Hi Reta,

your story about the origin of Lili Marleen is definitely wrong. The lyrics were written in 1915 by Hans Leip when serving his time with the Fusilier Guards in Berlin (Look up the end of Lili Marleen in the Digitrad Database). Published the lyrics were in 1935 in "Die kleine Hafenorgel" (The little Port Organ), a collection of Leip's poems. Although of WW I origin, the song was made popular in WW II by the German Forces Network in Belgrad, when lacking a more popular song the military DJ played the B-side of a disc with a better known hit on it. Nobody could imagine at first what a hit they had landed. I think only a soldier parted from his true love, and remembering her in the dark hours can understand this song best, and the tune fitting the lyrics so well touches the heart of all soldiers, friend and foe.

Wilfried