Karl Schwedler
Encyclopedia
Karl Emil Heinrich Schwedler, also known as Charlie Schwedler (born Duisberg, Germany
, August 13, 1902) was a singer and leader of the Nazi propaganda
jazz band
Charlie and His Orchestra
during World War II
.
Little is known of Schwedler's early life except that his father, Wilhelm, was a plumber and that Karl lived in Cologne
in the 1920s and moved to Düsseldorf
in 1930. By November 1939, he was employed by the USA section of the Nazi Foreign Ministry's broadcasting department (Kultur-R).
Described by British-born Nazi collaborator Norman Baillie-Stewart
as a "crooner" and a "playboy" who spoke excellent English, Schwedler was held in high regard for his propaganda work by Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
himself. Sometime in 1939, Karl Schwedler —- now called "Charlie" -- formed, of all things, a Nazi swing band, Charlie and His Orchestra
, who made a series of "cabaret" recordings: parodies of popular English-language songs with Nazi-favourable lyrics. (Winston Churchill
was alleged to be a fan, finding the new lyrics hilarious.) Charlie and His Orchestra recorded thirty-seven tunes that were monitored by the BBC
; later, discs of the songs were found by music historian Horst Bergmeier, who authored (with Rainier Lotz) Hitler's Airwaves, a reference on Nazi swing music.
According to Bergmeier, Schwedler remained in Berlin after most of the rest of his orchestra (including Lutz Templin, who remained a respected musician after the war) were evacuated to Stuttgart
in 1943. Saxophone
player Teddy Kleindin recalled Schwedler working as a croupier
in Berlin after the Nazi defeat in 1945. After briefly settling in Bavaria
and Düsseldorf
, Schwedler (along with wife and two children, Bernd and Scarlet) emigrated to the United States in August 1960, after which he passed into obscurity. (However, a 1988 article in Der Spiegel
, seems to suggest Schwedler retired back to the Tegernsee
, where he died in 1973.)
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
, August 13, 1902) was a singer and leader of the Nazi propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
Charlie and His Orchestra
Charlie and his Orchestra
Charlie and his Orchestra were a Nazi-sponsored German propaganda swing band...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Little is known of Schwedler's early life except that his father, Wilhelm, was a plumber and that Karl lived in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in the 1920s and moved to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
in 1930. By November 1939, he was employed by the USA section of the Nazi Foreign Ministry's broadcasting department (Kultur-R).
Described by British-born Nazi collaborator Norman Baillie-Stewart
Norman Baillie-Stewart
Norman Baillie-Stewart was a British army officer known as The Officer in the Tower when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London...
as a "crooner" and a "playboy" who spoke excellent English, Schwedler was held in high regard for his propaganda work by Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
himself. Sometime in 1939, Karl Schwedler —- now called "Charlie" -- formed, of all things, a Nazi swing band, Charlie and His Orchestra
Charlie and his Orchestra
Charlie and his Orchestra were a Nazi-sponsored German propaganda swing band...
, who made a series of "cabaret" recordings: parodies of popular English-language songs with Nazi-favourable lyrics. (Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
was alleged to be a fan, finding the new lyrics hilarious.) Charlie and His Orchestra recorded thirty-seven tunes that were monitored by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
; later, discs of the songs were found by music historian Horst Bergmeier, who authored (with Rainier Lotz) Hitler's Airwaves, a reference on Nazi swing music.
According to Bergmeier, Schwedler remained in Berlin after most of the rest of his orchestra (including Lutz Templin, who remained a respected musician after the war) were evacuated to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
in 1943. Saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player Teddy Kleindin recalled Schwedler working as a croupier
Croupier
A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.-Origin of the word:...
in Berlin after the Nazi defeat in 1945. After briefly settling in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Schwedler (along with wife and two children, Bernd and Scarlet) emigrated to the United States in August 1960, after which he passed into obscurity. (However, a 1988 article in Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, seems to suggest Schwedler retired back to the Tegernsee
Tegernsee
Tegernsee is a town in the Miesbach district of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the shore of Tegernsee lake, at an elevation of 747 m above sea level....
, where he died in 1973.)