Herbert Zimmermann (reporter)

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Herbert Antoine Arthur Zimmermann (* 29. November 1917 in Alsdorf , † 16th December 1966 in Hamburg ) was a German radio - reporter . His radio report of the final of the soccer World Cup on July 4, 1954 in Bern between the Federal Republic of Germany and Hungary became famous .

Life

Zimmermann graduated from high school in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1937 . This was followed by several short volunteer positions in newspapers and two years of military service in a tank regiment of the Wehrmacht .

During the Second World War , Zimmermann took part as an officer and tank commander in the western campaign and in the German-Soviet war . His areas of operation included the battles of Minsk and Vyazma , the conquest of the Crimea and the Baltic States , where he was evacuated from the Kurland basin across the Baltic Sea in April 1945 . His last rank was a captain . He was awarded the Iron Cross Second and First Class (1941) and the Silver Wound Badge (1942). For "decisive battle behavior" in February 1945 he was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross one month before the end of the war .

After being seriously wounded at the end of 1942, Zimmermann applied to the radio in Berlin and worked there for a time as a reporter.

After the war ended, Zimmermann started working for the Northwest German Broadcasting Corporation (NWDR) in Hamburg, where he first read water levels and later became a sports reporter. His reports from the 1948 Olympic Games have already received a lot of attention. In 1950, the first post-war international match of the national soccer team was reported. As head of sports radio for Northwest German Broadcasting, Zimmermann introduced football conference calls in 1952.

Herbert Zimmermann's radio report became very well known. Striking sentences from it are quoted to this day. His words about Helmut Rahn's winning goal were as follows:

“Six minutes left in the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, nobody wobbles, the rain pelts down incessantly, it's hard, but the spectators, they don't hold out [sic!] . How could they - a soccer World Cup takes place every four years and when do you see such a final, so balanced, so gripping. Now Germany on the left wing through Schäfer. Schäfer's pass to Morlock is blocked by the Hungarians - and Bozsik, again and again Bozsik, the Hungarians right runner on the ball. He lost the ball - this time, against Schäfer. Shepherd flanked inside. Header - blocked. Rahn should shoot from the background - Rahn shoots - Gooooor! Tooooor! Tooooor! Tooooor! "

The words he shouted into the microphone in a cracking voice immediately after the final whistle have also become legendary:

“Off, off, off - off! - The game is over! - Germany is world champion ... "

Zimmermann became famous in 1954 with his legendary report from the final of the 1954 World Cup in Bern . His passionate and highly emotional comment has a large part in the legend of the miracle of Bern .

Another quote that has become extremely popular: “Turek, you are a devil! Turek, you are a football god ! Sorry for the enthusiasm, the football laymen will declare us crazy ... ”This was Toni Turek , the goalkeeper of the German team. Because of the term " football god ", Zimmermann later had to apologize publicly at the urging of the influential banker Pferdmenges (friend of the artistic director and Adenauer's advisor ). It was even discussed whether Zimmermann could continue working as a sports reporter.

Due to the still limited use of television sets, Zimmermann's radio report became the primary source of information for the Germans, and his name therefore remains inextricably linked to the German team's victory. The television pictures could not be recorded at that time, and neither could the soundtrack of Dr. Bernhard Ernst is missing. On the initiative of Rudi Michel, a team from Südwestfunk backed the film recordings of the official FIFA film with the sound of the radio report, so that later generations of television will always associate the final with Herbert Zimmermann.

Parts of Zimmermann's comment shortly before the goal to make it 3-2 were sampled in 1987 for the song "Okay!" By the group OK , which entered the charts at number 2. Zimmermann's legendary fourfold Gooor! -Schrei is now played more than ever in many German football stadiums after a goal by the home team as an introduction to the goal jingle .

After the NWDR was split up into NDR and WDR in 1956, Herbert Zimmermann decided to stay with NDR in Hamburg, despite his Rhineland character.

Herbert Zimmermann also informed the radio listeners at the next soccer world championships. His last radio broadcast was the legendary final of the football World Cup in England in 1966 , which Germany lost 4-2 to England, and which was decided by the controversial Wembley goal .

Herbert Zimmermann died on December 16, 1966 in the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf of the consequences of a car accident that he had suffered in Bassum . His grave is in Witterschlick in the municipality of Alfter near Bonn .

Others

literature

  • Erik Eggers: The voice of Bern . Augsburg 2004. ISBN 3-89639-423-1 .
  • Werner Raupp : Toni Turek - "football god". Eine Biographie, Hildesheim: Arete 2019 (= 1st, revised edition) ( ISBN 978-3-96423-008-9 ), pp. 124–128, 107–112.
  • Christian Eichler: "Turek, you are a football god!" In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) No. 15 from January 18, 2019, p. 34.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Herbert Zimmermann died" in the Schwäbische Zeitung from December 19, 1966, page 10
  2. ↑ "Herbert Zimmermann died" in Reutlinger Generalanzeiger of December 19, 1966, page 11
  3. ↑ “Zimmermann commented on the final of the 1954 World Cup in Bern so captivating and passionate that some passages - Rahn should shoot from the background. Rahn shoots. Goal, goal, goal, goal! - even nowadays almost every child knows. "( Herbert-award.de )
  4. ^ Herbert Zimmermann Prize . Culture awards. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
personal data
SURNAME Carpenter, Herbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zimmermann, Herbert Antoine Arthur (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German radio reporter
DATE OF BIRTH November 29, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Alsdorf
DATE OF DEATH December 16, 1966
Place of death Hamburg