
Prof. dr. Hans-Hermann
Kritzinger
|
Personal data [1]
Professor doctor Hans-Hermann Kritzinger was born as Hermann Wilhelm Johannes
Viktor Kritzinger on June 10, 1887 in Boitzenburg, on the north side of
Berlin. On December 2, 1968, he died in Achern because of a short, severe disease.
Kritzinger was an evangelical. His father, Johannes Kritzinger, born in
1855 and deceased in 1937, was appointed as a minister in 1878.
From 1891 until around 1926, he was Court and Dome preacher in Berlin
and Geheime Konsistorialrat.
He taught Kritzinger that authority was instituted by God and
therefore could not be contested, an idea which made it difficult for
Kritzinger to protest against injustice which was done to him in his
work and from which he could hardly dissociate himself. During World War
I, Kritzinger's father strongly supported the German cause. In one of
his sermons, he expressed his disapproval of parents who kept their children from
becoming a voluntary soldier.
Kritzinger's grandfather, Friedrich-Wilhelm Kritzinger (1816-1890), theologian and
educationalist, director of the Königlichen Lehrerinnen Seminar in
Droyßig, is known because of the text he wrote of the German Christmas
songs Still, still, still... and Süsser die Glocken nie
klingen.[2]
Kritzinger was married with Elsbeth-Luise Schnetka, a preacher's
daughter. They married on December 27, 1920.
In 1911, Kritzinger graduated in astronomy. After World War I, he was
decorated with the Eisernes Kreuz II am
schwarz-weissen Band and the Zivil-Verdienst Kreuz. On
January 30, 1943, nominated by the Supreme Command of the Kriegsmarine,
Hitler appointed him as professor because of his efforts in solving
warfare problems. On March 28, 1944, he was decorated with the Kriegsverdienstkreuz
I. Klasse.
Kritzinger has been a member of the NSDAP. He was subscribed at May 1,
1933; his membership-number was 2826493.
Career
By profession, Kritzinger
occupied himself with astronomy, ballistics, climate, mental and
physical health, meteorology, paranormal phenomena and natural sciences.
In his work, he frequently was in charge, he frequently published in
professional journals, edited and wrote books (which frequently were
meant for the public in general), published books and magazines, founded
societies and was president of a number of them. Further, he cooperated
with others in the writing of books or wrote contributions, held
lectures and frequently wrote letters to newspapers about the themes he
studied.
I.
The years until 1945

Bothkamp observatory
|
Astronomy
After finishing gymnasium in 1906, Kritzinger started to study astronomy
at the philosophy faculty of the Berlin Friedrich Wilhelm university and
in Kiel. In this period, he observed a.o. comets and wrote articles
about his observations, which were published in e.g. Astronomische Nachrichten.
On November 23,1911, he successfully graduated, His dissertation was
entitled Über die Bewegung
des Roten Fleckes auf dem Planeten Jupiter.
From 1912 until its close-down in 1914, Kritzinger, in his capacity as
astronomer, was in charge of the observatory in
Bothkamp near Kiel, founded in 1869/70 by chamberlain Friedrich
Gustav von Bülow, where he already worked for some time. On March 29,
1914, he discovered a comet, in the beginning listed as comet 1914a,
later as comet-1914-II Kritzinger, for which he received the
Donohoe Comet Medal, a memory medal, which between 1889 and 1950
was given to a.o. people who discovered a comet. In his memoirs about
his work as a ballistic, Kritzinger wrote that during the negotiations
with the American occupying authorities in 1945/46, this decoration was
useful. However, he did not mention the nature of these negotiations.
In the summer of 1914, Kritzinger became editor of the astronomic
monthly Sirius
- Zeitschrift für populäre Astronomie - Centralorgan für alle
Freunde und Förderer der Himmelskunde, founded in 1867. In 1915,
its title was changed into Sirius - Rundschau der gesamten Sternforschung für Freunde der Himmelskunde
und Fachastronomen. Kritzinger was editor until
1926.
In the years until 1914, astronomic treatises by Kritzinger were also
published by the British Astronomical Association
and the Société Astronomique de France.
In 1917, Kritzinger founded the DARGESO, the Deutsche
Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sonnenbeobachtung, a branch of the GEDELIA
(Gesellschaft der Liebhaberastronomen). From 1920 to 1926, he
was president of the INGEDELIA (Internationale Gesellschaft der
Liebhaberastronomen).
In 1926, the four-volume series Natur und Mensch -
Die Wissenschaften und Ihre Anwendung, which contained a.o.
astronomy, social sciences and applied natural sciences, was published
in Berlin. Kritzinger had co-operated in the writing of the volumes 1 and
4. Under the editorship of Woldemar Klein, Buch
der Natur - Ein allgemeinverständliche Einführung in die wichtigsten
Tatsachen der Naturforschung was published in Leipzig in 1935. This
book, which covered natural sciences, geography and atlantics, contained
a contribution by Kritzinger.
Astronomy, 1908-1935
1908-1913 |
Various
articles in Astronomische Nachrichten. |
1911 |
Über die Bewegung
des Roten Fleckes auf dem Planeten Jupiter
-
Sternwarte des Herrn von Bülow auf Bothkamp bei Kirchbarkau (Holstein).
Berlin. |
1912 |
Die Errungenschaften
der Astronomie - nach den Originalarbeiten der führenden Forscher,
dargestellt von dr. H.H. Kritzinger, Astronom der Sternwarte Bothkamp
(bei Kirchbarkau, Holstein). Weimar.
|
1914 |
Entdeckung
eines neues Kometen 1914a. In: Astronomische Nachrichten
#197, April, p.381-384.
(redactie) Sirius
- Zeitschrift für populäre Astronomie (from 1915: Sirius - ).
Berlin. |
1916 |
Die veränderlichen Sterne - Anleitung zur
Beobachtung und Berechnung ihres Lichtwechsels.
Leipzig, together with Paul Guthnick. |
1917 |
Contribution
in Sternbüchlein für 1917.
Stuttgart, together with Robert Henseling.
|
1919 |
Aufleuchten
des neuen Sterns im Adler, das astronomische Ereignis von 1918.
