Three Sons for the Kaiser: A German Family's Sacrifice in the First World War

The presentation will be live and online.

An original and compelling story of Korvettenkapitän Philipp Gercke and his three sons who all served the Kaiser in the First World War. Each had a unique view of critical moments in that war.

The youngest, Waldemar, took part in the race through Belgium, to the Battle of the Marne and died on the Somme as trench warfare set in. The middle son, Georg, served in one of the ill-fated Berlin student regiments, on the Western Front, in Serbia and at Verdun. The eldest, Hermann, deeply in love with his British wife, commanded the U-154, the first German U-Boat to be directly ambushed by the British using their knowledge of the supposedly 'secret' German naval codes.

The story is told by Hermann's granddaughter.

Members wishing to participate will need to register: details of how to register will be circulated via The Western Front Association's newsletter 'Trench Lines'. If you are not a subscriber to Trench Lines please subscribe now via the box at the bottom of this page.

It is also possible to register by clicking this link: Three Sons for the Kaiser

The talk will be undertaken using the 'Zoom' software which is freely available. It may not be necessary to load the software to your PC / iPad etc: but we would recommend doing so if you wish to participate in this event.