Edgar,
not much to add. You make a good point on the dearth of good traditional songs in Germany and I share many of your feelings.
Just two very minor points. (1) Contrary to what you say, we did have an anti-war song topping the charts for weeks or even months also in Germany, in 1983. Somehow I know that you like that song as much as I do, that is not at all, but for the sake of truth it has to be mentioned: 99 Luftballons. That such an anti-war song topped our charts, and not a good one as Bogle's, however, says a lot about German music taste. (2) After Hannes Wader there has been at least one more rewrite of Trotz alledem, by Wolf Biermann.

Wolfgang