Erich Kern
Encyclopedia
Erich Kern, was an Austria
n right-wing extremist journalist. He became noted as a writer of revisionist books that sought to glorify the activities of the German
soldiers during the Second World War.
in 1938, he was appointed as the managing editor of the Viennese newspaper “German Telegraph.” In 1939, he became the regional press chief for the Vienna branch of the Nazi party. In recognition of his talent, in 1940 he was promoted to be the press secretary for the Gauleiter
of the Saarland/Lorraine, Josef Buerckel. In 1941, Kern, who already held honorary SS officer's rank, enlisted in the Waffen-SS
as a private.
(Major) and was one of the founding members of the SS veterans association, the HIAG
(Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der ehemaligen Angehörigen der Waffen-SS"). His service included time as a Rottenfuehrer (Corporal) in the Das Reich
(2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich) during early 1941, then in Russia during Operation Barbarosa, the Spring, Summer and Fall of 1941 as a member of the 4th Battalion of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
around the Black Sea
, as detailed in his 1948 book Das Grosse Rausch, which was republished in English as Dance of Death in 1951. In the book he bemoaned the failure of Nazi Germany
in the Soviet Union
, arguing that a German victory would have brought culture to the uncivilized Russian people.
After being commissioned as an active-serving officer of the Waffen-SS in early 1942, he commanded a self-propelled antitank gun (panzerjager
) platoon for several months while assigned to the 5th SS-Panzerjaeger Abteilung 5 of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
during the fall and early winter of 1942 when that division was engaged in the Caucasus. After a spell in Germany where he continued his journalistic pursuits, he again sought field service, being posted briefly to the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)
at the Battle of Narva in the spring of 1944, then very briefly with the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian) that summer, then a tour as a member of SS-Infantry Battalion 500 (a probationary unit) during the summer and fall of 1944, which included serving alongside the notorious Otto Skorzeny
, who led the Nazi coup in Budapest during October 1944. At the war's end, he was serving on the staff of the IV SS Panzer Corps
. Captured in Austria, he spent over a year as a prisoner of war of the Americans and underwent mandatory denazification
, though in his case it had little effect. In 1946, he was a founder of the Gemünd Circle, in which former leading personalities of the SS and Nazi Party participated in an attempt to form a postwar political organization.
Another book, Menschen im Netz (1957) formed the basis for the Franz Peter Wirth-directed film Unwilling Agent (1968). He was also press chief of the HIAG
and editor of Deutsche Soldaten-Zeitung, their monthly journal.
His publications are shot through with anti-Semitism and racist-nationalist propaganda, and sought to exonerate the Wehrmacht
, Waffen SS and Nazi organizations of any wrongdoing. In his view, the Germans are the real victims of the Second World War. Some of his works have appeared in numerous editions and they still form a fixed reference point for right-wing extremists.
that became important in post-war far right politics and was a regular contributor to Europe-Action, a journal devoted to this ideal controlled by the Fédération des étudiants nationalistes of Dominique Venner
. Active in German politics, he served as a member of the Socialist Reich Party
, the National Democratic Party of Germany
and the German People's Union
.
Publications=
Kern was a prolific author and despite his Nazi pedigree, was able to achieve a certain amount of literary success. His works include:
Der Marsch ins Nichts, Novel. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Berlin 1938
Der Tag unseres Lebens, Roman eines österreichischen Arbeiters. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Berlin 1938
Steirische Novellen. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Berlin 1939
Fahne im Sturm. Erzählungen. Deutscher Verl. für Jugend u. Volk, Wien 1940
Das goldene Tor. Novellen aus Metz. Buchgewerbehaus, Saarbrücken 1941
Der verratene Berg. Steirische Novellen. Wiener Verl., Wien 1943.
Feuer im Westen. Novellen vom Rhein und von der Mosel. Westmark-Verl., Ludwigshafen am Rhein 1943.
Der große Rausch. Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945. Thomas-Verl, Zürich 1948.
Das andere Lidice. Die Tragödie der Sudetendeutschen. Verl. Welsermühl, Wels 1950.
Insel der Tapferen. Roman. Verl. Welsermühl, Wels 1951.
Buch der Tapferkeit. Druffel-Verlag, Leoni 1953.
Die Uhr blieb stehen. Verlag Welsermühl, Wels 1953.
Der Dorn im Fleische. Roman der Fremdenlegion. Verl. Welsermühl, Wels 1955.
