Hanns Gobsch

Friedrich Johannes "Hanns" Gobsch (born August 1, 1883 in Chemnitz , † December 3, 1957 in Murnau ) was a German writer and playwright.

Life

Gobsch grew up in his native city of Chemnitz and graduated from the secondary school . After graduating from high school , he joined the Saxon army as a flag boy . After completing basic military training, he was sent to the War Academy in Berlin , where he was promoted to lieutenant . With the beginning of the First World War he fought on different sectors of the front . After being severely wounded, he was employed in the Dresden area as a general staff officer with the rank of captain in the military intelligence service , Section IIIb of the Great General Staff . As part of a realignment of the intelligence organization, he took over the management of the Budapest news office ("Nobud") in December 1915 . At the beginning of his service, he introduced reporting to Berlin on the basis of a clear need for information, standardized questionnaires for interrogations, and performance records for agents and informants . Hermann Consten (1878–1957), who had previously worked in the intelligence agency, was subordinate to him as he was not an officer .

Artistic work

During his time in Budapest, Gobsch's first publication appeared under the title “Vosges Fights”, in which he processed his war experiences on the Franco-German front line.

After the war, Gobsch settled in Mecklenburg and began writing novels, some of which were also published in other languages. His novel "Bernd Thormann" was published in 1920 and "Der Einsame von St. Laurin" in 1924. His artistic breakthrough came with the book "Wahn-Europa 1934 - ein Vision", which was published in 1931 by Fackelreiter Verlag Hamburg . With this he artistically anticipated the approaching European catastrophe. He has translated this work into a total of almost 70 languages. During the National Socialist era , the book was on the index of works to be removed from German libraries. In 1932 he moved to Murnau near Garmisch , where he lived and worked in the Vierlinden house.

His most important and most successful creative period as a writer and playwright began in Murnau. Here Gobsch succeeded in establishing close collaboration with large theater stages. The drama "The Last Year", completed in 1934, a Napoleon - Josephine play , was performed in Berlin, Vienna and other major cities. Shortly afterwards the play "Mr. Vanhusen liquidated" and the drama "Kreuznacht des Berthold Lenz". It followed in 1935 "Unstar over Russia". It was a tragedy over the last Russian tsarina . In November 1937, the play "Fischzug über Neapel" was performed, an adventurous story about Lady Hamilton . In the 1938/1939 season, the Oldenburg State Theater successfully performed the play “The Throne Between the Continents”.

Also in 1938 was his play "Der Andere Feldherr", which played in the Russian General Staff at the time of the Battle of Tannenberg and placed the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Russian Army , General Samsonov , at the center of its action. Gobsch also brought out "The Tragedy of Russia". In 1939 he had a temporary management, at the side of Ernst Luisenhop, at the Stadttheater Freiberg ( Saxony ). The play "Maria von Scottland", performed in 1940, was also a great success and was played between 1561 and 1567 after Maria Stuart's return from France until her flight into English captivity. It was shown several times at the Staatstheater Dresden during the 1940 season. But the Oldenburg State Theater also took up his subjects again in 1942 and in 1942 had the tragedy “Unstern über Russland” on the program. He then ended this creative period with the play "The World Clock". After that, Gobsch was seriously ill for a long time.

It was not until 1948 that he was artistically active again and wrote the comedy "Meister Kastell", followed by the play "Der Komet". This was followed in 1951 by the comedy "Die Rote Mütze" and a year later "The Hour of Mr. Bressel". In March 1953 the play " Madam de Stael " was premiered at the theater in Augsburg under the artistic director Willy Becker and a year later the comedy "Spring Festival in Ithaka" with the subtitle "A Comedy of World History". His last completed work in 1954 was the play "Remis".

Writings and pieces (selection)

• Vosges fights, war experiences, Salzer Verlag, Heilbronn 1915

• Bernd Thormann - novel by an artist , Verlag Quelle & Mayer, Leipzig 1920

• The Lonely One by Sankt Laurin , novel, 1924

• Mad Europe 1934. A vision. Fackelreiter-Verlag, Hamburg 1931

• Hanns Gobsch, Ian FD Morrow: Death Rattle , Little, Brown, Boston 1932

• Wahn Europe 1934 , Fackelreiter Verlag, Hamburg 1931

• The Final Year , Drama, 1933

• Mr. Vanhusen liquidated , acting

• The night of the cross of Berthold Lenz , drama

• Unsternation over Russia , tragedy of the east in 4 acts, Oesterheld, Berlin 1934

• Parables of eternity, building blocks for the German way of life , (afterword by Ernst Adolf Dreyer), Der neue Sieben Stänke Verlag, Hamburg 1935

• Fishing in Naples , comedy, Die Rampe Theaterverlag, Berlin 1937

• Illusion

• The throne between continents , Schauspiel, Behr, Berlin & Leipzig, 1938

• The other general , play in 3 acts, Behr, Berlin & Leipzig, 1938

• The Tragedy of Russia , B. Behr's Verlag, 1938

• Mary of Scotland , Saxon State Theater Dresden, 1940

• The World Clock , drama, 1942

• Meister Kastell , comedy, 1948

• The Comet , play, 1948

• The red cap , comedy, 1951

• The hour of Mr. Bressel , drama, 1952

• Falling weather , play, 1952

• Madame de Stael , world premiere in Augsburg, 1953

• Ithaca Spring Festival, A Comedy from World History , 1954

• Draw , drama, 1954

literature

• Biography of Hanns Gosch, Munzinger Personen Archiv GmbH, Ravensburg
• Hanns Gobsch: Parables of Eternity. Building blocks for the German way of life , Der neue Sieben Rod Verlag, Hamburg, 1935
• Doris Götting: "Etzel" - researcher, adventurer and agent , Klaus Schwarz Verlag Berlin, 2012,
• Hans-Michael Körner, Bruno Hahn (Eds.) "Bavarian Biographical Encyclopedia", KGSauer Verlag, Munich 2005,
• Stadttheater Aachen, program booklet No. 6, season 1940/1941

Web links

• Hanns Gobsch in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ so all sources and marriage registers listed in the WBIS Dresden II, 1911, No. 142. Deviating information (1893, 1897) are obvious errors.
2. ↑ Friedrich Johannes Gobsch. In: Literaturportal Bayern. Retrieved on July 10, 2020 (German). 
3. ↑ Gempp report Volume 7, p. 35, BA / MA RW 5 / v In: Jürgen W.Schmidt, Secret Service, Military and Politics, Ludwigsfelder Verlagshaus 2008, p. 166ff.
4. ↑ Doris Götting, Etzel, researcher; Adventurer and Agent, Klaus Schwarz Verlag Berlin, 2012, p. 307f.
5. ↑ biography of Hanns Gobsch, Munzinger Archive, Ravensburg
6. ↑ The Stadttheater Aachen followed in the 1940/1941 season - first performance there on October 23, 1940
7. ↑ Program of the Augsburg Theater in 1953, Theater Archive, Willy Becker was replaced in 1953 by General Director Hans Meissner (1896–1958)