I te marama o Hanuere 1915, kotahi ra i mua i tana karangatanga mo te mahi hoia i te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao, i marenatia ia ki a Rosa Koch. I tukuna ia ki te pu i te taha ki te hauauru, i noho ai ia tae noa ki te mutunga o te pakanga, i uru atu ki te Pakanga o Champagne
(1915<unk>1916), te Pakanga o Somme (1916), te Pakanga o Arras (1917), te Pakanga Tuarua o Aisne (1917), te Pakanga o Cambrai (1917) (1917), me te Pakanga o Soissons (1918). Mo tana mahi, i whakawhiwhia a Thälmann ki te ripeka rino Tuarua, te ripeka Hanseatic me te tohu whara (rua).