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-Siberia (?) Oct. 1945). | [[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-Siberia (?) Oct. 1945). 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. | 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. | 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. (1) While in Germany he became an ardent follower of the Nazi movement. On his return to the United States, Kaltenbach resumed teaching in Dubuque. | ||
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. | 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. ( | 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. (2) Finding that the American Legion had led the local investigation, Kaltenbach visited Charles Landon, the local Legion commander, in his store and according to Landon said, | ||
I want to thank you and the American Legion for | I want to thank you and the American Legion for | ||
what you have done for me and some day I'll | what you have done for me and some day I'll | ||
be back to return the favor. ( | be back to return the favor. (3) | ||
Kaltenbach left for Germany soon after his firing. He began reading Nazi press releases in English in 1936 and received a doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1939. ( | Kaltenbach left for Germany soon after his firing. He began reading Nazi press releases in English in 1936 and received a doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1939. (4) His marriage to Dorothea Peters, one of Hermann Goering's editors on his aviation magazine, gave his access to the highest levels of Nazi leaders. (5) | ||
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 also broadcast with another American collaborator, Max Koischwitz as Jim of 'Jim and Johnny', a humorous dialogue program in which the title characters traded propaganda-laden wisecracks. On Saturday when he broadcast "Military Review" and "Fritz and Fred." He was also involved in the production of "Invasion Calling," "Jerry Calling," and "Stalag Hour." ( | 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 also broadcast with another American collaborator, Max Koischwitz as Jim of 'Jim and Johnny', a humorous dialogue program in which the title characters traded propaganda-laden wisecracks. On Saturday when he broadcast "Military Review" and "Fritz and Fred." He was also involved in the production of "Invasion Calling," "Jerry Calling," and "Stalag Hour." (6) | ||
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.” | 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. In the months following Kaltenbach’s indictment the frequency of his radio broadcasts diminished and his position as the leading American broadcaster was taken by two fellow collaborators, Mildred Gillars, ‘Axis Sally’, and Douglas Chandler. | A District of Columbia grand jury indicted Kaltenbach and seven other Americans for treason on July 26, 1943. (7) In the months following Kaltenbach’s indictment the frequency of his radio broadcasts diminished and his position as the leading American broadcaster was taken by two fellow collaborators, Mildred Gillars, ‘Axis Sally’, and Douglas Chandler. | ||
From 1944, Kaltenbach’s health declined; he began to suffer heart problems and asthma. He became disenchanted with Hitler and Nazism and often refused to broadcast sometimes for months at a time. Towards the end of the war Kaltenbach attempted to ingratiate himself with anti-Nazi elements and religious elements associated with Pastor Martin Niemoller. He could still be heard occasionally in North America and by American forces in Europe up to early 1945. | From 1944, Kaltenbach’s health declined; he began to suffer heart problems and asthma. He became disenchanted with Hitler and Nazism and often refused to broadcast sometimes for months at a time. Towards the end of the war Kaltenbach attempted to ingratiate himself with anti-Nazi elements and religious elements associated with Pastor Martin Niemoller. He could still be heard occasionally in North America and by American forces in Europe up to early 1945. | ||
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Source: | Source: | ||
1. | 1. Fred W. Kaltenbach. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_W._Kaltenbach | ||
2. | 2. Freeman, Don. "Ex-Dubuque Teacher is Hunted Over Europe," Telegraph Herald, June 24, 1945, p. 13. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YCdiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OXYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3103,3052281&dq=radio+in+dubuque&hl=en | ||
3. Ibid. | 3. Ibid. | ||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
4. Ibid. | 4. Ibid. | ||
5. | 5. Ibid. | ||
6. | 6. Riddell, Amy. "Wars Produce Heroes, Heretics," Telegraph Herald, Feb. 23, 1988, p. 46. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UY5dAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j1wNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3626,4672380&dq=dubuque+in+world+war+i&hl=en | ||
7. Traces: We Bring History to Life. Online: http://www.traces.org/index.htm | |||
8. Laurie, Clayton D. "Goebbel’s Iowan:Frederick W. Kaltenbach and Nazi Short-Wave Radio Broadcasts to America, 1939-1945." Online: http://www.traces.org/kaltenbach.html | |||
[[Category: Outlaws]] | [[Category: Outlaws]] | ||
Revision as of 19:54, 5 December 2013
KALTENBACH, Frederick Wilhelm. (Dubuque, IA, Mar. 28, 1895-Siberia (?) Oct. 1945). 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. (1) While in Germany he became an ardent follower of the Nazi movement. On his return to the United States, Kaltenbach resumed teaching in Dubuque.
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. (2) Finding that the American Legion had led the local investigation, Kaltenbach visited Charles Landon, the local Legion commander, in his store and according to Landon said,
I want to thank you and the American Legion for
what you have done for me and some day I'll
be back to return the favor. (3)
Kaltenbach left for Germany soon after his firing. He began reading Nazi press releases in English in 1936 and received a doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1939. (4) His marriage to Dorothea Peters, one of Hermann Goering's editors on his aviation magazine, gave his access to the highest levels of Nazi leaders. (5)
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 also broadcast with another American collaborator, Max Koischwitz as Jim of 'Jim and Johnny', a humorous dialogue program in which the title characters traded propaganda-laden wisecracks. On Saturday when he broadcast "Military Review" and "Fritz and Fred." He was also involved in the production of "Invasion Calling," "Jerry Calling," and "Stalag Hour." (6)
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. (7) In the months following Kaltenbach’s indictment the frequency of his radio broadcasts diminished and his position as the leading American broadcaster was taken by two fellow collaborators, Mildred Gillars, ‘Axis Sally’, and Douglas Chandler.
From 1944, Kaltenbach’s health declined; he began to suffer heart problems and asthma. He became disenchanted with Hitler and Nazism and often refused to broadcast sometimes for months at a time. Towards the end of the war Kaltenbach attempted to ingratiate himself with anti-Nazi elements and religious elements associated with Pastor Martin Niemoller. He could still be heard occasionally in North America and by American forces in Europe up to early 1945.
According to his wife, Kaltenbach 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.
---
Source:
1. Fred W. Kaltenbach. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_W._Kaltenbach
2. Freeman, Don. "Ex-Dubuque Teacher is Hunted Over Europe," Telegraph Herald, June 24, 1945, p. 13. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YCdiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OXYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3103,3052281&dq=radio+in+dubuque&hl=en
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Riddell, Amy. "Wars Produce Heroes, Heretics," Telegraph Herald, Feb. 23, 1988, p. 46. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UY5dAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j1wNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3626,4672380&dq=dubuque+in+world+war+i&hl=en
7. Traces: We Bring History to Life. Online: http://www.traces.org/index.htm
8. Laurie, Clayton D. "Goebbel’s Iowan:Frederick W. Kaltenbach and Nazi Short-Wave Radio Broadcasts to America, 1939-1945." Online: http://www.traces.org/kaltenbach.html