When the German Empire entered the Great War on the 1st of August, 1914, the 25-years-old painter Adolf Hitler was among the droves of young men who enthusiastically signed up to join the war effort. As he was a citizen of Austria-Hungary living in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Hitler had to petition King Ludwig III to join the Royal Bavarian Army. When this was granted, he was assigned to the 16th Reserve Infantry Regiment of the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division, in which he served as a Private tasked with dispatch running. Over the course of the war, Private Hitler was promoted to the rank of Colonel and had been present at a number of major engagements, like the Battle of Ypres in 1914, the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and the Battles of Arras and Passchendaele in 1917.