Das goldene Feld. Roman aus der Ukraine. Schild-Verlag, München 1957.
Menschen im Netz. Roman. Verlag Welsermühl, München 1957.
Stadt ohne Gnade. Ein Roman um Berlin. Verlag Welsermühl, München 1959.
Das große Kesseltreiben. Bleibt der deutsche Soldat vogelfrei? 2. Auflage. Plesse-Verlag, Göttingen 1960.
Der Tag des Gerichts. Türmer-Verlag, München 1961.
Von Versailles zu Adolf Hitler. Der schreckliche Friede. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1961.
Opfergang eines Volkes. Der totale Krieg. 2. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1963.
General Von Pannwitz und seine Kosaken. 3. Auflage. Kurt Vowinckel Verlag, Neckargemünd 1963.
Deutschland im Abgrund. Das falsche Gericht. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1963.
Verbrechen am deutschen Volk. Dokumente alliierter Grausamkeiten 1939 - 1949. 6. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1964.
Weder Frieden noch Freiheit. Deutsches Schicksal unserer Zeit. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1965
Der Sieg der Soldaten. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1969.
Von Versailles nach Nürnberg. Der Opfergang des deutschen Volkes. 3. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1971.
Meineid gegen Deutschland. Eine Dokumentation über den politischen Betrug. 2. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1971.
Adolf Hitler und seine Bewegung. Der Parteiführer. 2. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1970.
Adolf Hitler und der Krieg, Der Feldherr. 3. Auflage. PK.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1978, ISBN 3-87725-003-3.
Adolf Hitler und das Dritte Reich. Der Staatsmann. 3. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1983, ISBN 3-87725-002-5.
Willy Brandt - Schein und Wirklichkeit. Eine Dokumentation. National-Verlag, Rosenheim 1973, ISBN 3-920722-18-3.
So wurde Deutschland verraten. Eine Dokumentation über den Verrat im 2. Weltkrieg. 2. Auflage. Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Rosenheim 1974, ISBN 3-920722-06-X.
Verrat an Deutschland, Spione und Saboteure gegen das eigene Vaterland. 4. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1976.
SPD - ohne Maske. Eine politische Dokumentation. 7. Auflage. Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Rosenheim 1976, ISBN 3-920722-01-9.
Die Tragödie der Juden. Schicksal zwischen Propaganda und Wahrheit. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1979, ISBN 3-87725-093-9.
Alliierte Verbrechen an Deutschen. Die verschwiegenen Opfer. (Mit Karl Balzer) K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1980, ISBN 3-87725-096-3.
Verbrechen am deutschen Volk. Eine Dokumentation alliierter Grausamkeit. 8. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1983. ISBN 3-87725-040-8.
Die letzte Schlacht. Kampf in der Puszta zwischen Budapest und Plattensee Ungarn 1944 - 45. 3. Auflage, K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1985, ISBN 3-87725-016-5.
Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner. Ein deutsches Soldatenschicksal. Deutsche Verlags-Gesellschaft, Rosenheim 1994, ISBN 3-920722-15-9.
Verheimlichte Dokumente. Was Deutschen verschwiegen wird. 2. Auflage. FZ-Verlag, München 1999, ISBN 3-924309-08-6.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n right-wing extremist journalist. He became noted as a writer of revisionist books that sought to glorify the activities of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
soldiers during the Second World War.
Origins
In his late teens, Erich Kern became an early member of the Socialists Worker’s Youth organization and the Communist Youth Association, both Trotskyite Groups active in Austria during the late 1920s/early 1930s. Dissatisfied with Communism, Kern began moving in fascist circles, joining the youth organization “Assault Force” in Graz between 1931 and 1932. Due to his illegal Nazi activity in Austria, he was arrested in 1934 and spent a short period of time in jail. In 1936, Kern served as acting chief editor of the Vienna desk of the "Essen National Newspaper" (a German publication) and after the forcible annexation of AustriaAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938, he was appointed as the managing editor of the Viennese newspaper “German Telegraph.” In 1939, he became the regional press chief for the Vienna branch of the Nazi party. In recognition of his talent, in 1940 he was promoted to be the press secretary for the Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
of the Saarland/Lorraine, Josef Buerckel. In 1941, Kern, who already held honorary SS officer's rank, enlisted in the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
as a private.
