Tiger veterans stories...

[Dale]

I have been writing to Tiger tank veterans and their families for several years and I have collected great biographical information, combat stories. personal anecdotes, original pictures (many unpublished) and copies of Soldbuchs, Wehrpasses, award docs, etc. etc..
The writing continues and I am always making new contacts.

My question is:

What kind of interest is there for this type of information ?
Any suggestions as to how I would go about publishing it ?
What suggestions are there for a format ?

An example of what I have is:
1) 75 pages (WORD document) of a bio on a funker in s.Pz.Abt.503 -
includes brief family background, growing up, being drafted, training,
combat experiences, soviet captiviity. There are some pictures to
accompany the info.
He was in the less well documented 2nd Company (hardly mentioned
in their 503 history)
2) 40 pages from an officer in 509

There are a BUNCH of 2- 20 pages bios as well from all 10 Heer Tiger abteilungen.

Anyway... I guess what I am looking for is suggestions for format for publication and to see if there would be any interest.
Thanks !

[charlie don't surf]

I'd love to read those stories, especially funkers since there is so little written about communication and such. I'd preferably would like to see it all composed into a big hardcover with lots of pictures, maps and information around their units. I think that having a general story around their personal stories is the way to go. See that you get a good publisher who don't try to change anything of your work in a bad way to make it marketable to a wider audience. As a european I hope that you choose a publisher who is available for both us europeans and north americans, perhaps MBI?

best regards

[book lover]

Hi,I think it would be a good idea to publish these stories.The more first person accounts the better.You should publish a hard cover from a quality printer.I would certainly buy it.

[Fish]

Dale, sounds as if we both have a similar situation. First there is an interest both in the US and overseas. The one thing I have learned being overhere is that many Germans are starved for this kind of book/info they just can't go to a local bookstore and find the books we do, plus they are normally all in English as they have been published in either the US or UK. The publishers are out there a German friend of mine has a few books published by J. Binder Pub out of Calif. As I understand it Binder doesn't like alot of personal stories type books but they do some. Keep plugging away the Pubs are out there. As for a format thats up to you but I think alot of people like the details of the persons life followed by map traces to follow along the story and with plenty of pics (better unpublished) and unit histries with color plates of units insignias and uniforms. It all lets the person see as he/she reads the whole experience.
Hope this all helps
Fish

[charlie don't surf]

I agree with the Fish on the format and like to add that I personally don't like pictures of reenactors to show uniforms etc. I also like books to be big rather than the pocket size.

regards

[joscha]

Go for it! I would not be surprised at all if there would be a run on such a book, especially by the younger generation of people in armored units.

The very name "Tiger" is a magnet, both for the militarily educated, and the run of the mill guy who knows of no other tank but the Tiger. I would recommend, though, that this would be a straight-forward collection of accounts, no sweetening, no embellishments, but the original word of the man who was there.

My opinion; well based, I hope. Joscha

[Dale]

Thanks to all of you !
I am continuously collecting info. - as long as the vets are around I make new contacts and collect new info.
I will keep plugging away at it and will post on Feldgrau my progress and maybe some samples.
Thanks to all,
Dale

[Tom Houlihan]

Take a look at Aegis-Aberjona Press. They have published some personal accounts by American and German veterans. You can find them on this web site. They might be able to help with some of those questions.

[Dale]

Tom,
I will check them out - thanks for the suggestion.
I have e-mailed and corresponded a bit with a well-known publisher of German armor books but for some reason they simply stopped replying.

[David]

Dale,
Go for it, I love those kind of books. I would buy it in a instant.
Right know I am reading Infantry Aces by Frank Kurowski. it's a great book. I just love the books that tell the story from the German soldier side.

David

[Tom Houlihan]

I particularly enjoy reading about things from the landser's perspective (and the panzerfahrer's, Joscha! ). It gives more depth to what I'm studying, to hear from the other side of the fence. It also helps us to realize that regardless of what uniform they wore, or why they fought, they were people just like us. War sucked even for the victors, so it's only right we hear about how it was for the vanquished, as well.

[Sebastian Pye]

I would buy your book. If you dont have that much text material maybe you could have some big unusual pictures also?

[Sigurd Helge]

Dale,
Anything covering the "everyday" business of tank units is interesting and if it emanates from others than the "traditional" aces it just makes it more interesting.

Regards,
~Sigurd

[schwedi]

Dale,
You also can write about some great battles and the satisfire both sides
broad in the WWII!! This would be interesting. I also would buy the book!!
A good idea also will be to publish it also in German, so that they also can see what war is about!!
Bring interesting and shocking pictures in it!!

Best regards (and tell me how it is going on!!)

[Noel Petroni]

Great! I just love these kind of books that tell personal accounts of the common soldier. I really enjoyed reading Franz Kurowski's book 'Infanterie Aces' and went out to buy, also by the same author, 'Panzer Aces' (that I still have to read).

I like to see a picture of the soldier related to the story and how he ended the war. I also like detailed descriptions of the hardware used, for example not just a mention of tank or machine gun but actually knowing that it's a Panther or an MG42. I prefer hard backs with a good front artwork or photograph.

I would surely buy such a book!!

Regards
Noel