Herman Francis Mark was born on May 3, 1895, in Vienna, Austria, the son of Herman Carl Mark, a Jewish surgeon who had converted to Lutheranism, and Lili Mueller Mark. In July 1913, he graduated from Gymnasium (high school). In the fall of that year, Mark enlisted in the Austrian army as an einjahrig-Freiwilliger (one-year volunteer) in order to discharge his military obligation so that he could start his university studies in the fall of 1914. World War I broke out, and Mark spent five years in a mountain infantry regiment on the Italian front. He was wounded three times, earned 15 medals, and became Austria's most decorated company-grade officer. In November 1918, Mark's division was captured by the Italians. He spent 11 months in a prison camp at a former convent, where he studied Italian, French, and English and organized a general chemistry course. In 1919, Mark returned to Vienna and continued his study of...