Serving his country would become the center of his life as he joined the local Infantry Regiment at 18. "[47] The ground was thus fertile for the myth to be reborn after the war, in the interest of the program of the German rearmament and the AlliedWest German reconciliation. Churchill, fighting for his survival, deflected attention from the failings of British generals by stressing the extraordinary qualities of their opponent: "We have a very daring and skilful opponent against us, and, may I say across the havoc of war, a great general. Robert Citino. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. "[199], Although the author David Irving and his works have now become controversial for his denial of the Holocaust, he is recognised as the historian who started the re-evaluation of Rommel. He had a good relationship with his wife, Lucia Mollin Rommel, even. During the invasion battle in Normandy, Rommel was seriously injured in an air attack on his car by British fighter-bombers on July 17. [117] Messenger argues that Rommel's attitude towards Hitler changed only after the Allied invasion of Normandy, when Rommel came to realise that the war could not be won. Rommel and his German-Italian army were stopped by the British at El-Alamein (Al-Alamayn, Egypt), 60 miles (100 km) from Alexandria. [61], The book was not without its detractors. [129], Daniel Allen Butler writes that if Rommel was not a formally trained strategist, he developed himself into one, becoming able to grasp strategic opportunities that others missed. [101], More sympathetic authors point out complex situations that Rommel had to face. [154] Historian Ian Beckett argues that "there is no credible evidence that Rommel had more than limited and superficial knowledge of the plot" and concludes that Rommel would not have acted to aid the plotters on 20 July,[148] while Ralf Georg Reuth contends that "there was no indication of any active participation of Rommel in the conspiracy". He was given a state funeral and buried with full military honors. Every day brought new ones: He had been a bricklayer and early comrade of Hitler; he had been a street-corner bully; he had been a policeman between the two wars and had studied at Tuebingen University; he had been a swashbuckling storm trooper and one of the first adherents of the Fhrer.". She has written numerous military history books, articles and book reviews and is also an award-winning author. [131] According to Maurice Remy, Rommel should not be blamed regarding strategic matters, considering Hitler and Mussolini had prepared the African offensive strategy from the beginning, despite the warnings of Brauchitsch and Halder regarding the planned invasion of Russia (that Rommel was not informed of). They chose to confront him at home and threaten his family and friends. Berndt often acted as liaison between Rommel, the Propaganda Ministry and the Fhrer Headquarters. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Role in Normandy and the Plot to Kill Hitler, Documentaries on World War II on HISTORY Vault, failed attempt to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/erwin-rommel. [101][102][98] Robert Citino describes Rommel as "not apolitical" and writes that he owed his career to Hitler, to whom his attitude was "worshipful", while the historian Charles Messenger describes Rommel's "growing admiration" towards Hitler following the invasion of Poland. During World War I, Rommel served with distinction in Romania, France and Italy, earning a reputation for bravery and aggressive fighting tactics. In 1937, Rommels reputation as a superior military instructor led Hitler to appoint him as the German War Ministrys liaison officer to the Hitler Youth organization. [73], The trend continued with other uncritical biographies, such as Rommel as Military Commander (1968), by the former British soldier and author Ronald Lewin, and Knight's Cross: A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (1994), by the former British general David Fraser. Part of his political appeal was his last name. "[30][31] This line of propaganda perpetuated until the war ended. [42], In France, a Wehrmacht propaganda company frequently accompanied Rommel on his inspection trips to document his work for both domestic and foreign audiences. It is a quiet and lonely spotfar removed from civilization and potential witnesses. In March 1943, Hitler ordered Rommelby now a field marshalback to Europe. [138] Rick Atkinson acknowledges Rommel's "audacity, tactical brilliance, and personal style", also noting that he "had an uncanny ability to dominate the minds of his adversaries". The propaganda minister expected the move to reassure the German public, and at the same time to have a negative impact on the Allied forces' morale. American writer Rick Atkinson concludes that Rommel was "loyal in his own fashion and as beguiled by Hitler as steel filings by a magnet Hitler was a bulwark against bolshevism, [Rommel] had told staff officers. [220], Operational and strategic level commander, Terry Brighton: "It was suggested that the