Album Description
This album takes the listener on a musical excursion through the history of the famous Regiment-, Division- and Panzerkorps- "Grossdeutschland", presenting military marches and soldiers songs in a compilation that chronicles this elite German military unit's evolution from the "Wachtruppe" - the army guard detachment stationed in Berlin during the Weimar Republic - to the mighty combined arms force of the late war years.
Brandenburg Historica has searched the globe to assemble the priceless 78rpm records (dating from 1928 to 1943) that at we have transcribed for this compilation. Eighteen of this album痴 TWENTY tracks feature marches and soldiers' songs that are performed by the unit's own choruses and/or bands, while the remaining selections highlight central aspects of Grossdeutschland痴 unit history and wartime career. These rare source recordings have been restored for maximum fidelity while preserving their unique period ambience.
Included in this collection are not only "Grossdeutschland's" official parade march and its presentation march (presented in a rarely heard "honor guard" arrangement with the German national anthem), but also a rare transcription of "Grossdeutsche Grenadiere", the regimental song of GD that features music by GD Obergefreiter Hans-Martin Majewski and lyrics by Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland's commander in the French Campaign, Oberst Gerhard Graf von Schwerin. Also presented is a selection of the parade marches and songs of the German mechanized forces of the Second World War (including a rousing vocal version of the much requested "Panzerlied"), as well as those traditional marches played during guard changing ceremonies and parades in which the "Grossdeutschland" units were regular participants.
Painstakingly researched and produced, the album is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated twenty four-page booklet that presents a detailed overview of "Grossdeutschland's" career, the history of its two bands and detailed background information on the featured musical selections.
