Norbert Schultze

Composer and pianist, famed for his song "Lili Marleen". He was educated in music theory at Cologne and Munich, then was a theatrical music director in Heidelberg. In 1938, he set to music a poem, written by Hans Leip, about a soldier's sweetheart who waited for him in the lamplight, but it was not a success, selling only a few hundred copies. But in 1941 a version of the song ("Lili Marleen") was broadcast from German-occupied Belgrade, and made a hit with Allied and Axis soldiers alike, though British authorities reportedly ordered English lyrics for the song to prevent Allied troops from singing the German version. After the war, Schultze found himself discredited for his work in German films, and took work as a gardener, later apologizing for supporting the Nazi regime.