Life Gerhard Dengler

1 life

1.1 years
1.2 war
1.3 german democratic republic
1.4 die wende

life
early years

gerhard dengler s father noted forestry scientist alfred dengler (1874–1944). grew in eberswalde father professor , @ 1 stage rector of forestry academy. gerd studied journalism in berlin , in munich 1934 till 1939. between 1935 , 1937 undertook military service in artillery regiment in frankfurt. on 1 may 1937 admitted nsdap (nazi party). member of party s quasi-military wing, sturmabteilung (sa), having been in youth branch of precursor organisation, stahlhelm league since 1932.

war

in 1939 studies led doctorate, received shortly before being recalled army. unit fought against poland , against france, temporarily location commander autun. sent eastern front , took part in battle of stalingrad army captain. surrendered unit @ start of 1943 , became member of national committee free germany, alliance of exiled german soldiers had become communist prisoners of war, held in soviet union. switch mainstream naziism prove heartfelt , enduring, , paid high personal price: father, on learning gerhard had become communist, took own life in october 1944. looking in 1949, applying fashionable language of european marxism, gerhard dengler spoke regional party congress of how had separated himself class . many decades later, in wide ranging , thought provoking radio interview broadcast in 2001, explained how outdated bourgeois preconceptions , bourgeois social outlook had grown had been incinerated in [cauldron of] stalingrad.

german democratic republic

when dengler returned left of germany flown soviet occupation zone undergoing transformation one-party state called german democratic republic (east germany). in 1946 joined newly created socialist unity party (sed / sozialistische einheitspartei deutschlands) , took job in dresden sächsische zeitung (newspaper). in 1948 moved leipzig, hour or west of dresden, , worked few weeks editor in chief of leipziger volkszeitung. between november 1948 , may 1949 editor in chief of der augenzeuge ( eye-witness ), weekly political newsreel presentation produced defa (national film production company). switched editorial team of neues deutschland, mass-circulation national newspaper of sed (party), working newspaper s first ever correspondent in west german provisional capital, bonn, between 1953 , 1958.

after returning berlin in 1958 dengler became chief commentator deutschlandsender, country s national radio station, taking position on karl-eduard von schnitzler. in 1959 took on vice-chairmanship of national presidium council of east german national front, political grouping of minor political parties , mass movements, each having fixed quota of seats in national assembly (volkskammer), , controlled through national front country s ruling sed (party). in 1966 became vice-president of national front s national council responsibility west work , position held till 1969. 1962 till 1967 headed working group in national council on braunbuch, book appeared in several editions , enjoyed large print-runs, , detailed how numerous former nazis continued hold positions of power , influence in west germany , in west more generally. (west germany responded braunbuch of own detailing former nazis had turned in positions of power , influence in east germany.)

in september 1969 dengler s career switched again, (east) german walter ulbricht academy legal , political science, headed foreign information section till reached retirement in september 1979.

die wende

gerhard dengler lived long enough see changes led german reunification in 1990. in extreme old age gave number of media interviews reflecting on of decisions had made. expressed no regrets on decision become communist.

of course stalinists [in 1943]. stalin, us, hero had defeated in front of moscow , in front of stalingrad.

but open horror felt when khrushchev s secret speech delivered 20th soviet party congress on 25 february 1956 became public.

second stalingrad ... learn stalin had murdered more communists hitler.

he nevertheless remained confident had switched right side:

in farmhouse given tea, piece of toast , dried fish. russians did not shoot me: shared bread me.

until died gerhard dengler remained active in drafd (league of germans in resistance, in armed forces of anti-hitler coalition, , in free germany movement / deutscher in der résistance, in den streitkräften der antihitlerkoalition).