Three Sons for the Kaiser

This is the story of a German family’s sacrifice in the Great War. Philipp Gercke and his three sons all served, but only Philipp survived. He had been a rising star in the Imperial Navy and a close associate of the Kaiser. Though alcoholism ended any hopes of becoming an admiral himself, he joined a circle of admirals working in Berlin. He was senton spying missions to England on the eve of war and his eldest son, Hermann, a naval lieutenant, who had fallen head over heels in love with an English woman, was sent to spy in Russia. Waldemar, the youngest and favourite son, was among those spearheading Germany’s early, so-called ‘war of movement’. Wounded at the Battle of the Marne, he rejoined his regiment to engage in the trench warfare that characterized, from then on, the fight on the Western Front. He was mortally wounded on the Somme on the last day of 1914. Georg, the middle son, joined one of Berlin’s student reserve regiments. Ill-prepared and ill-equipped, he was sent to Belgium in October 1914. By 1916, he was one of a tiny handful of officers to have survived in the regiment since the beginning. That was when he volunteered as a Company Leader. He was killed soon after, at Verdun. The eldest son, Hermann, had three ships sunk under him in the Baltic. He was fighting a war where, from late 1914, the Russian enemy was able to read supposedly-secret German orders. In 1917, he volunteered for U-boat service. His boat was sunk off Gibraltar on 11May 1918. This time it was the British who were reading German messages. This poignant account of sacrifice in the name of duty and country is told by Hermann’s granddaughter. She draws on Philipp’s memoirs, family letters and her own research as she walked through Belgium and onto the Marne, following the tracks of the German army in 1914. Hers is a compelling story, offering a fascinating perspective on patriotism, war, love and loss.

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