Carl_Freiherr_von_Vogelsang
Carl Freiherr von Vogelsang
German and Liechtensteiner journalist (1900–1977)
Carl Freiherr von Vogelsang (1 July 1900 – 4 April 1977) was a German and Liechtensteiner journalist.
Carl Freiherr von Vogelsang | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 July 1900 Bad Wörishofen, German Empire |
| Died | 4 April 1977 (aged 76) Lübeck, West Germany |
| Political party | Nazi Party (1937–1945) |
| Other political affiliations | Patriotic Union |
| Spouse |
Lotte Wegener (m. 1940) |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Journalist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary |
| Branch | Austro-Hungarian Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1918 |
| Wars | World War I |
Vogelsang was born on 1 July 1900 in Bad Wörishofen as the son of Ludwig von Vogelsang and Veronika Waibel as one of six children.[1]
He briefly attended the Stella Matutina Jesuit school in Feldkirch before moving to Vienna where in 1917 he volunteered in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I, where he served until the end of the war. He then trained as a bookbinder in Kleve and attended the Cologne art school until 1929.[1]
In 1931 Vogelsang moved to Liechtenstein. He founded the Scouts of Liechtenstein department in Vaduz and headed it until 1934. In 1933 he co-founded the Liechtenstein Homeland Service and was the editor for the party's newspaper. After the Liechtenstein Homeland Service and Christian-Social People's Party merged to form the Patriotic Union in 1936, Vogelsang headed the editorial team of the Liechtensteiner Vaterland.[1]
Vogelsang had been secretly been trying to become a member of the Nazi Party since 1932, when he successfully did so in 1937. In January 1937 he publicly denounced Jews living in Liechtenstein and sent numerous letters detailing them to officials in Nazi Germany. As a result, Prime Minister of Liechtenstein Josef Hoop ordered the offices of the Vaterland to be searched for any letters to be confiscated and Vogelsang promptly left the country.[1][2] The majority of the Landtag of Liechtenstein approved of Hoop's actions, but members of the Patriotic Union called for his resignation over the issue, believing the search to be unconstitutional.[3] Notably fellow Patriotic Union members Otto Schaedler along with Alois Vogt in an act in protest against the government publicly rejected the allegations against von Vogelsang. It was decided that two special judges would determine the legal implications of the case. Eventually, in July 1937 it was concluded by both judges that Hoop had not acted unconstitutionally by ordering the search against Vogelsang and was subsequently legally acquitted of any wrong-doing.[4]
From Nazi Germany, Vogelsang retained contacts with the German National Movement in Liechtenstein until 1939. As World War II went on, he became less sympathetic to Nazism. After the war, he worked as a Roman Catholic journalist in West Germany.[1]
Vogelsang married Lotte Wegener (14 January 1915 – 19 July 1994) on 27 April 1940 and they had two children together.[1]
- Schremser, Jürgen (31 December 2011). "Vogelsang, Carl Freiherr von". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- Peter Geiger (1997). Liechtenstein in den Dreissigerjahren 1928–1939 (in German) (1st ed.). Zürich: Liechtenstein Institute. p. 371. ISBN 3-906393-28-3.
- Peter Geiger (1997). Liechtenstein in den Dreissigerjahren 1928–1939 (in German) (1st ed.). Zürich: Liechtenstein Institute. p. 372. ISBN 3-906393-28-3.
- Peter Geiger (1997). Liechtenstein in den Dreissigerjahren 1928–1939 (in German) (1st ed.). Zürich: Liechtenstein Institute. p. 373. ISBN 3-906393-28-3.