Military service
During the Second World War, as a member in good standing of both the NSDAP and the SS, Erich Kern was able to use his influence with Gauleiter Josef Buerckel to rotate between his job as a Nazi journalist and field units of the Waffen-SS. By the end of the war he had attained the SS rank of SturmbannführerSturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) and was one of the founding members of the SS veterans association, the HIAG
HIAG
Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehörigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS was an organization founded in 1951 by former members of the Waffen-SS....
(Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der ehemaligen Angehörigen der Waffen-SS"). His service included time as a Rottenfuehrer (Corporal) in the Das Reich
Das Reich
Das Reich is the name of:* a German SS-division, see 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich* a national socialist newspaper, see Das Reich * the main work of German right-wing intellectual Friedrich Hielscher...
(2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich) during early 1941, then in Russia during Operation Barbarosa, the Spring, Summer and Fall of 1941 as a member of the 4th Battalion of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
around the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, as detailed in his 1948 book Das Grosse Rausch, which was republished in English as Dance of Death in 1951. In the book he bemoaned the failure of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, arguing that a German victory would have brought culture to the uncivilized Russian people.
After being commissioned as an active-serving officer of the Waffen-SS in early 1942, he commanded a self-propelled antitank gun (panzerjager
Panzerjäger
Panzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
) platoon for several months while assigned to the 5th SS-Panzerjaeger Abteilung 5 of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking was one of the elite Panzer divisions of the thirty eight Waffen SS divisions. It was recruited from foreign volunteers, from Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia, The Netherlands, and Belgium under the command of German officers...
during the fall and early winter of 1942 when that division was engaged in the Caucasus. After a spell in Germany where he continued his journalistic pursuits, he again sought field service, being posted briefly to the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)
15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)
The 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS was formed in the Waffen SS's drive for manpower in the wake of Operation Barbarossa; Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941...
at the Battle of Narva in the spring of 1944, then very briefly with the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian) that summer, then a tour as a member of SS-Infantry Battalion 500 (a probationary unit) during the summer and fall of 1944, which included serving alongside the notorious Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny was an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he was chosen as the field commander to carry out the rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity...
, who led the Nazi coup in Budapest during October 1944. At the war's end, he was serving on the staff of the IV SS Panzer Corps
IV SS Panzer Corps
The IV.SS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans during World War II.The Panzerkorps was formed in August, 1943 in Poitiers, France...
. Captured in Austria, he spent over a year as a prisoner of war of the Americans and underwent mandatory denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
, though in his case it had little effect. In 1946, he was a founder of the Gemünd Circle, in which former leading personalities of the SS and Nazi Party participated in an attempt to form a postwar political organization.
Another book, Menschen im Netz (1957) formed the basis for the Franz Peter Wirth-directed film Unwilling Agent (1968). He was also press chief of the HIAG
HIAG
Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehörigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS was an organization founded in 1951 by former members of the Waffen-SS....
and editor of Deutsche Soldaten-Zeitung, their monthly journal.
His publications are shot through with anti-Semitism and racist-nationalist propaganda, and sought to exonerate the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, Waffen SS and Nazi organizations of any wrongdoing. In his view, the Germans are the real victims of the Second World War. Some of his works have appeared in numerous editions and they still form a fixed reference point for right-wing extremists.
Activism
Kern was a supporter of the pan-European nationalismPan-European nationalism
The idea that Europe should be united politically has been present in European culture since the Middle Ages, and inspired several proposals for some form of confederation. With the growth of nationalism in the 19th century, several pan-national ideas of Europe developed, some of them based on...
that became important in post-war far right politics and was a regular contributor to Europe-Action, a journal devoted to this ideal controlled by the Fédération des étudiants nationalistes of Dominique Venner
Dominique Venner
Dominique Venner is an award-winning French historian, journalist and writer. Venner is a former militant of the ultra-right and later became a European nationalist before withdrawing from politics to focus on a career as a historian. He specializes in military and political history...
. Active in German politics, he served as a member of the Socialist Reich Party
Socialist Reich Party
The Socialist Reich Party of Germany was a West German far-right political party founded in the aftermath of the World War II in 1949 as an openly Nazi orientated split-off from the national conservative German Right Party...
, the National Democratic Party of Germany
National Democratic Party of Germany
The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
and the German People's Union
German People's Union
The German People's Union is a nationalist political party in Germany. It was founded by publisher Gerhard Frey as an informal association in 1971 and established as a party in 1987. Financially, it is largely dependent on Frey....
.
