POCHHAMMER, Wilhelm von. Berlin 27.1.1892 — Bremen 13.11.1984. German Diplomat and Historian of Modern India. Son of an officer. After school in Berlin and Stettin studied law at Freiburg i.Br., Marburg, Munich and Bonn, where he befriended with H. v. Glasenapp. Participated in WW I, wounded. From 1919 worked in Foreign Ministry, from 1922 attaché in Moscow (met Lenin), from 1924 Consul in Calcutta, 1926 in Tokyo and 1928-34 in Colombo. In 1934-38 Chargé d’affaires in Bucharest, then in Chile and Argentina. He had kept careful distance to Nazis, but was arrested on way back in Portugal and was 1945-47 British prisoner. Then again in Foreign Ministry (West), from 1953 General Consul in Bombay, retired 1957 and settled in Bremen. Married Henny Koehne (d. 1957) and 1957 Maria Fritze.In retirement Pochhammer concentrated on Indian history. As diplomat he had met and knew e.g. Gandhi, Nehru and Tagore.
Publications: Die Auseinandersetzung um Tibets Grenzen. 129 p. Schr. Inst. Asienkunde, Hamburg 14. Frankfurt 1962.
– Indiens Wirtschaft heute. 312 p. Schriftenreihe Internationale Wirtschaft 4. Mainz 1964.
– Indiens Weg zur Nation: Die politische Geschichte eines Subkontinents. 919 p. Bremen 1973, English transl. 1981.
Sources: Fr. Wilhelm, ZDMG 134, 1984, 9-14 with photo.
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