In: Das neue Universum, #40. |
1920 |
(editor)
Astronomische
Abende - Allgemein verständliche Unterhaltungen über Ergebnisse der
Himmels-Erforschung. Leipzig, 8th edition, originally written by Hermann Joseph Klein.
|
1921 |
Unser
nächtster Stern: die Sonne. In: Das neue Universum,
#42. |
1923 |
(editor)
Die
Wunder der Sternenwelt - Ein Ausflug in den Himmelsraum. Berlijn, 7th,
revised edition, originally written by Otto Ule. |
1924 |
Analyse
der Sonnenfleckenperioden & ihre Bedeutung. In: Vierteljahrsschrift
der Astronomischen Gesellschaft, Leipzig, #59. |
1925 |
Wahn
und Wissenschaft von Weltenraum. In: Die Bergstadt, #2.
Leipzig.
Anblick der Glanznacht. In: Die Bergstadt, # 8.
Leipzig.
Das
Rätsel von Ebbe und Flut. In:
Rur-Blumen
- Blätter für Heimatgeschichte, Unterhaltung und Belehrung. Beilage zum
Jülicher Kreisblatt, #38. |
1926 |
Bilder
aus dem Weltenraum: Sonne und Planeten; Im Dienste der Hans
Bredow-Schule der deutschen Rundfunkgesellschaften.
Leipzig.
Natur und Mensch -
Die Wissenschaften und Ihre Anwendung. #1:
Weltraum
und Erde. Berlin, together with Carl Walther Schmidt.
Natur und Mensch - Die Wissenschaften und Ihre Anwendung.
#4: Die angewandten Naturwissenschaften.
Berlin, together with a.o. Carl Walther Schmidt. |
1927 |
Beobachtung
des Vorüberganges des Merkur vor der Sonnenscheibe 1927 November
10.
Together with
a.o. J. Plasmann (Münster) and J. Möller and W.
Luther (Düsseldorf).
Spaziergänge
durch den Weltraum - eine Astronomie für jedermann.
Berlin. |
1929 |
Stellung
der Erde im Weltall. In: In Reiche des Wissens, #1. |
1935 |
Buch
der Natur - Ein allgemeinverständliche Einführung in die wichtigsten
Tatsachen der Naturforschung. Weimar, Woldemar Klein,
ed. |
Ballistics
With intervals, Kritzinger worked as a ballistic for 50 years. After
the close-down in 1914 of the Bothkamp observatory, he volunteered
for the battle front, but his physical condition was not sufficient. In
1914, by
intervention of one of his former teachers, he became a scientific
co-operator at the Optical Institute C.P. Goerz AG in Berlin-Friedenau,
which in World War I produced optical instruments, meant for the army.
At Goerz AG, Kritzinger was occupied with matters, dealing with
periscopes, and ballistic problems in bombardments.
From August 3, 1915, to December 30, 1918, Kritzinger was a scientific assistant at the Artillerie-Prüfungs-Kommission
in Berlin and occupied himself with the ballistic testing and finetuning
of artillery, which he characterized in 1922 as working in the frontier
areas of astronomy (ballistics) and meteorology.[3]
Prior to his work as a scientific assistant, he had to become
familiar with the army discipline. He suffered from the unhygienic
conditions of the barracks and was physically unable to carry out
drill. In the course of the years, he nevertheless reached the rank of
captain.
In 1917, Kritzinger invented the "Balta-seconds", a ballistic,
atmospheric correction factor, which proved to be fruitful during the
battles in early 1918.
In the summer of 1918, Kritzinger's book Schuß und Schall in Wetter und Wind -
Ballistisch-meteorologische Einführung in das Tageseinflußwesen beim
Schießen der Artillerie was published in Leipzig, in which he
discussed a.o. the "Balta-seconds". His superior considered it
so
important, that he proposed the Ministry of Education and Culture to
appoint Kritzinger as professor. The Ministry however replied that
Kritzinger was too young. Kritzinger himself had the idea that he was
not appointed as professor because the nomination was not supported by
an important politician.
For Kritzinger, the end of World War I and the subsequent disarmament of
the German army meant the end of his work for the
Artillerie-Prüfungs-Kommission. He maintained contact with his
superiors. who estimated him highly.
In the first half of the twenties, Kritzinger worked in Dresden as a
meteorologist at the Landeswetterwarte, studying ballistic problems. From 1926 to
May 31, 1929, he worked as astronomer and
meteorologist at the Marine Institute in Wilhelmshaven. During his
application, a high government position was promised to him, but as
time went by, nothing happened. Eventually, it became clear to
Kritzinger that this perspective had been a pretext in order to get him
contracted. It was not possible for him to fight this because he lacked money to pay the
costs and because there were no witnesses who could confirm his claim. In 1929, he therefore resigned. In his testimonial, he was
praised for his skills and his talent as a teacher in ballistics.
The article Wetterkunde für den Seestrategie, with which
he won the first prize in a competition, organized by the Reichswehr-Ministerium,
dates from the period in which Kritzinger worked in Wilhelmshaven.
From 1929 to 1933, Kritzinger worked as a ballistic for
Rheinmetall in Düsseldorf, a company which at that time produced
artillery. In the first three months of his work, he suffered from
cardiac complaints. By the end of 1931, the production of Rheinmetall
had to be cut back. Kritzinger did not want to continue his work at the
factory. On December 31, 1931, he resigned and went to Berlin to work as
a ballistic.
By the end of 1933, Kritzinger started to work as a ballistic for the Luftfahrt-Ministerium.
In autumn 1934, he was contracted by the Heereswaffenamt. On October 5, 1934 he was
put in charge of Baphomet,
a ballistic-photogrammetric section. The research in Baphomet was
like the research in the former Artillerie-Prüfungs-Kommission.
