Kaisers Yanks
Just noticed a new book in one of the Aero modeling mags called The Kaisers Yanks, a fictitous account of a group of yanks fighting for the Kaiser,
The front cover shows a Fokker D.VII (I think) sporting a flashy Stars and Stripes colour scheme.
Looks good for those who like to fly planes in their own colours
Burt
Last edited by Burt; 06-06-2011 at 12:20. Reason: Spelling
Interesting what if. I haven't heard of any Americans going to fight for the Germans, though there were a number of simpithiers. The blockade would have made it difficult, if nothing else.
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
Here's the blurb on Amazon:
Grab your parachute and join the pilots of Jasta von Steuben, the American-filled squadron of the German Army Air Service as they contest the skies over the trenches against the British and the French in World War I. Page after page of roaring engines, stuttering machine guns, the howl of artillery and anti-aircraft fire, the quiet of blossoming love amidst the terror and uncertainty of war, and the honor men find even as they attempt to kill the men they face in battle. This is aerial combat at its best!
The publishing date is June 28, 2011.
definately worth checking the library for.
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
The obvious route would be via Scandinavia, though the blockade wasn't total and plenty of German ships slipped through during the early war.Originally Posted by Jager
I believe many German nationals living in the US were recalled for military service prior to 1917. The same probably applied to British and French citizens living or working in the US at the time
Hey my kind of book. A yank who likes to fly German aircraft with a fancy paint job!
Thanks,
VG
And most of them were over here because they *didn't* much like Germany, or its leaders. :)
I think most left their home (like them of other countrys) in the 18. and 19. century to search for a better lifestyle in america.
Some of them bethink of their roots and joint the german army - some others followed the call for volunteers by the entente powers.
Some even changed their names to avoid reprisals by entente secret services or officials.
For example Edward Rickenbacher changed his name into Rickenbacker.
I don´t think much where gone from germany because they didn´t like their country (it is a real beautiful country) or their leaders before 1933.
Matthias
Almost all immigration is economic, political factors only occur in extreme cases.
My great-great-grandfather came to America from one of the German states in 1850 at the age of 16 to avoid the draft - that's not exactly an economic reason.
11 years later he was drafted into the Union Army, where he served proudly (he fought mit Sigel), so go figure...
Not so -- there was a large inrush of German immigrants to the US in 1848-50, after the failure of the '48 German-unification effort; most of them ended up in the "Old Northwest" states (the one bordering the Great Lakes), and were active in the Abolitionist movement, which is why there were quite so many German-named officers in Union units (Sigel, most infamously; Dilger, whose artillery killed Leonidas Polk; etc.). IIRC, there was another not-quite-so-large exodus following Bismarck's rise, as well.
Neither of these groups would be particularly receptive to a call from Imperial Germany, for obvious reasons. :)
[Elaine from _Airplane!_] And he's still alive? [/Elaine from _Airplane!_]
Which proves that it occurred at exceptional points in history, and wouldn't apply in 1914-1918.
My ancestors had to flee Britain in 1746, but came back under British rule when Disreali seized the assets of the Company.
Last edited by Ripskar; 06-08-2011 at 14:49.
No, in 1919, at the age of 85, he died of poor hearing.
Oh, I think a footnote is there somewhere.
O.K.
Footnote: the winter of 1919 was exceptionally cold in the midwest, and to heat their homes, poor farmers like my great-great grandfather would go down to the train tracks to pick up chunks of coal that fell off the coal cars. "Look out, Johann, there's a train a-comin'" the other farmers shouted, but he heard neither them nor the train.
Last edited by tuladin; 06-08-2011 at 19:12.
Great story, Larry althought I have heard that that did actually happen!:eek2:
My family left Germany in 1837 settled first in Australia where my gt grandmother was born then settled on Stewart Island here in N Z. They were naturalized as British subjects. Another family on the Island where Danish Germans they had not been naturalized and during WW1 the Father who was sick with cancer was not allowed to leave the Island and his son was appointed as his jailer and exempt from military service. All this was under official secrets etc only the immediate family knew. The son was sent white feathers, shunned etc for enlisting. This was all revealed during WW2 and from what I have heard there were a lot of red faces and apologies. This was in a community of about 500 people with a lot of inter marriage. It would be of no surprise to me that there where Germans who returned to their parents homeland rather than suffer the prejudice in there home town.
Linz
what a sad story Linz. It just goes to show how the heartbreak of war is not just restricted to the area of action, but enters everyones life, even thousands of miles from the front, and has a knock on effect that lasts for generations.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
Actually, that was a joke:
"Who's Buck Murdock, Ted?"
"Just a guy I flew with during the war -- he was with us the day I led the raid over Macho Grande."
"And he's still alive?"
[_Airplane! 2: The Sequel_]
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