Eberhard Koebel
Encyclopedia
Eberhard Koebel was a German
youth leader, writer and publisher.
Eberhard Koebel was born in Stuttgart
on June 22, 1907. From the age of 13, in 1920, Koebel was a member of the Wandervogel
. Koebel soon became a leader in the movement, inventing the Kohte
, a tent design that consists of several smaller canvas panels that are carried by individuals and then assembled when they reach the campsite.
In 1926 Koebel joined the Deutsche Freischar
, a fusion of Wandervogel and Scout
organizations; a year later, he advocated the formation of a unified German youth association for boys. On November 1, 1929 Köbel established the dj 1.11.
. In the beginning secret conspiracy within the Deutsche Freischar to renew and mobilize it, it later broke off, when the leader of the Freischar, Ernst Buske, no longer accepted an organisation within the organisation. As leader of the Jungenschaft Koebel designed the Kohte and a particular jacket, the Jungenschaftsjacke. With these and other elements as songs and writings he created a very influential style within the German Youth Movement
. In the spring of 1932, hoping to make a more effective resistance to the Nazis, he resigned as head of DJ 1.11. and joined the Young Communist League
and the Communist Party of Germany
.
On January 18, 1934, about a year after Hitler's
seizure of power, Koebel was arrested for trying to infiltrate the Hitler Youth
. After being severely maltreated in custody several times, he was released from Columbia Haus Prison in Berlin
at the end of February 1934, and banned from future youth work. During the Night of the Long Knives
of June 30, 1934, when Hitler not only purged the Nazi Party of leftists but settled other scores as well, Koebel narrowly missed being murdered by fleeing via Sweden
to London
. On his travel to Sweden Koebel visited a Scout group of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder
, which was led by his university friend Erich Mönch. In England
, Koebel kept in contact with the Free German Movement. Köbel returned to Berlin in 1948 and worked as a writer and author in East Germany until his death on August 31, 1955.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
youth leader, writer and publisher.
Eberhard Koebel was born in 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 ....
on June 22, 1907. From the age of 13, in 1920, Koebel was a member of the Wandervogel
Wandervogel
Wandervogel is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 onward. The name can be translated as rambling, hiking or wandering bird and the ethos is to shake off the restrictions of society and get back to nature and freedom...
. Koebel soon became a leader in the movement, inventing the Kohte
Kohte
The Kohte is the typical tent of German Scouting and the German Youth Movement. It was developed about 1930 by Eberhard Koebel as a variation of the Sami lavvu and became very quickly popular within the Bündische Jugend...
, a tent design that consists of several smaller canvas panels that are carried by individuals and then assembled when they reach the campsite.
In 1926 Koebel joined the Deutsche Freischar
Deutsche Freischar
The Deutsche Freischar – Bund der Wandervögel und Pfadfinder is a German youth organization. Originating from the merger of several small Wandervogel and Scouting groups, it was one of the largest and most important associations of the Bündische Jugend of the Weimar Republic besides the Deutscher...
, a fusion of Wandervogel and Scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
organizations; a year later, he advocated the formation of a unified German youth association for boys. On November 1, 1929 Köbel established the dj 1.11.
Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929
The Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929, abbreviated dj.1.11., was a youth group within the German Youth Movement, founded by Eberhard Köbel on November 1, 1929. It demerged from the Deutsche Freischar after some disagreements of the organisation's course. The dj.1.11...
. In the beginning secret conspiracy within the Deutsche Freischar to renew and mobilize it, it later broke off, when the leader of the Freischar, Ernst Buske, no longer accepted an organisation within the organisation. As leader of the Jungenschaft Koebel designed the Kohte and a particular jacket, the Jungenschaftsjacke. With these and other elements as songs and writings he created a very influential style within the German Youth Movement
German Youth Movement
The German Youth Movement is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement included German Scouting and the Wandervogel...
. In the spring of 1932, hoping to make a more effective resistance to the Nazis, he resigned as head of DJ 1.11. and joined the Young Communist League
Young Communist League
The Young Communist League was or is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX was generally taken by all sections of the Communist Youth International.Examples of YCLs:...
and the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
.
On January 18, 1934, about a year after Hitler's
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
seizure of power, Koebel was arrested for trying to infiltrate the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
. After being severely maltreated in custody several times, he was released from Columbia Haus Prison in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
at the end of February 1934, and banned from future youth work. During the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
of June 30, 1934, when Hitler not only purged the Nazi Party of leftists but settled other scores as well, Koebel narrowly missed being murdered by fleeing via Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. On his travel to Sweden Koebel visited a Scout group of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder
Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder
The Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder was a Scout association in Germany active from 1926 to 1934. The association never had more than 500 members. It was the first Scout association in Germany to admit boys and girls. It was interdenominational and politically neutral....
, which was led by his university friend Erich Mönch. In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Koebel kept in contact with the Free German Movement. Köbel returned to Berlin in 1948 and worked as a writer and author in East Germany until his death on August 31, 1955.