In Ohne Einschießen und ohne Beobachtung..., Kritzinger wrote
that his aim was to improve this research. On December 12, 1942, his superiors
expressed their gratitude and esteem for the progress of artillery which
Kritzinger had accomplished for more than 25 years and for his work in Baphomet, which
made it possible to solve a multitude of ballistic problems. The
research of Baphomet also dealt with ballistic problems
concerning the V2-missiles. Due to air raids, the Baphomet-office
was evacuated twice. On July 17, 1945, Baphomet was closed.
In the period in which Kritzinger was in charge of Baphomet, Artillerie und Ballistik
in Stichworten was published, a lexicon which he had
written
together with the German war historian
dr. Friedrich Stuhlmann. It contained descriptions in English,
French, German, Italian and Spanish of basic ballistic items. In 1943, Primärfunktionen was
published in Nuremberg, a book on ballistics, written by Kritzinger
himself.
Ballistics, 1918-1943
1918 |
Review
of C. Cranz's Lehrbuch der
Ballistik in Die Naturwissenschaften, #42.
Schuß und Schall in Wetter und Wind -
Ballistisch-meteorologische Einführung in das Tageseinflußwesen beim
Schießen der Artillerie.
Leipzig. |
1928 |
Wetterkunde
für den Seestragegie. In: Marine
Rundschau. |
1939 |
(editor,
together with dr. Friedrich Stuhlmann) Artillerie und Ballistik
in Stichworten - herausgegeben von Dr. Hans-Hermann Kritzinger, Astronom
und Ballistiker, und Dr. Friedrich Stuhlmann, Oberst a.D; unter
Mitarbeit von Wilhelm Berlin. Berlin. |
1943 |
Primärfunktionen.
Nuremberg. |
Influences
of cosmic and earthly forces on man and mankind
In the course of his life,
Kritzinger, as appears from his books, looked for scientific answers to
the question how the fate of individuals and nations is influenced.
Basing himself upon his research and personal experiences, he was
convinced that atmospheric circumstances, paranormal phenomena,
planetary cycles and sun spots had a concrete influence on everyday life,
mental and physical health and the course of history, which according to
him was subject to patterns, which could be observed in the periodicity
of events.
Kritzinger's interest in the
backgrounds of everyday life and history dates from his early youth. In
1895, his private teacher gave him a booklet, entitled Mathematische Kurzweil,
as a Christmas present. It contained mathematics. At the end, the reader
was asked to calculate a horoscope, with which the fate could be read
from the stars. The at that time eight year old Kritzinger was so
impressed, that he more and more studied the stars and a series of
phenomena, among which earth rays, astrology, atmospheric circumstances,
clairvoyance, prophecy and sun spots.[4]
In 1911, the year in which he graduated in astronomy, Der Stern der Weisen - astronomisch-kritische
Studie, the first publication in which Kritzinger treated astrologic
and esoteric themes, was published in Gütersloh. Its main subject was
the planet Jupiter, as in his dissertation. In Der Stern der Weisen,
Kritzinger did not discuss traditional or popular astrology, but the
Great Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn, described in ancient
astrological books. Following the astronomer Johann Kepler, Kritzinger
stated that the star which the Three Kings had seen and which they
considered to be a sign of the newborn King of the Jews, actually was
one of the three Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions in 7 B.C.
In the years in which he worked in the Bothkamp observatory, Kritzinger Von Bülow's
writings about the divining-rod, which were kept there, and frontier
studies of the Russian Councillor Alexander Aksákow, who in 1874
founded the monthly Psychische
Studien - Monatliche Zeitschrift vorzüglich der Untersuchung der wenig
gekannten Phänomene des Seelenlebens gewidmet, of which Kritzinger
would be editor from January 1922 to March 1923.

Advertisements in
Mysterien
von Sonne und Seele
|
In 1921 and 1922 Kritzinger was in charge of the Berlin settlement of the Verlag Universitas Buch und Kunst GmbH,
which also had settlements in Görlitz, Leipzig and Utrecht.[5]
The last pages of Mysterien von Sonne und Seele - Psychische Studien zur Klärung
der okkulten Probleme (Berlin, 1922, Verlag Universitas Buch und
Kunst GmbH) contained advertisements for Psychische
Studien and Sirius which were edited by Kritzinger, for the INGEDELIA
presided by Kritzinger and for the Psychische-Studien-Gesellschaft,
presided by Oberst a.D. Konrad Schuppe.
In 1922, Kritzinger was also in charge of the literature section of the Jahresschau
Deutsche Arbeit in Dresden.
From the preface to Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, it becomes
clear that Kritzinger for a number of years was a member of the Deutsche
Okkulstische Gesellschaft. In that period,he held a number of
lectures about paranormal phenomena. Some of them were published in Mysterien von Sonne und Seele. Later
in 1922, Magische Kräfte
- Geheimnisse der menschlichen Seele, in which it was mentioned on
the title page that Kritzinger was the publisher of Psychische
Studien, was published in Berlin. In Magische Kräfte,
dedicated to the German physician/parapsychologist dr. Albert Freiherr von Schrenck-Notzing, Kritzinger
described his own experiences in the occult field and the results of the
congress for psychical research in Copenhagen in autumn 1921. Readers of Mysterien von Sonne und Seele and Magische Kräfte
were invited to send their questions to the Psychische-Studien-Gesellschaft.[6]
When Kritzinger in January 1922 became the editor of Psychische
Studien, he found himself, as he said it, in the same situation as
when he in 1914 became the editor of Sirius: he became in charge
of a
magazine which was in its fiftieth year of existence. He hoped that his experience as
editor of Sirius and co-operator of the leading German
astronomic press would contribute to the progress of Psychische Studien,
which he qualified as a neutral-scientific magazine. In that
context, he wrote that contributions to Psychische Studien should
contain a summary and a bibliography.[7]
In March 1923,
Kritzinger resigned. In a farewell editorial, he wrote that his critical
attitude as editor was not in vain, but that he had not realized the
progress he had in mind.[8]
The real
reason for Kritzinger to resign seems to have been a conflict with Oswalt Mutze Verlag in Leipzig,
who printed the January issue of volume 1923 of Psychische Studien without
Kritzinger's approval, who at that time was ill. In an editorial in the
February issue, Kritzinger wrote that he had different ideas about the
contents of the previous issue and apologized for the many printer's
errors.[9]
In 1923, Kritzinger became a private teacher in the Weiße Hirsch
sanatory, near Dresden. From that period dates a treatise on dementia praecox.