problem was not an inadequate army but the predominance of upper-class officers in senior posts, and that "If Rommel had been in the British Army he would still have been a sergeant." Rommel expressed a lingering hope of being sent to the Eastern Front. Get HISTORYs most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. [65] The film played up Rommel's disputed role in the conspiracy against Hitler,[66] while omitting Rommel's early association with the dictator. Before meeting with the Nazi emissaries, Rommel changed into his Afrika Korps tunic. It was the third-highest grade of the German federal order of merit, not the highest. [203], Numerous English-speaking authors use the "Rommel Myth" ambiguously, like Bruce Allen Watson who states that "the masks he wore reflected the genuine plurality of the man",[204] or Jill Edwards, who notes that, below all the layers historians have removed and added to, what remains seems enough to qualify Rommel as, if controversial, a great captain. [149] On 15 April 1944, Rommel's new chief of staff, Hans Speidel, arrived in Normandy and reintroduced Rommel to Stlpnagel. Rommel was a suitable candidate, since the manner of his death had led to the assumption that he had not been a supporter of Nazism. He states that Rommel's perceived vanity developed as a reaction to the pressure aristocratic and high-bourgeois colleagues put on him. View this answer. [214], A German author who uses the word Mythos in a critical manner is Ralph Giordano,[n 18] who describes the phenomenon as one of the "Falsehoods of Tradition" in his book of the same name, which depicts how the image of Rommel has been a major basis for the warrior cult of the Bundeswehr. However, he had to commit suicide in World War II because he was involved in the assassination of Hitler. Erwin Rommel, called "the People's Marshal" by his countrymen, was one of Adolf Hitler's most successful generals and one of Germany's most popular military leaders. Historians and commentators conclude that Rommel remains an ambiguous figure, not easily definable either inside or outside the myth. October, 1917. [152] However, around the same time the plotters in Berlin were not aware that Rommel had reportedly decided to take part in the conspiracy. True, French resistance was almost at an end then, but Erich was entitled to his decoration, too. Widerstandskmpfer oder Nationalsozialist? [133], Others like Stroud, Krause and Phillips opine that even Rommel's recklessness and disobedience during the invasion of France benefitted the German cause, while rescuing Hitler's mercurial objectives and inventing the actual application of Blitzkrieg ("lightning war"), and it was Hitler who downgraded strategic victory to operational victory. Sensing an imminent threat from Adolf Hitlers Nazi regime, yet wishing to avoid capture by the Allies, Rommel holed up in Herrlingen and refused to leave the area. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. These are the kinds of soldiers we need. [22][103][n 12] Speaking at The National WWII Museum's 2012 International Conference on World War II, the author Nigel Hamilton referred to Rommel as "quite a Nazi". Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was a hero of Hitlers Germany, the legendary Desert Fox who seized the worlds attention with his daring tactics in North Africa from 1941 to 1943. Pier Paolo Battistelli. Zabecki notes that Rommel's brilliant tactical moves were logistically unsustainable, which eventually led to a strategic defeat. He said he wanted to show how, with a little generosity of spirit, enmity ends with death., During his tenure, from 1974 to 1996, Mr. Rommel tightened control over city finances and reduced debts, while expanding public transport and building a new arena and convention center. On the other hand, Pimlott criticises Rommel for only disagreeing with Hitler for strategic reasons and, while accepting that Rommel did give chivalrous tone to his battles in Africa, he points out that this should not be used to ignore the responsibility Rommel must bear for promoting the Nazi cause with vigour. At the very least, most historians agree, Rommel likely cared more for his career than he did about Nazi atrocities. For example, they only want to enjoy and never worry about men's feelings. What happened to Rommel's family after his death? We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. The remote town became a death trap. [32] According to Atkinson, to counter the "perverse chivalry" ("war without hate", in Rommel's words) that Rommel promoted, the British and American authorities instituted hate training and tried to raise the eagerness to kill the enemies by stressing enemy brutality, as well as spattering slaughterhouse blood in assault training courses. [87] Rosie Goldschmidt Waldeck, writing in 1943, also takes note of the image of the general who fought with common soldiers, with an indelible youthfulness and apparent invulnerability. On the 70th anniversary of his death get the facts on the famed Desert Fox., Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-erwin-rommel, 8 Things You May Not Know About Erwin Rommel. He married Lucia Maria Mollin while on leave from the army in 1916; their son, Manfred, was born in December 1928. Hitler gave Rommel command of the 7th Panzer Division, one of 10 tank divisions that took part in the blitzkrieg invasion of Belgium and France that began on May 10, 1940. MH. Yet the overall effect bordered on hagiography. He was not exactly a shining liberal or Social Democrat. