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Louis de Wohl

January 01, 1970

Louis de Wohl (earlier Ludwig von Wohl, born Lajos Theodor Gaspar Adolf Wohl) was a German-born Catholic author, and had served as an astrologer notable for his work with MI5 from England during World War II. Sixteen of his popular pre-war novels were the basis of movies. His later novels are literary hagiographies of notable Roman Catholic saints and of different periods of the Bible.

Louis de Wohl
BornLajos Theodor Gaspar Adolf Wohl
24 January 1903
Berlin, German Empire
Died2 June 1961(1961-06-02) (aged 58)
Lucerne, Switzerland
NationalityGerman, British

Life edit

Wohl was born in Berlin to a poor Catholic family, with a Hungarian father and Austrian mother of Jewish descent.[1] When he was only 17 years old, his mother pushed him into an apprenticeship to a banker, from which he was dismissed in 1924, at the age of 21.[2] In 1935, he emigrated to England due to his objections to the Nazi regime. Some sources claim that he there had a wife named Alexandra, who fled to Santiago, Chile, where she claimed to be a Romanian princess and was known as "La Baronessa".[3]

Wohl worked as an astrologer for the British intelligence agency MI5 during World War II.[3] His MI5 file was released in early 2008. He was recruited initially by Sir Charles Hambro, then running the Special Operations Executive, to devise black propaganda for use against Germany, and allegedly as an informant because he was casting horoscopes for people of interest to MI5. In May 1941 he was sent to America to contribute to astrological magazines and newspapers which at the time were using articles by astrologers favourable to Nazi Germany.

In the United States, Wohl published many articles, lectured against Germany and was interviewed several times by the press. He then returned to England in February 1942, claiming that he had been promised a commission in the British Army. Sefton Delmer, a notable purveyor of black propaganda, arranged a fake document certifying de Wohl as a Captain in the British Army, and he took to wearing the uniform (though he refrained when he realized the position was untenable). His main value to Delmer was his contact with Karl Ernst Krafft, the German astrologer working in Berlin for Dr Goebbels. He assisted Delmer in forging copies of Krafft's magazine Zenit, German, and other astrological magazines dropped over Germany, and 'foretelling' the destruction of U-boats.[4] Delmer nevertheless continued to employ him until the end of the war, and considered his contribution valuable.

During the war, Wohl became increasingly religious, and he had a successful postwar career writing novels regarding Roman Catholic Church history and the lives of the saints.

In 1953, Wohl married Ruth Magdalene Lorch,[2] who was a Lady Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He himself held the title of Knight Commander of the Order.

Wohl died in Switzerland in 1961, shortly after finishing his final work, Founded on a Rock.

Writing career edit

He began writing as early as the age of 7. His teachers praised his ability. At the age of 8 he wrote the play "Jesus of Nazareth" because he didn't like how Jesus was portrayed by some books he read. Writing as Ludwig von Wohl, he became quite a successful novelist during his youth in Germany, where sixteen[2] of his novels were turned into films. The best known of these was the 1934 comedy classic Die englische Heirat (The English Marriage).[5]

In an audience with Pope Pius XII he was told to "write about the history and mission of the Church in the World".[2] The Cardinal of Milan, Ildefonso Schuster, said to him after reading some of his writings, "Let your writings be good. For your writings you will one day be judged".[2] From that time, he allegedly believed that he had to write for God, and felt that his earlier novels in the German language were of 'small significance compared to the novels he wrote for the glory of God'.

His novel The Spear brought him international acclaim. Even now Louis de Wohl's books are widely read. His non-fiction work, Founded on a Rock: A History of the Catholic Church is often required reading for RCIA students.[citation needed] He has written books on St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc, and Constantine I among many others.