Kritzinger was convinced of the influence of cosmic and earthly forces
on the life of individuals and nations. In 1924,
Der Pulsschlag der Welt - Schicksalstage des Menschen und
Schicksalsjahre der Menschheit - Allgemeinverständliche
Einführung in die Periodenlehre mit Beispielen aus dem Leben des
Einzelnen und der Weltgeschichte was published in Kempten in Allgäu.
On the cover, it was mentioned that the book was written by "Dr. H.H.
Kritzinger, Astronom".
Todesstrahlen und Wünschelrute - Beiträge zur Schicksalskunde (Leipzig,
1929) was the result of 25 years of literary activity in gathering
knowledge about fate and factors which had influence on the fate of
individuals and nations. In this book, Kritzinger wrote about a.o.
astrology. He extensively described his doubts about traditional,
geocentric astrology and stated that from a scientific point of view he
preferred heliocentric astrology, its value more or less being proved by
the Swiss astrologer Karl Ernst Krafft, who tried to validate astrology
by means of statistic.
In
1933, a book was published in Dresden, in which Kritzinger, basing
himself upon his own investigations, described attempts to counteract
pathologic influences of earth rays.
Cosmic
and earthly forces,
1911-1933
1911 |
Der Stern der Weisen - astronomisch-kritische
Studie. Gütersloh. |
1922 |
Psychische
Studien - Monatliche Zeitschrift vorzüglich der Untersuchung der wenig
gekannten Phänomene des Seelenlebens gewidmet. Berlijn,
editor from January 1922 to March 1923, together with Hans Freimark
and dr. med. Paul Sünner.
Mysterien von Sonne und Seele - Psychische Studien zur Klärung
der okkulten Probleme.
Berlin.
Magische Kräfte
- Geheimnisse der menschlichen Seele.
Berlin. |
1924 |
Der Pulsschlag der Welt - Schicksalstage des Menschen und
Schicksalsjahre der Menschheit. Allgemeinverständliche
Einführung in die Periodenlehre mit Beispielen aus dem Leben des
Einzelnen und der Weltgeschichte. Kempten.
Zwei
neue physiologisch wichtige Perioden bei Dementia praecox. |
1929 |
Todesstrahlen und Wünschelrute - Beiträge zur Schicksalskunde. Leipzig. |
1933 |
Erdstrahlen, Reizstreifen und Wünschelrute : Neue
Versuche zur Abwendung krankmachender Einflüsse auf Grund eigener
Forschungen volkstümlich dargestellt.
Dresden (reprinted in 2012 by Sarastro GmbH, Paderborn). |
II. The years after 1945
Afte the capitulation of Germany on
May 8, 1945, Artillerie und Ballistik in Stichworten was banned.
From September 1945 to January 1946,
Kritzinger was admitted to a hospital. At first, his physicians thought
that he suffered from parathypus, but it became clear that a pancreas'
disease was at stake.
On July 24, 1947, Kritzinger was denazificated. This was expedited by an
American captain. Kritzinger was classed as a follower, for which he was
charged with a penalty of RM 100. He also had to pay the trial
costs (RM 60). He moved to Freudenstadt. In 1951, he held a
lecture on bioclimatic, which rose the attention of the Freudenstadt
Health Office. In 1953, he moved to Karlsruhe, later to Achern, where he
died on December 2, 1968.
In the fifties, Kritzinger regularly was asked to re-edit Artillerie und
Ballistik in Stichworten; in German army circles, this book was
considered to be indispensable to the rebuilding of the German army. A
reprint never became realized. In 1954, the Wehrwissenschaftliche
Rundschau published the article Rakete
als Träger von Atomköpfe.
In May 1954, it was tried to offer Kritzinger a job in the artillery.
Because of the lack of money, this was not realized. In 1957, on behalf
of the research office of the German ministry of Defense, general
Vorwald send a telegram to Kritzinger in which he congratulated him with
his seventieth birthday. He expressed his admiration for the many years
in which Kritzinger worked as a ballistic and felt sorry for the fact
that Kritzinger in his old age suffered from worry and poverty. In fact,
Kritzinger only had a small pension, despite a court procedure.In 1959, Panzertheorien
und Anwendung was published.
In 1967, the Artillerie-Rundschau published Kritzinger's memoirs about his work as a
ballistic, entitled Ohne Einschießen und ohne Beobachtung...
Fünfzig Jahre Ballistiker. Kritzinger had written Ohne
Einschießen und ohne Beobachtung... on request of the editors of
the Artillerie-Rundschau. In the preface, Kritzinger was
introduced as "the inventor of the Balta-seconds".
In the years after 1945, Kritzinger continued to do research on
astronomy and on cosmic
and earthly factors which influenced the fate of individuals and nations.
He wrote countless articles and letters. In 1949, the Astrologische Monatshefte -
Fachzeitschrift für theoretische und angewandte Astrologie
published an article by Kritzinger, entitled Ein transplutonischer
Planet? In 1954, 1957 and 1959 the Nachrichtenblatt der Astronomische Zentralstelle
published contributions in which Kritzinger argued the existence of a
planet outside Pluto's orbit.
In 1963, Die Sterne and Hamburger Hefte published
Kritzinger's article Hypothetische transneptunische Planeten, in which
he wrote a.o. a hypothetical planet, named Hades.
In 1951, the book Zur Philosophie der
Überwelt - Ursprung und Überwindung der Antinomien was published
in Tübingen. In
1954, Kritzinger gave a lecture for a geopathy-group, founded
in1951, who occupied itself with correspondences between earth rays and
diseases, entitled Vorschläge und Gedanken zu
zukünftiger produktiver Forschungsarbeit im Rahmen des Arbeitskreises. In
1954, the Allgemeine Homeopatische Zeitung published his
treatise Erkrankungen der Atemwege und Aerosol-Therapie mit
Meerwasser.