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in military history. It was picked up and disseminated in the West by the British war-time press as the Allies sought to explain their continued inability to defeat the Axis forces in North Africa: the genius of Rommel was used by dissenters to protest against social inequality within the British army and by leaders like Churchill to reduce class tensions. After notable successes on the Italian front, in the Battle of Caporetto and the subsequent capture of the town of Longarone, he was promoted to the rank of captain in October 1918, shortly before the armistice. "[116] He also had only a week's warning before the launch of Case White at the start of 1943. [175] Citino believes that under the modern veneer, Rommel's story (as well as his style of warfare, including the negative points) was actually the last manifestation of an older Prussian tradition which began with Georg von Derfflinger, in which the lowly outsider (he was not Prussian by birth) chose to serve the Prussian king, in whom alone he put his trust and in whose service he was willing to attract the ill will from all the other powerful people, as had Seydlitz and Ziethen. In September 1914, for example, Rommel charged three French soldiers with a bayonet after running out of ammunition, only to be shot in the thigh so badly that a hole opened up as big as his fist. According to Lieb, historians should focus more on Goebbels, whose propaganda built up Rommel. In 1934, he met Hitler, who had recently consolidated power in Germany as fhrer, chancellor, and commander in chief of the army. [52], The 1943 movie Five Graves to Cairo, directed by Billy Wilder, was the only wartime movie that featured a German general as a major character. The inscription on my gravestone will read, Please turn over!. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The Time reviewer concluded that the book was "just this side of hero worship". [118][119], British military and political figures contributed to the heroic image of the man as Rommel resumed offensive operations in January 1942 against the British forces weakened by redeployments to the Far East. Rommel, as portrayed by this hero cult, was both chivalrous and ruthless, young and old, harsh and gentle, strong and righteous. Neurath and Strlin suggested opening immediate surrender negotiations with the West, and, according to Speidel, Rommel agreed to further discussions and preparations. [105] This sympathy did not extend to the Party though. [103], Historian Thomas Vogel opines that Rommel was not a Nazi, if one uses the definition the Nazis themselves used, considering that although he did everything in his power to make his country strong again, he showed no support towards the racial policies or other aspects of the regime. [68][n 8] Patrick Major argues that the desert war indeed proved a suitable space to effect the reconciliation among the former enemies. Despite this, the news leaked to the British press. Rommel's unprofessional conduct was noted by his fellow officers and added to his growing reputation as one of Hitler's favoured commanders. [155] Historian Richard J. Evans concluded that he knew of a plot, but was not involved. [108], Searle argues that Rommel not only "found favor with the Nazi regime, but was delighted with the preferential treatment he was receiving", including access to Hitler during the 1939 invasion of Poland. Erwin Rommel was a German army officer who rose to the rank of Field Marshal. For example, the SS driver claimed he stepped away from the car for 10 minutes and returned afterwards to find Rommel sobbing in death throes; however, this seems untrue since the type of cyanide capsule presented to Rommel is usually lethal in about three minutes. [182], Messenger points out that Rommel had many reasons to be grateful to Hitler, including his interference to arrange for him to receive command of an armoured division, his elevation to the status of a national hero, and continued interest and support from the dictator. Maisel, who survived the war, claimed he was not present in the car when Rommel died, but stated Burgdorf was there insteadat the time of this allegation, Burgdorf was conveniently dead, having committed suicide in Berlin in May 1945. He consequently deserves a firm place in the military resistance against Hitler to a greater extent than it has recently been acknowledged in academia and in public. [80] However, the work has been criticised by historian Mark Connelly as "encapsulat[ing] the post-1945 hagiographic approach".
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