Why did the French call the Germans 'bosch' in World War 1?

Boche is a French slang word for ‘rascal’ first applied to German soldiers during World War One, and borrowed during the early years of that conflict into British English. A definition is given in Songs and Slang of the British Soldier: 1914-1918, edited by John Brophy and Eric Partridge, published in 1930. read more

It was first used on an industrial scale by the Germans during World War I: Germany had previously imported 'Chilean saltpeter' from Chile, but the demand for munitions and the uncertainty of this supply in the war prompted the adoption of the process. read more

Germany in World War I and II. The primary targets of the U-boat campaigns in both world wars were the merchant convoys bringing supplies from Canada and the United States to Europe. Austrian submarines of World War I were also known as "U-boats". read more