The twelfth issue of volume 1956 of the Wehrtechnische Monatshefte
contained a contribution by Kritzinger, entitled Ein neues
Verfahren zur Auswertung von Treffbildern.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published a number of letters
by Kritzinger about precursory and sensitivities for weather. In June
1967, this newspaper wrote about the eightieth birthday of "professor Hans
Hermann Kritzinger, the Karlsruher astronom and bio-climate-scientist,
who intensively studies correspondences between health and weather
circumstances".
In issue 2 of volume 1969 of the astrologic quarterly Hamburger Hefte, a
necrology about Kritzinger was published, written by Ludwig Rudolph, the
founder and editor of Hamburger
Hefte. Rudolph wrote that Kritzinger was an astronomer and listed
titles of some of his letters. In issue 4 of volume 1973, tables of
Ascendants were published, compiled by Kritzinger.
Astronomy
1949 |
Ein transplutonischer
Planet? In: Astrologische Monatshefte -
Fachzeitschrift für theoretische und angewandte Astrologie.
|
1954 |
Transpluto:
hypothetische Elemente. In: Nachrichtenblatt der Astronomische Zentralstelle,
#8.
|
1956 |
Ein neues
Verfahren zur Auswertung von Treffbildern.
In: Wehrtechnische Monatshefte, #12. |
1957 |
Transpluto:
hypothetische Elemente. In: Nachrichtenblatt Zentralstelle,
#11.
|
1959 |
Transpluto:
hypothetische elliptische Elemente. In: Nachrichtenblatt Zentralstelle,
#13.
|
1963 |
Hypothetische
transneptunische Planete. In: Die Sterne, #1
and Hamburger
Hefte, #3. |
1968 |
Weltharmonik
und Wittes Lehre. In: Hamburger Hefte, #4. |
1973 |
Aszendenten-Tabelle.
In: Hamburger Hefte, #3. |
Ballistics
1954 |
Rakete
als Träger von Atomköpfe. In: Wehrwissenschaftliche
Rundschau, January, p.29. |
1959 |
Panzertheorien
und Anwendung. |
1967 |
Ohne
Einschießen und ohne Beobachtung... Fünfzig Jahre
Ballistiker 1915-65. In: Artillerie-Rundschau. |
Miscellaneous
1951 |
Zur Philosophie der
Überwelt - Ursprung und Überwindung der Antinomien.
Tübingen.
|
1954 |
Erkrankungen der Atemwege und Aerosol-Therapie mit
Meerwasser. In: Allgemeine Homeopatische Zeitung.
Vorschläge und Gedanken zu
zukünftiger produktiver Forschungsarbeit im Rahmen des Arbeitskreises.
Lecture.
|
The Centuries
In 1961, Kritzinger told the Englishman
Ellic Howe, who investigated the role of astrology in Nazi-Germany and
the life and work of Krafft, who in 1940 wrote national-socialist
propaganda, based upon the Centuries, that he, Kritzinger, in
December 1939 in a conversation with Goebbels on the Centuries,
said that he did not predict the future. He only occupied himself with
the question whether or not old predictions were fulfilled. For that
reason, he was interested in prophetic literature in general and most
notably in Nostradamus.[10]
The information which Kritzinger gave to Goebbels was different from
what really was at stake, i.e. at least in the version which he told to
Howe, 22 years later.
Kritzinger's
attitude towards occultism
Kritzinger was not an occultist in the traditional meaning. One
could even ask if he was an occultist. As can be read in his
publications, he was strongly influenced by the ideas of the German
philosopher Immanuel Kant
(1724-1804), such as his idea that everything that surrounds us, is
nothing but appearance. In the light of Kant's ideas, Kritzinger stated
that a number of occult phenomena actually are not occult, but the
result of sometimes subtile cheating. When he started to work as editor
of Psychische Studien, he wrote in an editorial, published in the
January issue of volume 49 (1922) that his attitude towards occultism
was of a neutral-scientific nature, based upon a Christian-oriented form
of yoga. When he was with yogis, he learned more in a couple of hours
than with psychics in a number of years. He explicitly wrote that he
would not take part in the opposition animism-spiritualism and, like the
editor, had no intention to advertise in Psychische Studien for
occultism.
In his preface to Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, Kritzinger wrote
that countless views were subject to change. He referred to the
outdating of the ideas about "mystic paranoia" and the idea
that there were no glaciers in tropical regions. In his eyes, the era in
which he lived, was an era in which dogmas would have to make way for
concrete facts and in which the truth would be recognized, which would
result in the end of dark occultism, as far as occultism was the result
of cheating, ignorance or insufficient knowledge. In his preface to Magische Kräfte,
he wrote that he hoped that his efforts in the so-called occult field
would be fruitful. Basing himself upon his own experiences, he was
convinced of the influence of earth rays, atmospheric circumstances and
sun spots on the fate of individuals and nations.
Kritzingers last contribution to Psychische Studien, published in
the March-issue of volume 50 (1923) was an article about yoga, entitled Von der Bedeutung des Yogha für unser praktisches Leben.
In his farewell, he wrote that with this article, he wanted to express
his conviction that the occupation with occultism had no other purpose
than the phrasing in contemporary words of age-old wisdom and to make
this comprehensible for the troubled mind.
The
beginning of Kritzinger's investigation of the Centuries
In Magische
Kräfte, its preface dating from December 1921, Kritzinger wrote
that he occupied himself with Nostradamus for more than seven years,
which means that his interest in Nostradamus dates from before 1914. In Mysterien
von Sonne und Seele, in the chapter Prophetie und Perioden der
Weltgeschichte, which also dates from 1921, Kritzinger wrote that
those predictions of Nostradamus which without any doubt were fulfilled,
had driven him to the study of the great field of occultism in the past seven
years.[11]
Chances
are that Kritzinger's interest in the Centuries dates from 1911, the year in which he graduated in
astronomy and in which Die Stern der
Weisen was published. The preface to
Die Stern der Weisen was written by dr. Wilhelm Faber, from whom in 1922
a revised edition was published of the translation of the Centuries,
made in 1850 by Edouard Roesch. It is not clear if Faber in 1911 was
interested in the Centuries or drew Kritzinger's attention to
them.
