Encyclopedia Dubuque
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KALTENBACH, Frederick Wilhelm: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:kaltenbach.gif|right|thumb|250px|Frederick Wilhelm Kaltenbach broadcasts to American troops urged them to refuse to fight during World War II.]]KALTENBACH, Frederick Wilhelm. (Dubuque, IA, Mar. 28, 1895-Berlin, Germany, Oct. 1945). "Lord Hee Haw." | [[Image:kaltenbach.gif|right|thumb|250px|Frederick Wilhelm Kaltenbach broadcasts to American troops urged them to refuse to fight during World War II.]]KALTENBACH, Frederick Wilhelm. (Dubuque, IA, Mar. 28, 1895-Berlin, Germany, Oct. 1945). "Lord Hee Haw." Kaltenbach was born in Dubuque but raised in Waterloo, Iowa. After graduating from East High School, Waterloo, Kaltenbach and his brother Gustav toured Germany on bicycles and were there when [[WORLD WAR I]] broke out in August 1914. They were detained on suspicion of espionage until December 1914 when they were released. Despite this experience, Kaltenbach became an admirer of Germany and its people. | ||
During the 1934-1935 school year | On his return Kaltenbach enrolled in Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, and studied there for three years. In June 1918, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Coastal Artillery. Kaltenbach was honorably discharged from the U. S. Army in April 1919. | ||
Kaltenbach resumed his education at Iowa State Teachers College and earned a Bachelor's degree in 1920. He worked for the next seven years as an appraiser before becoming a teacher. His first teaching position was in Manchester, Iowa. In 1931 he was offered a position at [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] teaching business law, economics, and debate. In the early 1930s he earned a Master's Degree in History from the University of Chicago. | |||
During the 1934-1935 school year Kaltenbach organized the [[MILITANT ORDER OF SPARTAN KNIGHTS]], a boys' group that met outside of school for picnics, hikes, and boxing at the [[YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION (Y.M.C.A.)]]. He demanded the boys wear brown shirts and participate in shooting practice with .22 rifles. | |||
Parent concern involving the club led to Kaltenbach's dismissal from the [[DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT]] by an action of the board on May 13, 1935. Kaltenbach left for Germany soon after his firing and began reading Nazi press releases in English in 1936. | Parent concern involving the club led to Kaltenbach's dismissal from the [[DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT]] by an action of the board on May 13, 1935. Kaltenbach left for Germany soon after his firing and began reading Nazi press releases in English in 1936. | ||
Revision as of 05:00, 27 January 2012
KALTENBACH, Frederick Wilhelm. (Dubuque, IA, Mar. 28, 1895-Berlin, Germany, Oct. 1945). "Lord Hee Haw." Kaltenbach was born in Dubuque but raised in Waterloo, Iowa. After graduating from East High School, Waterloo, Kaltenbach and his brother Gustav toured Germany on bicycles and were there when WORLD WAR I broke out in August 1914. They were detained on suspicion of espionage until December 1914 when they were released. Despite this experience, Kaltenbach became an admirer of Germany and its people.
On his return Kaltenbach enrolled in Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, and studied there for three years. In June 1918, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Coastal Artillery. Kaltenbach was honorably discharged from the U. S. Army in April 1919.
Kaltenbach resumed his education at Iowa State Teachers College and earned a Bachelor's degree in 1920. He worked for the next seven years as an appraiser before becoming a teacher. His first teaching position was in Manchester, Iowa. In 1931 he was offered a position at DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL teaching business law, economics, and debate. In the early 1930s he earned a Master's Degree in History from the University of Chicago.
During the 1934-1935 school year Kaltenbach organized the MILITANT ORDER OF SPARTAN KNIGHTS, a boys' group that met outside of school for picnics, hikes, and boxing at the YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION (Y.M.C.A.). He demanded the boys wear brown shirts and participate in shooting practice with .22 rifles.
Parent concern involving the club led to Kaltenbach's dismissal from the DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT by an action of the board on May 13, 1935. Kaltenbach left for Germany soon after his firing and began reading Nazi press releases in English in 1936.
Kaltenbach's voice was heard from Berlin on Monday evenings when he presented his "Dear Harry" program, a monologue named for one of his boyhood friends. Tuesday evenings he presented a series entitled "German Contributions to Making America." Kaltenbach was heard again on Thursday evening in the "Jim and Johnny" program and on Saturday when he broadcast "Military Review" and "Fritz and Fred."
Kaltenbach's homey style and frequent mentions of Iowa were carefully planned propaganda techniques to gain listener confidence. British listeners who compared his speech pattern with William Joyce, “Lord Haw Haw,” a British broadcaster for the Nazi, gave Kaltenbach’s his title of “Lord Hee Haw.”
A District of Columbia grand jury indicted Kaltenbach and seven other Americans for treason on July 26, 1943. He was arrested by Russian combat troops in Berlin on June 14, 1945, and sent to a detention camp in Soviet territory. Attempts to trade two SS guards for Kaltenbach were rejected by the Russians who later reported his death while a prisoner.
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Source:
Fred W. Kaltenbach. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_W._Kaltenbach
Fred W. Kaltenbach. Online: http://www.enotes.com/topic/Fred_W._Kaltenbach
Laurie, Clayton D. "Goebbel’s Iowan:Frederick W. Kaltenbach and Nazi Short-Wave Radio Broadcasts to America, 1939-1945." Online: www.traces.org/kaltenbach.html
Traces: We Bring History to Life. Online: http://www.traces.org/index.htm