Ernst Friedrich Löhndorff

Ernst Friedrich Löhndorff (13 March 1899 – 16 March 1976) was a German sailor, adventurer, and writer. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and died in Waldshut-Tiengen.

Seamanship In the spring of 1913, Löhndorff ran away from home to become a sailor. In Hamburg, he signed on to a Dutch sailing ship as a cabin boy. After a journey to Finland and Russia, he returned to the harbor of Delfzijl in the Netherlands to discover his father and the local police were already expecting him.

After a discussion, Löhndorff's father agreed to let him pursue a career as a sailor. He was hired on the four-masted barque Thielbek, which was sailing to Mexico. At the end of September 1914, the ship reached its destination, where it was seized due to the outbreak of the First World War. Bored and restless on the seized vessel, Löhndorff fled and embarked on adventures in Mexico.

First World War Löhndorff fled from the seized vessel after a short time because he was bored and eager to pursue his quest for adventure. He worked in various jobs, including as a coastal sailor.

After a shipwreck, Löhndorff sought help from the German consul in Guaymas. However, as he couldn't provide documents and his family resided in Austria, the consul did not believe he was German. After leaving the consulate, Löhndorff met a Yaqui member of the Revolutionary Forces and enlisted with them. He was quickly promoted, partly because he could translate English texts for his superiors. During this time, he met the revolutionary Pancho Villa.

Löhndorff was not initially interested in the political issues behind the revolution. In January 1916, he witnessed revolutionary troops seize 17 US civilians from a train and, under orders from Pancho Villa, execute them on the spot; that moment changed Löhndorff's perspective. However, because he was present at the scene and was involved in the situation, the US placed a bounty on his head. A punitive expedition led by General John Pershing was launched but did not accomplish its goal, as the troops were ordered to return in 1917 when the US entered the First World War.

He seems to have been in Algeria but deserted after only two months and fled the country. His book Afrika weint - Tagebuch eines Legionärs ("Africa Cries: The Diary of a Legionnaire") reflects his experiences in the Foreign Legion in Africa. However, similarly to other books he wrote, this adventure novel blends real events with fiction. His autobiographical style often gives the impression that Löhndorff is reporting his own adventures even when he isn't. Nevertheless, his travels and adventures were a significant source of inspiration for his stories.

Publications

The following bibliography lists the first editions of his novels as provided in the Catalogue of the German National Library. Some of the crime novels he published under the pseudonym Peter Dando were later republished under his real name.

Bestie Ich in Mexiko (1927) Stuttgart: Dieck & Co. Satan Ozean: Von Schnapspiraten, Trampfahren und Walfängern (1930) Leipzig: Grethlein & Co.; Bremen: C. Schünemann Afrika weint: Tagebuch eines Legionärs (1930) Leipzig: Grethlein & Co. Amineh: Die zehntausend Gesichter Indiens (1931) Leipzig; Zürich: Grethlein; Bremen: Schünemann Noahs Arche: Eine Saga von Mensch und Wal (1932) Leipzig; Zürich: Grethlein; Bremen: Schünemann Blumenhölle am Jacinto: Urwalderlebnis (1932) Leipzig; Zürich: Grethlein; Bremen: Schünemann Der Indio: Kampf und Ende eines Volkes (1933) Bremen: Schünemann Trommle, Piet!: Deutsche Landsknechte im Urwald (1934) Bremen: Schünemann Gold, Whisky und Frauen in Nordland (1935) Bremen: Schünemann Der Narr und die Mandelblüte (1935) Bremen: Schünemann Südwest-Nordost: Erlebnisschildergn (1936) Bremen: Schünemann Tropensymphonie (1936) Bremen: Schünemann Der Geheimnisvolle von Baden-Baden (1936) Bern; Leipzig; Wien: Goldmann (Goldmanns Roman-Bibliothek, Band 54); as Peter Dando Seltsame Pfade auf 10 Grad Süd (1937) Bremen: Schünemann Bowery-Satan (1937) Bern; Leipzig; Wien: Goldmann (Goldmanns Roman-Bibliothek; Band 69); as Peter Dando Die Frau von Hawai (1938) Bremen: Schünemann Unheimliches China: Ein Reisebericht (1939) Bremen: Schünemann Die schwarze Witwe (1939) Dresden: Seyfert; as Peter Dando Yangtsekiang: Ein Chinaroman (1940) Bremen: Schünemann Khaiberpaß (1941) Bremen: Schünemann Gloria und der Teddyboy: Amerik. Sittenbild (1943) Bremen: Schünemann Old Jamaica Rum (1949) Düsseldorf: Vier Falken Verl. Ultima Esperanza: Aufstieg und Ende des "Königs von Feuerland" (1950) Bremen: Schünemann Ägyptische Nächte (1952) Schloss Bleckede a.d. Elbe: Meissner Stimme aus der Wüste: Muhamed Ibn Abd'Allah Ibn Abd. el Mottalib Ibn Hadschim el Emin. (1953) Bremen: Schünemann Gelber Strom (1954) Bremen: Schünemann Wen die Götter streicheln: Indischer Tatsachenroman (1954) Berlin; München: Weiss Schwarzer Hanf: Roman eines Rauschgiftes (1956) Bremen: Schünemann Der Weg nach Dien Bien Phu: Roman einer Kolonie (1957) Bremen: Schünemann Glück in Manila (1958) Berlin-Schöneberg: Weiss Sturm über Kenia (1960) Bremen: Schünemann Gelbe Hölle am Jangtsekiang (1965) Hannover: Fackelträger-Verl. Schmidt-Küster, (1979) Prisma Verlag 200 pp. ISBN 3570004473 Der Vogel Cockaburra (1966) Hannover: Fackelträger-Verl.

Translations Many of Löhndorff's novels were translated into at least 12 different languages: Danish, English, French, Flemish (Belgium), Italian, Serbo-Croatian, Dutch, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Czech, and Hungarian.