Buddy Moreno w/AAFS Orch at Stalag Luft I Harry Korger

$

27

Oddly enough, I found this fascinating disc at a thrift shop in my home state of Indiana!  I dug around on the web and found this pertinent information:


Stalag Luft 1 would be the final POW camp Harry would be held in until liberation. As in Oflag 64, Harry quickly became an active member of a number of camp activities.

Throughout his days as a POW, Harry kept a detailed diary of his capture and of the functions participated in camp. He pasted photos of his wife Bernie in it, letters and parcel labels from boxes, and other items.

Harry’s number one love was MUSIC.
The following is a portion of an article, written by Lowell Bennett, International News Service correspondent, who was a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft I and articles from Harry’s home town newspapers. Lowell Bennett was shot down in an RAF raid over Berlin on December 2, 1942. These articles give a good indication of how involved Harry was in the camp.

"Under the professional directorship of First Lieutenant Harry F. Korger (whose family lives at Eau Claire, WI), our Kriege Glee Club has expanded into one of the most important entertainment and morale factors in camp. The club began in April, with a double quartet, and now is 36 men strong and has put on five king-size shows.
The club, which incorporates the Catholic choir, handles all types of music--from Negro spirituals through military medleys to popular dance songs. Korger, who was a high school band director in Eagle River before the war, does all the arrangements from memory, with the help of First Lieutenant Marshall E. Tyler of Indian Falls Road, Corfu, New York, who studied music at the Eastman School of Music and who is the club's accompanist.
"Korger, an old-timer here—he was shot down September 3, 1943— has written a ballad, which he calls All Through the Night, and a march, Kriegies on Parade, both of which were enthusiastically received here. Korger also plays the third saxophone in our Round the Benders Swing Band.
A copy of the ballad, All Through the Night, dedicated to his wife, Bernice, who lives in Eagle River, was received by her February 5. In a letter dated October 20, Lieutenant Korger wrote: "My show On the Air is making a big hit with all the fellows, and I'm very happy about it. I made arrangements for the glee club for a medley from This Is the Army, Sleep Song, Battle of Jericho, and Marching Along. The orchestra played Smoke Rings, Kalamazoo, Silent Love, Slow Swing (written by our tenor man, Eddie Edwards), Sentimental Over You, etc. Several comedy skits round out the program. Emcee is Lieutenant Simms."
In a letter of September 3, 1944, Lieutenant Korger wrote: "My choir sings High Mass every other Sunday and really do a nice job--eighteen voices and the whole thing is A Capella. I've also written and arranged a few hymns that we sing. The glee club of 36 voices will put on another concert soon. Our orchestra, now augmented to 12 pieces, plays for chow every other night. We have 4 saxes (and clarinets), 3 trumpets, guitar, bass fiddle, piano, drums, and a trombone. Several of the boys have played with big name bands in the states. Our biggest drawback here is the lack of music—we have to arrange most of our own and it becomes a job at times.
"An amusing note was this: We received some glee club music but, to our astonishment, it was all arranged for mixed voices (female and male)."

In the book “Not as Briefed”, C. Ross Greening, a Fellow POW who also participated in the Doolittle Raid, dedicated a painting to Harry. Greening was an accomplished painter who published the book after the war including many of his works that he completed while in Stalag Luft I. The painting of Harry features him holding his music conductor’s baton. Harry was given the painting by Ross and was later used in the book. The painting was also incorporated into the travelling “POW EXPOSITION” that Greening put together featuring simulated POW camp rooms, POW art, and items made in the camp. It travelled to many of the largest Department Stores in the country in 1946.

A song written by Harry in Stalag Luft 1 called “All Through the Night” was recorded and sold by RCA records in conjunction with Greening’s travelling POW exhibit.

 **White label disc has number D6-MC-5000/5001; Dead wax has the same numbers.  Could this be the RCA pressing mentioned?

Grade: Disc (E++; Clean surface with fingerprints; )
            Sleeve (Stock brown paper only, perhaps original?)


Shipping in US will be $4.00 Media Mail and $6.00 USPS Priority.  I combine shipping!!  Each additional LP will be an added 50 cents in US only.  Ships worldwide for $16 US and $4 each additional record.

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Grading Standards used for 78’s are based on Les Docks’ scale as follows:

NEW (N) - Apparently unplayed and showing no signs of wear.

EXCELLENT - Showing only slight wear.  Playing surfaces still retain much of their original shine.   Minimal surface noise.

VERY GOOD - More worn than EXCELLENT, slight grayness in grooves especially in loud passages.  Noise is notable, but does not overwhelm the music.  Still a clean and acceptable copy.

GOOD - A ‘good’ record is really not so good. It shows considerable wear and usage, with prominent surface noise that may impair enjoyment of the music.

FAIR - The lowest grade, usually reserved for very rare records.