Eberhard Koebel also Eberhard Köbel, called ''tusk'', i.e., "the German" in the language of the

Sámi people The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Rus ...

he traveled among, (22 June 1907 – 31 August 1955) was a German youth leader, writer, and publisher. Eberhard Koebel was born in Stuttgart on 22 June 1907. From the age of 13, in 1920, Koebel was a member of the

Wandervogel ''Wandervogel'' (plural: ''Wandervögel''; English: "Wandering Bird") is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 to 1933, who protested against industrialization by going to hike in the country and commune with n ...

. Koebel soon became a leader in the movement, inventing the

Kohte The Kohte is the typical tent of German Scouting and the German Youth Movement. Based on the Sami goahti and lavvu and developed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, it is an open-topped tent assembled on-site from four characteristically shaped p ...

, 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 The Deutsche Freischar – Bund der Wandervögel und Pfadfinder (DF) 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 B� ...

, a fusion of Wandervogel and

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement * Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

organizations; a year later, he advocated the formation of a unified German youth association for boys. On 1 November 1929 Koebel 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 such as songs and writings he created a very influential style within the

German Youth Movement The German Youth Movement (german: Die deutsche Jugendbewegung) 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 ...

. 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 The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YC ...

and the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...

. On 18 January 1934, about a year after Hitler's seizure of power, Koebel was arrested for trying to infiltrate the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

. After being severely maltreated in custody several times, he was released from Columbia Haus Prison in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

at the end of February 1934, and banned from future youth work. During the

Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (German: ), or the Röhm purge (German: ''Röhm-Putsch''), also called Operation Hummingbird (German: ''Unternehmen Kolibri''), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Ad ...

of 30 June 1934, Koebel narrowly missed being murdered by fleeing via Sweden to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. 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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, Koebel kept in contact with the Free German Movement. Koebel returned to Berlin in 1948 and worked as a writer and author in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

until his death on 31 August 1955.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Koebel, Eberhard 1907 births 1955 deaths Writers from Stuttgart People from the Kingdom of Württemberg East German writers Communist Party of Germany politicians German Youth Movement Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians Scouting and Guiding in Germany Scouting pioneers German male writers

See also

Notes

References