Publications
In three of his pre-war
publications, Kritzinger discussed Nostadamus and the Centuries: Mysterien von Sonne und Seele,
Magische Kräfte and Todesstrahlen und Wünschelrute.
In Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, Kritzinger followed the patterns and
explanations which
Loog the previous year had presented in Die Weissagungen des
Nostradamus and he compared Loog's theories and patterns with his
own patterns about the future of the world and especially England.
Kritzinger expected England's downfall in most early the second half of the
twentieth century.
In Magische Kräfte, he more or less summarized what he had
written about the Centuries in Mysterien
von Sonne und Seele.
From Mysterien
von Sonne und Seele, it becomes clear that Kritzinger extensively
corresponded with Loog on Loog's theories about the way Nostradamus
worked, and that he had the intention to publish a new Century-comment,
written by Loog.[12] This
intention however was not realized. From Todesstrahlen
und Wünschelrute, it becomes clear that Kritzinger in the course of
the years dissociated himself from Loog's ideas in Die Weissagungen des
Nostradamus, which he characterized as being based upon too bold
suppositions that would discredit Nostradamus. In Todesstrahlen und Wünschelrute,
Kritzinger discussed the various cycle theories which dr. Christian Wöllner in 1926 in Das Mysterium des Nostradamus
had described, in the context of a discussion of the meaning of the
Great Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn, which he already discussed in
1911 in Die Stern der Weisen.[13]
Despite his interest in Nostradamus and the Centuries, Kritzinger
never wrote an entire book about it.
Propaganda,
based upon the Centuries
In both world wars,
Kritzinger used the Centuries for propaganda purposes. In 1914,
he wrote a flyer for German troops in France in which he discussed
quatrain 10-51 in order to boost their morale.[14]
In December 1939, he got involved in the production of
national-socialist propaganda, based upon the Centuries. In the
late autumn of 1939, a.o. the wife of dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, the
minister of people's enlightenment and propaganda in Nazi-Germany, drew
his attention to some lines in Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, in
which Kritzinger had quoted Loog, who supposed that Nostradamus in
quatrain 03-57 had predicted crises in 1939 for both England and Poland. In
late autumn 1939, Kritzinger's discussion of Loog's comment upon
quatrain 03-57 (as well as Loog's comment itself) was linked to the
German invasion in Poland, some months before, and the British
declaration of war to Germany. On this website, it is supposed that
Goebbels ordered Kritzinger to look for a Nostradamus-expert who could
comment from a propagandistic point of view. Kritzinger contacted Loog,
who refused, and next proposed to approach Krafft, an old friend. The
contact between Krafft and Kritzinger dated from most lately 1925 and
lasted until most certainly the summer of 1940. After Krafft's moving to
Berlin in January 1940, Krafft and Kritzinger frequently met each other
in the house of Schuppe, who meanwhile was the president of the Deutsche
metapsychische Gesellschaft (a continuation of the Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftlichen Okkultismus), mentioned by Krafft on page XXX of the Einführung zu den "Prophéties de Maistre Michel
Nostradamus" (Frankfurt am Main, 1940). They discussed many
quatrains from a propagandistic point of view. In 1961, Kritzinger told
Howe that both he and Krafft had the opinion that it would be against
the spirit of Nostradamus if they would pervert quatrain texts.
Therefore, they decided only to use quatrain texts for propaganda purposes if these texts
by themselves would have a striking significance, given
the actual situation. However, Kritzinger and Krafft not always agreed
with each other. Kritzinger thought that Krafft often went too far in
his comments, whereas Krafft accused Kritzinger to filch his ideas.[15]
In a letter, dated on May f27, 1940 and directed to dr. Rahn, second
in command of the Information IV section of the German
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his employee dr. Werner
Wilmanns wrote that according to Krafft, one dr. Seifert, working in the
Ministry of Propaganda, was occupied with the production of a
Nostradamus-brochure, written by Kritzinger.[16]
I have no information about the title of this brochure. It might be the
brochure Der Seher von Salon, volume 38 in the series Informations-Schriften,
a series of propaganda brochures, issued by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. In Der Seher von Salon, which in the beginning of 1941
was brought into circulation, Kritzinger included parts of Mysterien von Sonne und
Seele, to which he added elements which in one way or another
supported the "German cause" and in which he translated and
edited quatrain text in that sense that he inserted propagandistic
elements of his comments in the translation of quatrain texts.[17] According
to a memorandum of the Information IVb section, dated on
January 17, 1941, published on www.nostradamus-online.de,
Kritzinger has edited brochures which were spread abroad by the Ministry
of Propaganda and which were competitive with the brochures, written by
Krafft.
The
Aktion-Heß
In 1941, Kritzinger was
arrested due to the Aktion-Heß, a raid among astrologers and
occultists in Germany in June 1941, after the flight to England in May
1941 of Rudolf Heß, Hitler's deputy.[18]
It is not known how long Kritzinger was in custody or under which
conditions he was released.
By the end of 1941, Kritzinger was part of the Arbeitsgruppe-SP
(SP: Siderisches Pendel), a group of occultists who by order of
the Kriegsmarine tried to locate the positions of hostile convoys
and submarines by means of divining rods. This had to enable the Kriegsmarine
to attack them. Kritzinger extensively had described the working of the
divining-rod. Perhaps this was reason for the Kriegsmarine to
involve him in the activities of the Arbeitsgruppe-SP. By the end
of 1942, the Arbeitsgruppe-SP was disbanded due to a lack of
success. I do not know for how long Kritzinger was a member of this
group.
Appointed
as professor
On January 30, 1943, Kritzinger got a telegram from Großadmiral Erich
Raeder, who congratulated him with the appointment as professor. In the
article Verdiente Männer der Wissenschaft vom Führer ausgezeichnet,
published in the edition of February 1, 1943 of the Völkischer Beobachter and in the article Der Führer ehrt verdiente Wissenschaftler,
published in page 3 of the edition of February 2, 1943 of the Berliner
Morgenpost, the readers were informed that Hitler, on the
occasion of the tenth birthday of his appointment as Reichskanzler, had
decided to appoint a number of scientists as professor, because of their contributions in solving warfare problems. The list of
names of scientists, most of them leading physicians, also contained the
name of Dr. Phil.
