German radiograms in 1939/40.

[rontech]

Whilst browsing youtube I found this link

78HQ, ERWIN STEINBACHER, Lampenfieber, German Swing WW2 1939 / Stassfurt 60WK Radiogram 1940

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7ijnmljF9Y

The radiogram in question looks very luxurious and impressive, sounds good as well. Multi waveband, worldwide names on the dial.

Given the nazi attitude to jazz and listening to allied radio being illegal; I find it strange. Volksempfanger it is not! Maybe Stassfurt radiograms were made specially for the nazi hierarchy.

Anyone have any information?

[bluepilot]

Originally Posted by rontech

Maybe Stassfurt radiograms were made specially for the nazi hierarchy.

Anyone have any information?

In Germany there were a lot of very high quality radios and radiograms available until well into the war. Just go to Radiomuseum and search for German manufacturers between 1939 and 1945. Try things like Mende, Siemens, AEG, Sachsenwerk, Lumophon etc. and you'll see what I mean. They were freely available for anyone who could afford them. Volksempfänger were just cheap radios for anyone who couldn't afford anything better.

[rontech]

Thanks for that Stuart. I had a look at radiomuseum and was surprised. I imagine British radio manufacturers were diverted largely to war work with just a few basic radios available for the public.

[paulsherwin]

It took a couple of years for the German radio industry to be seriously affected by the war. The British were desperate to get radar working, and pretty much shut down the consumer sector in 1939.

[Heatercathodeshort]

This takes me back to 1961 when I was 13.
The annual scout jumble sale at St. Mary's Merton was an absolute delight for any lad interested in radio/television and other electrical delights.
Waiting for a buyer just outside the Church hall stood a German radiogram of quality. It was very similar to the one mentioned here.
I would have loved it but had no way of getting it home and even less likely to get it into the house.
It never sold and was put on a bonfire on some scrub land at the rear of the Church hall. I managed to remove a couple of the valves. I had never seen anything like them before. They were the short metal types of the 11 series EF11 etc. After all these years I still have memories of that radiogram. It was so clean and tidy. John.

[wd40addict]

For comparison here's my Strassfurter Imperial, very strong family resemblance.

Regarding Nazi jazz don't forget Charlie: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char..._his_Orchestra

[Joe_Lorenz]

As Paul has already told us up to 1941 or even 1942 there were rather high quality radio sets available here in Germany, say Telefunken, Lorenz, Blaupunkt, Mende and Körting. The Volksempfänger and its derivates were not at all a target of desire in the eyes of any "audiophile" of these years but were made for poor people who had never owned a radio before.

After the war, everyone was eager to get rid of that stuff and right in 1948 there was the next generation of "real" radios on the market. Today I can still see no reason to collect one of these Volksempfängers but to have one on display.

Regards, Joe

[rontech]

Originally Posted by wd40addict

For comparison here's my Strassfurter Imperial, very strong family resemblance.

Regarding Nazi jazz don't forget Charlie: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char..._his_Orchestra

I have seen Charlie and his orchestra information and also audio uploads . That was a nazi approved idea with altered anti allied lyrics intended to demoralise the British. I gather the attitude here was derisive laughter.

Apparently there was also a flourishing underground cult in germany who were into english and american dance bands. Cult members were largely young, middle and upper class.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swingjugend

[bluepilot]

"Deutschlandsender" on Youtube has a collection of old radiograms. Here are some of them in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKz5t5Yk65o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVlGeQZvKnw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRgepdxf3LY

[ionburn]

Originally Posted by rontech

I have seen Charlie and his orchestra information and also audio uploads . That was a nazi approved idea with altered anti allied lyrics intended to demoralise the British. I gather the attitude here was derisive laughter.

Apparently there was also a flourishing underground cult in germany who were into english and american dance bands. Cult members were largely young, middle and upper class.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swingjugend

I have some German propagander Jazz that I downloaded off the internet when I was looking for music of the era. I haven't looked recently but you can get a lot of original recordings.