List of works edit

  • Der große Kampf, 1926
  • Das indische Wunder – Jack McGills geheime Sendung, 1926
  • Der Präsident von Costa Nueva – Der Roman eines Abenteurers, 1927
  • Miss Lillebil aus USA, 1928
  • Lord Spleen, 1928
  • Knockout Europa, 1928
  • Punks kommt aus Amerika, 1929
  • Er und Sie und sehr viel Schwindel, 1929
  • Die verspielte Prinzessin – Ein Filmroman zwischen Berlin, Hollywood und Kairo, 1929
  • Um weißes Gift, 1930
  • Der Vagabund vom Äquator, 1930
  • Das Testament des Cornelius Gulden, 1930
  • Die Wohnung, die über Nacht verschwand, 1931
  • Die Göttin der tausend Katzen, 1931
  • Der Mann, der die Anleihe stahl, 1931
  • Der Mann aus der Hölle, 1931
  • Peter im Pech, 1932
  • Die weiße Frau des Maharadscha, 1932
  • Die goldene Wolke, 1932
  • Der unsichtbare Reporter, 1932
  • Schwarz ist weiß und weiß ist schwarz, 1933
  • Kopfsprung ins Leben, 1933
  • Das große Erlebnis, 1933
  • Panik im Paradies, 1934
  • Die Reise nach Pretoria, 1934
  • Die englische Heirat, 1934
  • Die Deutschen von Tschau-Fu, 1934
  • Blutsbrüder, 1934
  • Tropenluft, 1935
  • Es kommt ein Mann nach Belawan – Ein Roman auf Sumatra, 1935
  • Die Türme des Schweigens, 1936
  • I Follow my Stars, 1937
  • Secret Service of the Sky, 1938
  • Common-sense Astrology, 1940
  • Strange Daughter, 1946
  • The Living Wood (Emperor Constantine and St. Helena), 1947
  • Throne of the World (Attila the Hun and Pope Leo I), 1949
  • Imperial Renegade (Emperor Julian the Apostate and St. Athanasius), 1950
  • The Quiet Light (St. Thomas Aquinas), 1950
  • The Restless Flame (St. Augustine of Hippo), 1951
  • The Golden Thread (St. Ignatius Loyola), 1952
  • The Stars of War & Peace, 1952
  • Set All Afire (St. Francis Xavier), 1953
  • The Second Conquest, 1954
  • The Spear (St. Longinus), 1955
  • The Last Crusader (Don Juan of Austria and The Battle of Lepanto), 1956
  • Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier (St. Joan of Arc), 1957
  • The Glorious Folly (St. Paul the Apostle), 1957
  • The Joyful Beggar (St. Francis of Assisi), 1958
  • Citadel of God (St. Benedict of Nursia), 1959
  • Adam, Eve, and the Ape, 1960
  • Founded on a Rock: A History of the Catholic Church, 1961
  • Lay Siege to Heaven (St. Catherine of Siena), 1961
  • David of Jerusalem (King David), 1963
  • Pope Pius XII: Shepherd to the World

Selected filmography edit

Screenwriter edit

References edit

  1. ^ "my mother, herself a hereditary Baroness of Dreifus." Ludwig de Wohl, I Follow my Stars, An Autobiography, London, 1937, p. 18
  2. ^ a b c d e Brief autobiography by de Wohl
  3. ^ a b "Britain Used Astrologer in Fight Against Hitler". Associated Press. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  4. ^ Milmo, Cahal (4 March 2008). "Revealed: How MI5 recruited an astrologer in plot to outwit Hitler". Independent. Retrieved 4 March 2013. One memo said: "I have never liked Louis De Wohl; he strikes me as a charlatan and an impostor. He at one time exercised influence on highly placed British intelligence officers through his star-gazing profession." A more dyspeptic MI5 officer said most De Wohl forecasts had been "useless", adding: "The danger is that this sort of pseudo-science is most insidious and unless you have a complete sceptic or a very strong-minded man dealing with it quite the wrong point of view may be indulged in."
  5. ^ Die englische Heirat on IMDb

External links edit

  • Emma Garman, The Inconvenient Astrologer Of MI5
  • Dr. Felix Jay, The Louis de Wohl I knew
  • Louis de Wohl at IMDb
  • Article on de Wohl: "UK hired astrologer in WWII fight"
  • Autobiographical writing – Catholicauthors.com
  • "de Wohl's MI5 file released"
  • The Guardian: "Star turn: astrologer who became SOE's secret weapon against Hitler"