H.-H. Kritzinger, living in Berlin-Steglitz. On July 10, 1943, Reichsleiter
Martin Bormann wrote to NSDAP-leader Alfred
Rosenberg that Kritzinger was nominated by the Supreme Command of the Kriegsmarine
because of his activities in the Arbeitsgruppe-SP. In the
article in the Berliner Morgenpost however, Kritzinger's name
was preceded by the names of leading officers in the arm industry. Given
this context and given Kritzinger's own information about the importance
of the "Baltaseconds" and the failed attempt in 1918 to have
him appointed as professor, it looks more plausible that Kritzinger was nominated
because of his skills as a ballistic. This nomination might very well
have been the result of the gratitude and respect for his efforts in the
field of artillery and ballistics, expressed by his superiors by the end
of 1942.
The
years after 1945
After World War II, Kritzinger maintained the title
of professor.
The books which he wrote before World War II, were not published
again. At present, his astronomic and climatologic publications are
still studied, quoted and discussed. In
2012, Sarastro GmbH, seated in Paderborn, published a reprint of Erdstrahlen,
Reizstreifen und Wünschelrute, dating from 1933.
After World War II, as far as I know, Kritzinger did not publish again
about Nostradamus. In the fifties however, given a remark in the
Nachtrag to the fourth edition of Nostradamus - Der Prophet der Weltgeschichte (Berlin,
1960), he advised the author, dr. N. Alexander Centurio (the
pseudonym of dr. phil. Alexander
Max Centgraf, who in 1940/41 wrote the text of a national-socialist
brochure, its Dutch translation entitled Voorspellingen die uitgekomen zijn...
(Arnhem, 1941). In the Nachtrag, Centgraf referred to
Kritzinger as follows: [...] den Altmeister der Nostradamusforschung,
Prof. Dr. H.H. Kritzinger, Karlsruhe.
Various versions about Kritzinger's involvement in the (origin
of) national-socialist propaganda, based upon the Centuries and Century-comments,
circulate. In 1961/62, Kritzinger told Howe which part he had in
this propaganda.[19]
This information differs in quite
essential points with what is presented in this short biography.
Perhaps the then 73-year old professor wanted this chapter in his life
to remain closed.
Kritzinger
and national-socialism
The question rises why Kritzinger, who seriously investigated paranormal
phenomena and who had a strong interest in Nostradamus, whom he
qualified as the master of all magicians, used the Centuries and Century-comments
for propaganda purposes. One can only guess the answer.
In Ohne Einschießen und ohne Beobachtung..., Kritzinger wrote
nothing about his involvement in the (origin of) national-socialist
propaganda, based upon the Centuries and Century-comments.
I have no information about whether or not these activities were discussed during
Kritzinger's denazification.
In Ohne Einschießen und ohne Beobachtung..., Kritzinger
wrote that a conversation with naval officers, by the end of 1928,
against his habit resulted in a discussion of occult matters and that
the question was discussed whether or not there was something like
genuine prophecy.
Magische
Kräfte
contains a picture of a page of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition
of the Centuries on which quatrain 10-100 is printed, the
quatrain in which a
period of supremacy for more than 300 years is predicted for England.
The letterpress reads: Die interessanteste Seite aus den Prophezeiungen des
Nostradamus. In his comment upon this quatrain, Kritzinger wrote
that shortly after 2000 A.D., the fate of England would change radically. He expected, basing himself upon the Centuries (i.e.
Loog's comment) that Germany would rise again and would put an end to
the Versailles Treaty.[20]
These
remarks might point to a patriotic, anti-British attitude which might have
brought Kritzinger to hit Germany's enemies with the announcement that
according to the Centuries, the downfall of England and the victory of
Germany were imminent.
In Ohne Einschießen und ohne Beobachtung..., Kritzinger wrote
that his membership of the NSDAP, which dates from May 1, 1933,
was compulsive; after the seize of power in 1933, those who had
knowledge about the secrets of the Luftwaffe had to join the NSDAP.
Further,
he emphasized that after the elections in November 1933 for the Reichstag,
in which the NSDAP acquired 92% of the seats, the labour laws
were revised, which in spring 1934 influenced the negotiations with him
about close cooperation with the Heereswaffenamt.
Kritzinger has written
nothing about whether or not he approved national-socialist ideology.
De
Meern, the Netherlands, April 5, 2009,
T.W.M. van Berkel
updated on January 8, 2012
Acknowledgements
The author
expresses his thanks to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Staatsbibliothek
zu Berlin for sending biographic and bibliographic information on prof. dr. Kritzinger
and to Bernhardt Rengert, the author of Pfarrersohn, Astronom und Astrologe Geboren in Boitzenburg:
Hans-Hermann Kritzinger, published in 2006 in the German Nordkurier.
Notes
The titles, places and
year of issue of the mentioned authors are listed in the bibliography.
-
Information
about Kritzinger's family, his marriage and the years in which
certain events took place, originates from a.o.:
- Berliner Adressbücher 1799-1943 (http://adressbuch.zlb.de);
- Degener, H.A.L. (ed.): Wer ist's? Unsere Zeitgenossen. 10. Ausgabe, 1935;
- Kritzinger, prof. dr. H.-H.: Ohne Einschießen und ohne
Beobachtung... Fünfzig Jahre Ballistiker 1915-65. Achern,
1967 (Bundesarchiv, N
625/197);
- Kürschners
deutscher Gelehrten-Kalender. Jg. 4, 1931 and Jg. 7, 1950;
- Poggendorff, J.C.: Biographisch-literarisches Handwörterbuch, Bd V,
Teil 1 (1925) and Bd VI, Teil 2 (1937);
- Rengert, B.: Pfarrersohn, Astronom und Astrologe geboren in Boitzenburg:
Hans-Hermann Kritzinger. In: Nordkurier, Neubrandenburg,
June 26, 2006;
- Rudolph, L.: Prof. Dr. Hans-Hermann Kritzinger. In: Hamburger Hefte 1969, #2.
