Friday, January 05, 2007

Degenerate Music: "It Don't Mean A Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing"

Günter Discher, born March 20, 1925, in Hamburg, became a fan of swing music early on. He succeeded in avoiding service in the Hitler Youth. He also managed to get around the difficulties in obtaining jazz records, difficulties imposed by Nazi prohibitions and limitations.

He became an expert in the phonograph record black market. By having soldier friends, who were stationed in occupied countries, send him records through the military postal system he was able to supply himself with the coveted disks. He sold them to friends and fellow fans, and also to the dance halls of the jazz scene in St. Pauli. For these reasons, the Gestapo arrested him when he was seventeen years old.

He was interned in the youth concentration camp of Moringen as Number 852 on the basis of the following Schutzhaftbefehl [Order for Protective Custody]:


Secret State Police (Gestapo)
Berlin SW 11, January 15, 1943
Secret State Police Headquarters
Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse 8
IV C2 Arrest-No. D. 10446

Order for Protective Custody

First and last name: Günther Leonhard Johannes Discher
Birth date and place: October 20, 1925, in Hamburg
Occupation: business apprentice
Marital status: single
Citizenship: German Reich
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran
Race (mandatory for non-Aryans):
Street and city address: Hamburg 19, Charlottenstrasse 21


Reasons:

He (She), endangers, according to the evidence of the state police, proven by his (her) behavior the existence and security of the people and state, in that he (she) brings substantial unrest into the population by his subversive and harmful
activities.

(signed) Müller
Certified
Criminal Councilor

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

One of my most fav music DJ's or selectors or whatever the proper term is. One of this mans CD's is up there on my all time fave list.
Bob,you've got lots to answer for ;-)
Big Day Out??