January 01, 1970
louis, wohl, earlier, ludwig, wohl, born, lajos, theodor, gaspar, adolf, wohl, german, born, catholic, author, served, astrologer, notable, work, with, from, england, during, world, sixteen, popular, novels, were, basis, movies, later, novels, literary, hagiog. Louis de Wohl earlier Ludwig von Wohl born Lajos Theodor Gaspar Adolf Wohl was a German born Catholic author and had served as an astrologer notable for his work with MI5 from England during World War II Sixteen of his popular pre war novels were the basis of movies His later novels are literary hagiographies of notable Roman Catholic saints and of different periods of the Bible Louis de WohlBornLajos Theodor Gaspar Adolf Wohl24 January 1903Berlin German EmpireDied2 June 1961 1961 06 02 aged 58 Lucerne SwitzerlandNationalityGerman British Contents 1 Life 2 Writing career 3 List of works 4 Selected filmography 4 1 Screenwriter 5 References 6 External linksLife editWohl was born in Berlin to a poor Catholic family with a Hungarian father and Austrian mother of Jewish descent 1 When he was only 17 years old his mother pushed him into an apprenticeship to a banker from which he was dismissed in 1924 at the age of 21 2 In 1935 he emigrated to England due to his objections to the Nazi regime Some sources claim that he there had a wife named Alexandra who fled to Santiago Chile where she claimed to be a Romanian princess and was known as La Baronessa 3 Wohl worked as an astrologer for the British intelligence agency MI5 during World War II 3 His MI5 file was released in early 2008 He was recruited initially by Sir Charles Hambro then running the Special Operations Executive to devise black propaganda for use against Germany and allegedly as an informant because he was casting horoscopes for people of interest to MI5 In May 1941 he was sent to America to contribute to astrological magazines and newspapers which at the time were using articles by astrologers favourable to Nazi Germany In the United States Wohl published many articles lectured against Germany and was interviewed several times by the press He then returned to England in February 1942 claiming that he had been promised a commission in the British Army Sefton Delmer a notable purveyor of black propaganda arranged a fake document certifying de Wohl as a Captain in the British Army and he took to wearing the uniform though he refrained when he realized the position was untenable His main value to Delmer was his contact with Karl Ernst Krafft the German astrologer working in Berlin for Dr Goebbels He assisted Delmer in forging copies of Krafft s magazine Zenit German and other astrological magazines dropped over Germany and foretelling the destruction of U boats 4 Delmer nevertheless continued to employ him until the end of the war and considered his contribution valuable During the war Wohl became increasingly religious and he had a successful postwar career writing novels regarding Roman Catholic Church history and the lives of the saints In 1953 Wohl married Ruth Magdalene Lorch 2 who was a Lady Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre He himself held the title of Knight Commander of the Order Wohl died in Switzerland in 1961 shortly after finishing his final work Founded on a Rock Writing career editHe began writing as early as the age of 7 His teachers praised his ability At the age of 8 he wrote the play Jesus of Nazareth because he didn t like how Jesus was portrayed by some books he read Writing as Ludwig von Wohl he became quite a successful novelist during his youth in Germany where sixteen 2 of his novels were turned into films The best known of these was the 1934 comedy classic Die englische Heirat The English Marriage 5 In an audience with Pope Pius XII he was told to write about the history and mission of the Church in the World 2 The Cardinal of Milan Ildefonso Schuster said to him after reading some of his writings Let your writings be good For your writings you will one day be judged 2 From that time he allegedly believed that he had to write for God and felt that his earlier novels in the German language were of small significance compared to the novels he wrote for the glory of God His novel The Spear brought him international acclaim Even now Louis de Wohl s books are widely read His non fiction work Founded on a Rock A History of the Catholic Church is often required reading for RCIA students citation needed He has written books on St Benedict St Francis of Assisi Joan of Arc and Constantine I among many others List of works editDer grosse Kampf 1926 Das indische Wunder Jack McGills geheime Sendung 1926 Der Prasident von Costa Nueva Der Roman eines Abenteurers 1927 Miss Lillebil aus USA 1928 Lord Spleen 1928 Knockout Europa 1928 Punks kommt aus Amerika 1929 Er und Sie und sehr viel Schwindel 1929 Die verspielte Prinzessin Ein Filmroman zwischen Berlin Hollywood und Kairo 1929 Um weisses Gift 1930 Der Vagabund vom Aquator 1930 Das Testament des Cornelius Gulden 1930 Die Wohnung die uber Nacht verschwand 1931 Die Gottin der tausend Katzen 1931 Der Mann der die Anleihe stahl 1931 Der Mann aus der Holle 1931 Peter im Pech 1932 Die weisse Frau des