The (non-dated) portrait of Kritzinger was originally published on www.literaturport.de.
Kritzinger wrote many books and articles. A complete listing is
beyond the purpose of this biography. The listings in this biography
are meant as an anthology. A more complete listing can be found on books.google.com. [text]
-
The
online-catalogue of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin contains
a number of titles of sermons by Johannes Kritzinger. Some of them
were published in the Berliner Sonntagsblatt; others were
published by the Evangelische Trostbund
in Berlin. Until 1926, Johannes Kritzinger was listed in the Berliner Adressbuch
as a Court and Dome preacher. From 1927 until 1932, he was listed as
a retired preacher. From 1933, his name no longer occurs in the Berliner
Adressbuch. According to Sozialreform als Bürger- und
Christenplicht (Bosse et.al., Verlag Kohlkammer, 2005), Johannes
Kritzinger died in 1937. [text]
-
Psychische Studien,
volume 49 (1922), January, p.1.
[text]
-
Kritzinger-1929,
p.V-VII. [text]
-
Source:
Berliner Adressbuch, 1921 and 1922. In the tenth edition (1935)
of Degener's Wer ist's?, it is mentioned that Kritzinger was
director of a publishing company in 1919. The name of this company
is not given. Nothing about this is mentioned in the volumes 1918,
1919 and 1920 of the Berliner Adressbuch.
The Verlag Universitas Buch und Kunst
GmbH was founded on December 1, 1920. Originally, this company
had settlements in Berlin and Utrecht. According to Kritzinger's
preface to Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, the settlement in
Utrecht was directed by M. van der Staal, the settlement in Görlitz
(the Görlitzer Nachrichten und Anzeiger), was directed by Emil
Glauber. The catalogues of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and
the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin contain titles of
publications, published in 1921/22 by the
Verlag Universitas
Buch und Kunst GmbH, among which: Unser
verewigter Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria - Ein Gedenkblatt
aus Tagen der Trauer (1921), written by Kritzinger's father.
In
the course of 1922, the Abteilung
"Anker" of the Verlag Universitas Buch und Kunst
GmbH published a series of eight brochures, its serie title Flugschriften
des "Anker". This series was of an extreme nationalist
nature, sometimes anti-Semitic. The series was part of the newspaper Der
Anker - für deutsches Recht und deutsches Wesen, the successor
of Ankers militärpolitische Wochenschau. Editor in chief was
major Kurt Anker, who in World War I was press official of the
Supreme German Command. The Abteilung "Anker" of
the Verlag Universitas Buch und Kunst GmbH was seated in
Berlin at the Nikolsburger Platz 4 Gth. From February to June 1922,
the Psychische Studien Gesellschaft was also seated in this
building.
In the course of 1922, Kritzinger moved to Dresden. It is not
clear when he resigned as director of the Verlag Universitas Buch und
Kunst GmbH or if he was involved in the series Flugschriften des "Anker". In
volume-1923 of the Adressbuch des deutschen Buchhandels, the
name of Wilhelm Weicher, author and publisher in Leipzig of art
books, is mentioned as the director of the Berlin settlement. [text]
-
Kritzinger-1922a,
Vorwort and Kritzinger-1922b,
Vorwort.
The Deutsche
okkultistische Gesellschaft was founded in 1919, under the
presidency of dr. Werner Haken, physician and freemason. In 1923,
the name of this society was changed into Deutsche Gesellschaft
für wissenschaftlichen Okkultismus. From 1923 to 1939, Schuppe
was vice-president of this society; in April 1939, he became
president. By the end of September 1939, the name of this society
was changed into Deutsche metapsychische Gesellschaft,
presided by Schuppe. This society continued to exist until spring
1941 (Schellinger et. al., 2010, p.304-305). [text]
-
Psychische
Studien, volume 49 (1922), January, p.1-3. [text]
-
Psychische Studien,
volume 50 (1923), March, p.120.
[text]
-
Psychische Studien,
volume 50 (1923), February, p.72. [text]
-
Howe,
p.220-221. [text]
-
Kritzinger-1922b,
p.147; Kritzinger-1922a, p.120.
[text]
-
Kritzinger-1922a,
p.128. [text]
-
Kritzinger-1929,
p.273. [text]
-
Howe,
p.168-169. [text]
-
Van
Berkel: The 1939-fortune of Mysterien
von Sonne und Seele. Bender's remark in Zukunftsvisionen
Kriegsprophezeiungen Sterbeerlebnisse that Kritzinger advised Goebbels
to order Krafft to produce some hundred copies of a 1568-edition of
the Centuries and to write propagandistic comments upon
quatrains, meant for the occupied French-speaking regions, is most
likely the result of the situating in 1940 of Kritzinger's story
about the events which occurred at the end of 1939, and of the fact
that back in the eighties, the origin history of Krafft's Comment Nostradamus a-t-il entrevu
l'avenir de l'Europe?, to which Bender most likely refers, was
unknown (Bender, p.47-48; Van Berkel: Zukunftsvisionen
Kriegsprophezeiungen Sterbeerlebnisse
(Hans Bender, Munich, 1983). [text]
-
Maichle: Die
Nostradamus-Propaganda der Nazis 1939-1942.
[text]
-
Van
Berkel: Der
Seher von Salon (Informations-Schriften
#38, dr. H.H.- Kritzinger, DE, 1941). [text]
-
Maichle: Die
Nostradamus-Propaganda der Nazis 1939-1942.
[text]
-
Howe,
p.220-246; Van Berkel: The
1939-fortune of Mysterien
von Sonne und Seele. [text]
-
Kritzinger-1922b,
p.151-152. Kritzinger owned a copy of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition;
copies from pages of this edition are also included in Mysterien von Sonne und Seele and
Todesstrahlen
und Wünschelrute. [text]
|