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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;chrisild, post: 412892, member: 39&quot;]One thing that I find a little peculiar in the article is the Michel story: &quot;<i>Michel</i> refers to the code name given to the first push in a series of major offensives launched by Germany in March of 1918 called the &#039;Spring Offensive&#039; (...)&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, I am not much into military history, but the &quot;Michel&quot; as a personification of the German is much older than that. I think it first came up in the 16/17c literature, and was later (early 19c) often used in cartoons. It is a somewhat ambiguous stereotype - partly sleepyhead or dope, partly &quot;man in the street&quot; who simply wants to live his life without being bothered by the government (which in those days was basically authoritarian). But you still find the Michel with his night cap on in today&#039;s political cartoons.</p><p><br /></p><p>By the way, in German &quot;Schlafmütze&quot; means both <i>night cap</i> (original meaning) and <i>sleepyhead</i>. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Christian[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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