Publications=
Kern was a prolific author and despite his Nazi pedigree, was able to achieve a certain amount of literary success. His works include:
Der Marsch ins Nichts, Novel. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Berlin 1938
Der Tag unseres Lebens, Roman eines österreichischen Arbeiters. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Berlin 1938
Steirische Novellen. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Berlin 1939
Fahne im Sturm. Erzählungen. Deutscher Verl. für Jugend u. Volk, Wien 1940
Das goldene Tor. Novellen aus Metz. Buchgewerbehaus, Saarbrücken 1941
Der verratene Berg. Steirische Novellen. Wiener Verl., Wien 1943.
Feuer im Westen. Novellen vom Rhein und von der Mosel. Westmark-Verl., Ludwigshafen am Rhein 1943.
Der große Rausch. Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945. Thomas-Verl, Zürich 1948.
Das andere Lidice. Die Tragödie der Sudetendeutschen. Verl. Welsermühl, Wels 1950.
Insel der Tapferen. Roman. Verl. Welsermühl, Wels 1951.
Buch der Tapferkeit. Druffel-Verlag, Leoni 1953.
Die Uhr blieb stehen. Verlag Welsermühl, Wels 1953.
Der Dorn im Fleische. Roman der Fremdenlegion. Verl. Welsermühl, Wels 1955.
Das goldene Feld. Roman aus der Ukraine. Schild-Verlag, München 1957.
Menschen im Netz. Roman. Verlag Welsermühl, München 1957.
Stadt ohne Gnade. Ein Roman um Berlin. Verlag Welsermühl, München 1959.
Das große Kesseltreiben. Bleibt der deutsche Soldat vogelfrei? 2. Auflage. Plesse-Verlag, Göttingen 1960.
Der Tag des Gerichts. Türmer-Verlag, München 1961.
Von Versailles zu Adolf Hitler. Der schreckliche Friede. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1961.
Opfergang eines Volkes. Der totale Krieg. 2. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1963.
General Von Pannwitz und seine Kosaken. 3. Auflage. Kurt Vowinckel Verlag, Neckargemünd 1963.
Deutschland im Abgrund. Das falsche Gericht. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1963.
Verbrechen am deutschen Volk. Dokumente alliierter Grausamkeiten 1939 - 1949. 6. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1964.
Weder Frieden noch Freiheit. Deutsches Schicksal unserer Zeit. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1965
Der Sieg der Soldaten. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1969.
Von Versailles nach Nürnberg. Der Opfergang des deutschen Volkes. 3. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1971.
Meineid gegen Deutschland. Eine Dokumentation über den politischen Betrug. 2. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1971.
Adolf Hitler und seine Bewegung. Der Parteiführer. 2. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1970.
Adolf Hitler und der Krieg, Der Feldherr. 3. Auflage. PK.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1978, ISBN 3-87725-003-3.
Adolf Hitler und das Dritte Reich. Der Staatsmann. 3. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1983, ISBN 3-87725-002-5.
Willy Brandt - Schein und Wirklichkeit. Eine Dokumentation. National-Verlag, Rosenheim 1973, ISBN 3-920722-18-3.
So wurde Deutschland verraten. Eine Dokumentation über den Verrat im 2. Weltkrieg. 2. Auflage. Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Rosenheim 1974, ISBN 3-920722-06-X.
Verrat an Deutschland, Spione und Saboteure gegen das eigene Vaterland. 4. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1976.
SPD - ohne Maske. Eine politische Dokumentation. 7. Auflage. Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Rosenheim 1976, ISBN 3-920722-01-9.
Die Tragödie der Juden. Schicksal zwischen Propaganda und Wahrheit. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1979, ISBN 3-87725-093-9.
Alliierte Verbrechen an Deutschen. Die verschwiegenen Opfer. (Mit Karl Balzer) K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1980, ISBN 3-87725-096-3.
Verbrechen am deutschen Volk. Eine Dokumentation alliierter Grausamkeit. 8. Auflage. K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1983. ISBN 3-87725-040-8.
Die letzte Schlacht. Kampf in der Puszta zwischen Budapest und Plattensee Ungarn 1944 - 45. 3. Auflage, K.W.Schütz-Verlag, Preußisch Oldendorf 1985, ISBN 3-87725-016-5.
Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner. Ein deutsches Soldatenschicksal. Deutsche Verlags-Gesellschaft, Rosenheim 1994, ISBN 3-920722-15-9.
Verheimlichte Dokumente. Was Deutschen verschwiegen wird. 2. Auflage. FZ-Verlag, München 1999, ISBN 3-924309-08-6.