Maharadscha 1932 Die goldene Wolke 1932 Der unsichtbare Reporter 1932 Schwarz ist weiss und weiss ist schwarz 1933 Kopfsprung ins Leben 1933 Das grosse Erlebnis 1933 Panik im Paradies 1934 Die Reise nach Pretoria 1934 Die englische Heirat 1934 Die Deutschen von Tschau Fu 1934 Blutsbruder 1934 Tropenluft 1935 Es kommt ein Mann nach Belawan Ein Roman auf Sumatra 1935 Die Turme des Schweigens 1936 I Follow my Stars 1937 Secret Service of the Sky 1938 Common sense Astrology 1940 Strange Daughter 1946 The Living Wood Emperor Constantine and St Helena 1947 Throne of the World Attila the Hun and Pope Leo I 1949 Imperial Renegade Emperor Julian the Apostate and St Athanasius 1950 The Quiet Light St Thomas Aquinas 1950 The Restless Flame St Augustine of Hippo 1951 The Golden Thread St Ignatius Loyola 1952 The Stars of War amp Peace 1952 Set All Afire St Francis Xavier 1953 The Second Conquest 1954 The Spear St Longinus 1955 The Last Crusader Don Juan of Austria and The Battle of Lepanto 1956 Saint Joan The Girl Soldier St Joan of Arc 1957 The Glorious Folly St Paul the Apostle 1957 The Joyful Beggar St Francis of Assisi 1958 Citadel of God St Benedict of Nursia 1959 Adam Eve and the Ape 1960 Founded on a Rock A History of the Catholic Church 1961 Lay Siege to Heaven St Catherine of Siena 1961 David of Jerusalem King David 1963 Pope Pius XII Shepherd to the WorldSelected filmography editMy Friend Harry directed by Rudolf Walther Fein and Max Obal 1928 based on the novel Das indische Wunder The Criminal of the Century directed by Max Obal 1928 based on the novel Jimmy der Schwerverbrecher The President directed by Gennaro Righelli 1928 based on the novel Der Prasident von Costa Nueva A Girl with Temperament directed by Victor Janson 1928 based on the novel Miss Lillebil aus USA Once You Give Away Your Heart directed by Johannes Guter 1929 based on the novel Der Vagabund vom Aquator Die Jagd nach der Million directed by Rudolf Walther Fein and Max Obal 1930 based on the novel Lord Spleen The Testament of Cornelius Gulden directed by E W Emo 1932 based on the novel Das Testament des Cornelius Gulden The Legacy of Pretoria directed by Johannes Meyer 1934 based on the novel Die Reise nach Pretoria The English Marriage directed by Reinhold Schunzel 1934 based on the novel Die englische Heirat Punks Arrives from America directed by Karlheinz Martin 1935 based on the novel Punks kommt aus Amerika The Love of the Maharaja directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt German language version 1936 based on the novel Die weisse Frau des Maharadscha A Woman Between Two Worlds directed by Goffredo Alessandrini Italian language version 1936 based on the novel Die weisse Frau des Maharadscha Crime Over London directed by Alfred Zeisler 1936 based on the novel House of a Thousand Windows Francis of Assisi directed by Michael Curtiz 1961 based on the novel The Joyful Beggar Screenwriter edit The Sweet Girl dir Manfred Noa 1926 Crooks in Tails dir Manfred Noa 1927 The Eighteen Year Old dir Manfred Noa 1927 The Last Company dir Curtis Bernhardt 1930 Love s Carnival dir Hans Steinhoff 1930 Abenteuer im Engadin dir Max Obal 1932 The Oil Sharks French language version dir Rudolph Cartier and Henri Decoin 1933 Invisible Opponent German language version dir Rudolph Cartier 1933 Homecoming to Happiness dir Carl Boese 1933 Decoy German language version dir Hans Steinhoff 1934 The Decoy French language version dir Roger Le Bon and Hans Steinhoff 1935 Make Up dir Alfred Zeisler 1937 Dein Horoskop Dein Schicksal documentary on astrology dir Konrad Lustig 1956 References edit my mother herself a hereditary Baroness of Dreifus Ludwig de Wohl I Follow my Stars An Autobiography London 1937 p 18 a b c d e Brief autobiography by de Wohl a b Britain Used Astrologer in Fight Against Hitler Associated Press 3 March 2008 Retrieved 18 September 2009 Milmo Cahal 4 March 2008 Revealed How MI5 recruited an astrologer in plot to outwit Hitler Independent Retrieved 4 March 2013 One memo said I have never liked Louis De Wohl he strikes me as a charlatan and an impostor He at one time exercised influence on highly placed British intelligence officers through his star gazing profession A more dyspeptic MI5 officer said most De Wohl forecasts had been useless adding The danger is that this sort of pseudo science is most insidious and unless you have a complete sceptic or a very strong minded man dealing with it quite the wrong point of view may be indulged in Die englische Heirat on IMDb Tuck Donald H 1974 The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy Chicago Advent p 134 ISBN 0 911682 20 1 External links editLouis de Wohl and Nostradamus Emma Garman The Inconvenient Astrologer Of MI5 Dr Felix Jay The Louis de Wohl I knew Louis de Wohl at IMDb Article on de Wohl UK hired astrologer in WWII fight Autobiographical writing Catholicauthors com de Wohl s MI5 file released The Guardian Star turn astrologer who became SOE s secret weapon against Hitler Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Louis de Wohl amp oldid 1211846731, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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