Three Sons for the Kaiser (Hardback)
A German Family’s Sacrifice in the First World War
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 296
Illustrations: 30 mono illustrations
ISBN: 9781036138707
Published: 27th October 2025
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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 sent on 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 11 May 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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"Hazel Strouts has written a fact-filled and historical account that is both emotionally gripping and presented in a natural and very readable style. It is also crammed with documented information about the WW1 German submarine service, especially in the Baltic, plus intimate insights into the German soldier’s experience at the Marne, on the Somme, and at Verdun.”
Roads to the Great War
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"This book is strongly recommended as useful (and emotional) background to the First World War from the German side, providing some interesting details."
The Naval Review
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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Susan Bransford
Three Sons for the Kaiser by Hazel Strouts was a fascinating read about the only three sones of a couple, all of whom died in the First World War. The story was made more touching as the author was the granddaughter of the eldest son. Ms. Strouts presented a detailed historical perspective of the war and the sacrifices families made to support the war effort of the German Empire. The historical angle was well researched. The personal portions were touching but written with enough reserve that emotions did not interfer with the presentation of the story.
Hermann Gercke, the eldest, joined the Navy as it was growing and trying to best the British Navy. We follow his early years, his marriage to a British woman, their "travels" in the east as spies, and this his navy career. He was obviously an outstanding sailor and through his story we learn much about the development of the German Navy in the early 20th century.
Second son, Georg was the sensitive and artistic child. Waldemar was the youngest son and also joined the war effort. We get glimpses of their training and follow them to battles on the Western front including the Marne and Verdun. Waldemar even carries us to a brief stint on the Eastern Front in Serbia.
This book is certainly a memoir of a loving granddaughter, but also a worthy historical read. It is enlightening and engaging.
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Cockburnn writes: 'Anybody. who wants to get a sense of what these tragedies felt like at the time, and may do so again, should read 'Three Sons for the Kaiser' . . .Strouts' account gives a feel, seldom equalled, about how people - soldiers and civilians - get caught up in a war which destroys them. .. This is what "losing children" and "family sacrifice" mean..'
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer
It was researched well and was invested in what was happening. Hazel Strouts was able to create a strong nonfiction book and thought worked well in telling the information that I was expecting.
About Hazel Strouts
Hazel Strouts learnt early in life to listen to losers. Born in Kent during the Second World War, she had an English Father and a German Mother. While her English family was rooted, the German side brought a certain angst for they, like her, belonged to both sides. Her Grandfather, a U-Boat captain, was killed in 1918, while her Grandmother, an Englishwoman, spent her widowhood in the fiercely anti-German world which was London during the Second World War. She taught her granddaughter that honour does not belong exclusively to the victor. Attending school briefly in Hamburg but mainly in Kent, the author read History at the University of Cambridge. She became a journalist and spent most of her working life in Canada but retired to Kent, where she now lives. In 2014, she edited, jointly with Ernest Pollard, the First World War Diaries of Royal Flying Corps officer, Captain Collingwood Ingram, published as Wings over the Western Front. She has published several articles on local history and architecture.
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