückwärts" (to the rear) as needed. Can also be used with rifles at "Gewehr ab" but never at "Gewehr über".

At the command, the head and eyes snap to the right without moving the body.  Hold this position until ordered to "front." 

If the eyes are to be moved right for an inspection, the command is "Zur Meldung -- Augen -- Rechts!" at which point everyone, INCLUDING the Flügelmanner, turn their eyes to the right. As the inspecting officer approaches, each man keeps his "nose on the man" by following the passing of the officer with his head. When the officer is directly in front of each man, that man counts five more steps from the officer before he snaps his head to the front. This is only for inspection. Otherwise, "Augen -- Rechts" position is held until "Augen -- Geradeaus" is given.

Same as for "Augen, rechts" except to the left.

This command needs to be proceeded with one of two commands:

"Gruppe -- Im Gleichschritt -- Marsch!" (Group -- In step -- March!)
"Gruppe -- Ohne Tritt -- Marsch" (Group -- Without step -- March!)

At the Gruppe level, Reihe and Doppelreihe are usually without step. Marschkolonne is usually in step.

At the command, the soldier steps off with the left foot, taking a full step.  Note that hands must be flat, and swung up to the belt buckle, then naturally allowed to fall back. German marching steps are long at 80cm (32 inches) at the cadence is 114 steps per minute. The Abstand (front to back spacing) is also 80cm between men.

Already covered above in Marsch!, since it is one of two types of marching..  This command is used when terrain is encountered that is impractical for marching in step.

March at twice the speed.

CORRECTION:
The halt is ALWAYS called on the right foot, and there is ALWAYS just one more step with the left foot before bringing the now trailing right into line.

This same command, when used during the march, is called on the foot of the direction to be turned. (ie. if the man is to turn right, the "Rechts" command is given on the right foot). Several more steps may be taken (usually three to five, but could be more), before the execution command is given on the same foot, after which one more step is taken before the turn as shown in the drawing.

See description above for details.

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