Paul Bauer (29 December 1896 – 9 January 1990) was a German

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

and

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

Biography

Bauer was born at

Kusel Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat. The well-known operatic tenor Fritz Wunderlich was ...

in the Palatinate region of Germany. As a schoolboy, he first visited the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

on a cycling tour through the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...

via

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

and

Merano Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...

to Lake Constance. He saw active service in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and spent the end of that war as a prisoner in England. His interest in climbing continued as he studied law in Munich. Travelling on a tight budget with friends he tackled many of the classic climbs in central Europe. In 1928 he visited the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

with three friends, where they climbed to the summit of

Dykh-Tau Dykh-Tau or Dykhtau (russian: Дыхтау, krc, Дых тау that is derived from Turkic "dik dagh" which means Jagged Mount), is a mountain located in Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia; its peak stands about north of the border with Georgia. Acce ...

– second highest peak in Europe. In 1929 he led a team of nine German Mountaineers in a first attempt on

Kangchenjunga Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the ...

. They equipped themselves well, but were turned back by poor weather and bad conditions having reached 26,000 feet. Returning in 1931, Bauer's team were again rebuffed by the sheer size and scale of the Mountain. It was during this second attempt on Kangchenjunga, that Hermann Schaller lost his life. In 1932 Bauer won a gold medal in the art competitions of the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

for his "Am Kangehenzonga", an account of his 1931 attempt to climb the Himalayan peak

. Following two failed attempts Bauer found it difficult to raise funds for a third attempt; the German public's attention now turned to

Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat ( ur, ) (; ), known locally as Diamer () which means “king of the mountains”, is the ninth-highest mountain on Earth, its summit at above sea level. Lying immediately southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in ...

. After the disastrous 1934 expedition, Bauer headed up a training climb in 1936 which found success on Siniolchu. His ventures led to prominent positions in German mountain climbing organizations during the Nazi era. One of his objectives during that time was to eliminate Jews from these organizations. During World War II, Bauer was an officer in the

Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () are the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (''Gebirgstruppe'') of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The word '' Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for light infantry in ...

, a regiment of specially trained Alpine Troops. He describes his return to the Caucasus as not what he had expected – at the head of two thousand troops in 1943.''Kangchenjunga Challenge'' William Kimber, London 1955. Page 29.

Publications in English

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References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Paul 1896 births 1990 deaths German mountain climbers Olympic gold medalists in art competitions German male poets 20th-century German poets Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics 20th-century German male writers Olympic competitors in art competitions Gebirgsjäger of World War II