Erich Kern (Erich Knud Kernmayr)

[Durand]

Hallo,
can someone please post biographical information on Erich Kern? As I understand it, he was an officer in the LAH and he wrote a book titled "Dance of Death" about his experiences on the Eastern Front. The book is said to have been a bestseller in post-war Germany. I do not have any other details on this fellow.
Thank You
Durand

[sylvieK4]

Is this him?
In German: http://www.idgr.de/lexikon/bio/k/kern-erich/kern.html

This is a "googlized" translation of the German site into English:
Member of the socialist worker youth and in communist youth federation, trotzkistische group. 1931/32 member of the youth organization "storm people" in Graz. 1934 arrest because of illegal National Socialist activity in Austria. 1936 deputy editor-in-chief of the Viennese editorship of the "Essener national newspaper", 1938 boss of the service of the newspaper "German telegraf" appearing in Vienna. 1939 gau press office leaders in the gau line Vienna of the NSDAP. 1940 directors/conductors of the pressestelle of the gau leader of Saarland/Lorraine, Josef Bürckel, 1941 entrance into the SS division "the realm", SS-Sturmbannführer.
1946 founders of the "Gmundner of circle", in which it meets former prominent SS- and NSDAP-members. 1955 it draws up the federation sheet of the "auxiliary community on mutuality of the former members of the weapon S" (HIAG), to whose initiators it belongs. 1982 award with 15.000 DM endowed "Hutten price" by the society for free journalism .
Publisher of several right-wing extremists newspapers. Erich Kernmayer is one the prominent right-wing extremist journalist of the Federal Republic of, supporter of the socialist realm party (SRP) , the German realm Reich and the NPD , last was he Gefolgsmann of the publisher of the German national newspaper , Gerhard Frey . The right many writer and specialist in publizistischer propaganda operate above all attempts of the white washing of the SS and the armed forces and try to represent the Germans as the actual victims of the events in the Second World War.

Publications:
Adolf Hitler and the third realm. The statesman. Preuß. Old village (1971); The tragedy of the Jews. Fate between propaganda and truth. Preuss. Old village (1979). Adolf Hitler and its movement. Heart in the stacheldraht; The large intoxication. Russia campaign 1941 - 1945; The other Lidice. The tragedy of the Sudeten Germans; Victim course of a people. The total war; The clock remained stehn; Crime at the German people. A documentation of ally cruelties; Betrayal of Germany. Feeler gauges and Saboteure against the own native country; From Versailles to Nürnberg. The victim course of the German people; Perjury against Germany. A documentation on the political fraud; Publications of the category of "land he booklets".

[Durand]

Hallo sylviek4,

Thank you for your response. At first glance, I did not think that you and I were describing the same individual. Your fellow is named Kernmayer and he served in "Das Reich". The one I described was named Kern and served in "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler". Despite the differences, it seems that they are indeed the same person. Among the books you listed that were written by Kernmayer is "The Large Intoxication" or, auf deutsch "Der große Rauch". The title for Kern's English language edition is "Dance of Death", but the title of the German edition is "Der große Rausch". When I took a look at the site, the heading Erich Kern confirmed the identification. I wonder why the difference in names. Have you (or any other forum members) read his book (German or English edition)?
Regards,
Durand

[J.N. Houterman]

The solution is simple: Kern was officially named Kernmayer, but he used as a pen name (pseudonym) Kern.
Cheers,
Hans Houterman

[Andreas Schulz]

Erich Kern was born 27.02.1906 in Graz. He died 1991.

AnDie

[Mikedc]

Does somebody has the partynumber and the SS-number from E. Kernmayer???
And if somebody has a wartime-photo from him that would be great as well.
Thanks in advance.
Greetings,
Mike

[Doug Nash]

Here's a postwar pic of Erich Kern -

[Doug Nash]

And a rather grainy wartime photo of Erich Kern(mayr) -

[DougENash]

Just obtained the declassified CIA file on Erich Kernmayr aka Erich Kern. Seems that he worked for the OSS, then the CIA after the war in Austria. It verifies his Waffen-SS service.

[DougENash]

Regarding Kernmayr, his file is missing from the BDC. Nothing in the RuSHA files either. It is possible that while he was working for the CIA, he asked them to purge it as a precondition for working for them. Wouldn't be the first time that happened.

[Georges JEROME]

Kernmayr, Erich, SS-Ustuf.
* 27.02.1906 Vienna, + 1991

SS-Jäger-Btl.502 09.1944
(Führerlexikon der Waffen-SS John Moore)

In a book upon Kurt Eggers unit there is a Dienstrangliste der Standarte "Kurt Eggers" vom 11.12.1944 (BA-MA.RS 4/47)

n° 74
Dienstrang : SS-Untersturmführer
Tag der Ernennung : 20.09.1944
Name : KERNMAYR, Erich
Geb. Datum : 27.02.1906

prior this date he served as War Correspondant and N.C.O. with Kurt Eggers.

Erich Kernmayr was Gaupresseamtsleiter Reichsgau Westmark during the war after serving with staff of Bürckel in Austria

he reached to rank of SS-Untersturmführer der Reserve in the Waffen-SS. Like he had no SS number, this indicate he was just Reserveführer der Waffen-SS not a SS member.

[freddiefro]

prior this date he served as War Correspondant and N.C.O. with Kurt Eggers.

Unless there is another person with the name Kernmayr in "Kurt Eggers," the first document below seems to show him in the top section (Wort) and in the bottom section (Kurier) with "Kurt Eggers" in Oct. 1942 (spelled Kernmayer). In the second document he is an SS-Oscharf. and interpreter (Dolmetscher) with "Kurt Eggers" in Jan. 1944.

Fred

[Georges JEROME]

quite sure the same in various appointments as N.C.O.

[Larso]

Has anyone read his book? Is it any good?

[Larso]

Found a great review by Doug Nash - looks like a good one.