A half-century romance between two men - in a self-told documentary
Documents
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These are discharge papers for Sgt. Bob Claunch as he left the Army in 1952. Bob left Munich several months before his commanding officer, Jack. Just before this document was drafted both were very concerned that they had been outed and could be given "dishonorable" discharges for their homosexual "misconduct" At the time, a dishonorable discharge would have followed them for decades and made it increasingly difficult to find employment. It also would have created rumors among family and friends. The actual "honorable" designation Bob and Jack would eventually receive is in the upper left corner. Their honorable discharges likely made it possible to secure financing and FCC licensing for their own radio station several years later.
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MILITARY PASS FOR OCCUPIED GERMANY 1950
Allied military personnel were required to carry a military pass like this one to go anywhere within Bavaria during the occupation. Sgt. Claunch was issued this pass for work but also used it to visit gay bars that were hidden in Munich’s center of nightlife: Schwabing. Getting caught would have meant dishonorable discharge.“And one time it was very dangerous. There were a couple of German guys that I was with who said, ‘Bob, you’ve got to try this club. We’ll be able to get you out in plenty of time if, if anything happens.’ That night we heard these sirens. One of the boys said ‘the MPs are coming!’ and they got me into their car. The MPs were right behind us but the streets were so narrow that they couldn’t keep up. The Germans had these little cars, you know, the Volkswagen?”
Claunch was never caught.
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FLYER FOR 1950 OKTOBERFEST
Sgt. Claunch was stationed in Munich as a radio disc jockey. The crew would make remote broadcasts from Oktoberfest, Bavaria’s famous beer festival. But at the time Claunch saved this flyer, 1950, Oktoberfest’s future was in doubt. World War II had caused its cancellation for more than half a decade. Then from 1946 to 1948 It wasn’t even called Oktoberfest anymore but “Autumnfest”. The only alcohol that was served was a weakened beer with less than 2% alcohol (regular German beer usually contains between 4.7% and 5.4% ).
In 1950, when this small flyer was printed, and with post war recovery underway, Munich residents cautiously held the symbolic “tapping of the keg” by the mayor. The full strength beer flowed. By 1960 Oktoberfest was on its way to again becoming the largest outdoor festival in the world.
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DRINK MENU FROM ENLISTED MENS' CLUB
This menu shows how inexpensive it was to quench your thirst in 1950’s Germany. A beer cost 15 cents. Hard liquor was a quarter. More “sophisticated” drinks were listed at the bottom of the menu.
The Seehaus EM Club is where Sgt. Bob Claunch moonlighted as a singer when he wasn’t on the air as a radio disc-jockey. “I had a job there three nights a week. Afterwards we would go to German nightclubs all night."
His new commanding officer placed him on restriction. “He was so unhappy with me,” says Jack Reavley “but I thought it’ll keep Bob in where I can look at him- just kind of talk to him.”
Reavley and Claunch would soon become life-long partners.
