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Who was Gerd Kauter?
The newspaper clippings were found in Wagenschein's file (not even sarcely filled...) "Eigene Arbeiten, gedruckte", mainly wide behind with the thin production made in the time by the Odenwaldschule.
First were "Schwaebische Eindruecke" [W 23] with the added note at the margin "Out of any responsability. M"
???
A friend of him or of both? His works preserved with piety? But why in this file? If it had been a friend, of course a congenial one.
This style, this selection of words, something merely could have been written by him. Ask! But nobody of the persons who knew the Wagenscheins privately did know anything about Gerd Kauter. In the Big Brockhaus encyclopedia (24 Volumes) - no entry!
???
Could/should he really? Evidence was found in the 'letter from Naples' [W 25] - in Paestum: "and W in spite of the warmth wrapped up in her black cape." The same situation was noted by her in her diary. And nobody else was present - Gotcha!
After that we found in the paperbundles of dusty box No. 15 a small folder "Eigene Aufsaetze, Duplikate" There also manuscripts were preserved. The ultimate evidence: Journey to Norway [W 27] by Gerd Kauter - - and that was cancelled and replaced by "Martin Wagenschein". Solved the enigma, it was his pen name.
But why? Other articles e.g. "25 Years of Quantum Theory" [W 22] had appeared under his official name. Would the science teacher in the Odenwaldschule have attracted anger by writing such esthetical articles? No, answered the few witnesses we could ask, Old Tawny-owl would have closed both eyes on that - but, as inquiring questions revealed - the fee would have been naturally sinked in the common cashbox!
All clear about?
No, there are still two questions:
Why the name Gerd Kauter? I thought I had to accept I should have asked the author himself, when I realized the title of his work "Ueber das Continuumproblem..."[W319] Author: Martin Wagenschein, Giessen, Erdkauterweg 40.
Then: Why did he publish in 1937 (I at first would not believe the date) his "Reiseskizzen" [W 56] again by Gerd Kauter?
Well, I think the common slogan of today to cover friendly memories is - nostalgia.
But still an appendix: Investigations reveal unknown - by reading Wera Wagenscheins diaries we realized some of the texts especially about the Norway journey by a good part were written by her:"Gerda Kauter"?
Klaus Kohl