Before 1933, most popular entertainment and music in Germany was strongly influenced by Jewish artists. Later, Nazis forced all Jewish artists to join the 1935 founded "Reichsverband der Jüdischen Kulturbünde" (=Reich Association of Jewish Cultural Societies) in order to control (and ban) Jewish influences on culture. Around the same time, other "degenerate art forms" as jazz, swing and Latin-American rhythms were banned. According to Nazi ideologists of that time, popular music should be based on traditional German rhythms and structures such as Waltz, March, Rheinländer or Polka (which is not German at all!).

Although Nazis managed to ban 'exotic' dances, songs with a connotation of exotic countries (especially South America) were still very popular. Despite the efforts of Nazi ideologists to channel popular music culture in a more German and traditional direction, songs about wanderlust and freedom located in a country far away in the southern hemisphere stayed very popular.

Because this kind of desire couldn't be replaced with march music, Nazi propaganda started to integrate some foreign elements into their 'approved' music. But by using the same exotic musical flavors and topics, they tried to turn the desire of wanderlust rather into an emotion of home sickness (to Germany) and nostalgia. The singer were set in an exotic location singing about how much they miss being in Germany. This allowed some exotic elements in the songs/music, but the message was ideological.

There were a lot of popular sailor songs. But while before 1933, they mostly were about foreign countries and freedom abroad, they turned into songs about sailors returning home or about women/wives/mothers waiting for their sailor (or soldier) abroad coming home.

Nazi propaganda had to make a certain compromise. They couldn't impose all-German, all-traditional music on the people who never had traveled to exotic countries, but in their mind they had a desire and a certain image and projection of a life abroad in an exotic location. Therefore, they allowed a certain controlled amount of exotic influence and they started to promote selected foreign artists who still had some 'exotic' flavor but who were conforming to Nazi ideology (in the eyes of Nazi ideologists) and who were belonging to the 'nordic race' e.g. Swedish artist Zarah Leander, Dutch Johannes Heesters or Hungarian Marika Rökk. (To be clear: it doesn't mean that those artists were Nazis, they were just accepted and used as a propaganda instrument by the Nazi leadership. E.g. Zarah Leander's friend and songwriter was Jewish and homosexual).

It's interesting that on recordings of that time (and also later), German singers often have a strong foreign accent which often is not their real accent. It was just fashionable to sing 'exotic' and give German lyrics a certain foreign touch which was often associated with passion and hot temper.

To answer your question about what young Nazi soldiers would have liked listening to:

at that time, Josephine Baker's performances in Paris had a very strong influence all over Europe. Her dance in a dress that consisted of nothing but bananas had an incredible impact on people. It was inspiring and shocking at the same time. Of course, this kind of music (jazz) and the dance of a black woman was banned in Germany. However, people still knew the picture. And bananas (average people never ever saw or ate a real banana in their lifetime) suddenly became a symbol of this diffuse image of an exotic and wild world somewhere in the south (often, it was not clear where the projection of the exotic paradise was located, but South America seemed to be most likely where it was set).

So, I would say German soldiers of that time were most likely listening to popular German "Schlager" (a hit song, popular song) with a female voice singing about missing her sailor. Several people answered and mentioned Wagner. I don't think so. Not much different than nowadays, the vast majority of young people and soldiers listen to popular music and not to heavy, classical music.

There are songs of that time that show an interesting double standard, e.g. the songs dealing about sailors: a female singer sings and behaves in a way that could as well be understood as being a prostitute in the city's harbour waiting for sailors as clients, but as the words are not clear, it could at the same time be a proud mother or wife waiting for her son/husband coming home from a honorable journey abroad.

Videos below: the first one is the footage of a Nazi program 'Wunschkonzert' where soldiers could wish their favorite songs. It could be a true answer your question. The last video is a real mix of Nazi propaganda and a song performance by above mentioned Hungarian Marika Rökk. There are more or less subliminal "Kraft durch Freude" propaganda messages.

And don't forget the classics of Wagner, who was a favorite of Hitler for being nationalistic and known for being a vocal and an extreme Anti-Semite. Granted, that was more for the older crowd, but the young grunts enjoyed listening to the martial notes of Wagner music to ape their appreciation of their leader.

The Nazi Party embarked on a campaign to rid Germany of so-called degenerate art, which became a catch-all phrase that included music with any link to Jews, Communists, jazz, and anything else thought to be dangerous.

Between the two World Wars, there was one huge music sensation in particular: cabaret.

The first form of German pop music is said to be cabaret, which arose during the Weimar Republic in the 1920s as the sensual music of late-night clubs. Marlene Dietrich and Margo Lion were among the most famous performers of the period, and became associated with both humorous satire and liberal ideas.

Around WWII, Nazi Germany launched a campaign against jazz and swing music because it was considered offensive, sexual, and pro-American. Great lengths were taken to combat this genre in particular.

After WWII, German pop music was greatly influenced by America and Britain.

So the answer would be cabaret. They were also opposed to anything American, like jazz and swing music. I hope I helped; have a great day!!!

As Woody Allen so memorably said:

"I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSKL5E3zSjs

I can only imagine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nua1VXS9FzQ

If you are talking about Nazi's from WWII they would have listened to Nazi approved radio only. Not sure of those artists, but it couldnt be hard to find a list.