Rommel - inspecting the Atlantikwall.

[jopaerya]

Hello Jpz4

This photo must be taken at the same visit , my best guess must be 17-05-1944 .

Regards Jos

[kstdk]

Hello

Must be this one you mean?

Can not recall the source for this picture.

I recall another visit to the fortifications where Manfred (Rommel's son) appeared just behind him wearing a long coat and an M43 cap...XavierDer Autodidakt

Regards
Kurt
kstdk

[jpz4]

Hello Jpz4

This photo must be taken at the same visit , my best guess must be 17-05-1944 .

Regards Jos

Bedankt Jos,

So what unit's did Rommel visit that day? I've been looking for a list of his visits on internet, but nothing noteworthy. I've seen some books that seem interesting, but I'm not sure which one I should get for this kind of information. "The Desert Fox in Normandy" looks promising.

BTW the trees seem to be quite barren for mid may, or am I imagining things....

[jopaerya]

Hello Kurt and Xavier

The photo is been taken at 10-02-1944 at Lacauau-Ocean , the man saluting to Rommel is Obstlt. Krappe
commander of the Inf.Reg.(ind) 950 (the Free Indian Legion ) . I think it's not Manfred Rommel on the
picture because there is no information that he vists his father in France and he was at that time only
15 and was a Flakhelfer .

Regards Jos

[jopaerya]

Hello

This photo was taken at Pz.Stp. Etelmündung (Lorient) .

Photo = Alain Chazette

Regards Jos

[jopaerya]

Hello

I am trying to locate this entrance , Rommel is clear but any clue's on the 2 other officers ??

Photo = NAC

Regards Jos

[SES]

I was just wondering. Sometimes we forget the wood because of all the trees. What was Rommel's official function/title (in German) since he was conducting all these inspections.
bregds
SES

[jopaerya]

Hello SES

Gen. Feldm. Rommel was commander of Heeresgruppe B , in Denmark and in the early days in France he was
under command of the O.K.W. , later the Heeresgruppe B was intergrated in the command structure in the West .
The Heeresgruppe B was responsible for the 7 Army , 15 Army and W.B.Niederlande , but Rommel made also
visits in the other area's ( 1 Army and 19 Army ) in the Atlantikwall and Sudwall .

Regards Jos

[SES]

Hi Jos,
I knew about his Heeresgruppe B function, but that alone does IMHO not authorize him to e.g. inspect airfields in Denmark. He must have been assigned a special function directly under OKW and that is the one I'm looking for.
bregds
SES

[SES]

and he gave direct directives like "Replace the Falkenhorst with the 621".
bregds
SES

[kstdk]

Hello

It seems that there is nothing else than Jos already stated in or about Rommels official command, but it seems that the order or directive / authority for the inspection came from Hitler "him self", please see:

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/onl ... l_wall.htm

That is also stated in other sources, both in books and on the internet.

From:

http://www.questiaschool.com/read/71161 ... s%20Europe

"Adolf Hitler was looking for something for Rommel to do, although
he did not intend to permanently assign him to the Western Front when
he asked the field marshal to conduct an inspection of the Atlantic Wall
in late 1943. The Fuehrer had earmarked his former desert commander
for a post on the Eastern Front, which promised to take some very heavy
blows in 1944. In the meantime, Hitler felt that Rommel could do a
useful job by assessing the state of German defenses in Denmark, the
Netherlands, Belgium, and France. His skeleton staff from Italy, desig-
nated Army Group B z.v.B. ("for Special Purposes"), would accompany
him on the tour.

The reason Hitler gave Erwin Rommel this new task was obvious.
Everyone knew that the Western Allies would mount their cross-
channel invasion sometime in 1944, and that it would be the greatest
amphibious assault in history. This invasion represented both the great-
est threat to and the greatest opportunity for Nazi Germany. If the Reich
could repel it, the Western Allies would be unable to launch another
attempt for at least a year."

Regards
Kurt
kstdk.

[SES]

Hi Kurt,
Thanks a lot. May I suggest that there is a typo, it should be Heeresgruppe B z.b.v. And zbv does not translate into Special Purpose, but "provisoinal/not in the normal table of organization". So the case is as I suspected, Rommel inspected on behalf of the OKW.
bregds
SES

[Manuferey]

Hello

I am trying to locate this entrance , Rommel is clear but any clue's on the 2 other officers ??

Photo = NAC

Regards Jos

Could it be the entrance of the underground at the Fort du Roule battery in Cherbourg (which is now open to the public)?

Emmanuel

[jopaerya]

Thanks Emmanuel

That is a good option , but the General von Schlieben does not fit .

Regards Jos

[SES]

Hi,
Found this interesting account, which put a lot of things into perspective:
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/onl ... ll.htm#982
bregds
SES