question about rommel

[Chris Carden]

hi, i was looking through this book recently by Time. It was pictures and stories about all the wars. They had a single plage about rommel. I read though it. Now, i thought i knew quite a bit about him (like the one i read said he was NOT a nazi, and was loosely involved in hitlers assination attempt) But this time magazine said (i cant remeber the quotes, ill try to get them right) "rommel was one of hitlers earliest converts" "was a leader of the storm troopers" "an ardent nazi"

things like that. Now, are these true?

[Chris Carden]

oh, it also says... that after he was a storm trooper leader that he wrote Infnatry Assaults... or whatever his book was called, i cant remember the name at the time. But... i thought hitler noticed him after he wrote infantry tactics...or whatever. not before.

[PanzerKing]

The part about being an early Nazi and a close supporter of Hitler early on are true indeed. I don't know anything about the stormtroopers though.

[Eightball]

Well, I don't think he shared the Nazi beliefs. He was an early follower of Hitler because he admired what he did for Germany.

[PanzerKing]

He shared the Nazi beliefs at first, but over time understood what nonsense it really was.

[WaffenSS27]

Rommel was a stormtrooper in WW1 He fought on the Italian front, and was one of the officers to head up the new army after the treaty of Versailles. He wrote a book about infantry tactics in war. Thats all I can write without cracking the book. Hope this helps

[Eightball]

He shared the Nazi beliefs at first, but over time understood what nonsense it really was.

That must have been after he saw the consentration camps and all that crap, yes?

[Larso]

Rommel commanded Hitlers guard battalion and sufficiently impressed him to be given a panzer division when he asked for it. I've never read about Rommel being aware of the concentration camps, I think his disillusionment with Hitler came more as a result of frustration at Hitlers war leadership. He did forbid his son to join the SS though, so perhaps he was aware of some of the more distressing aspects of Hitler's rule.

[RedBaron]

Rommel commanded Hitlers guard battalion and sufficiently impressed him to be given a panzer division when he asked for it. I've never read about Rommel being aware of the concentration camps, I think his disillusionment with Hitler came more as a result of frustration at Hitlers war leadership. He did forbid his son to join the SS though, so perhaps he was aware of some of the more distressing aspects of Hitler's rule.

I agree! Rommel, as many germans, were very devoted to Hitler, well, because "he put Germany again on it's feet" after the economical problems of the '30s and, of course WW1, in which Germany was a "defeated" nation.
Rommel was a soldier, the Army (Wehrmacht) was his life... Yes, Rommel was noticed by Hitler, because of his "skills". After WW1 and during the Great War, Rommel was convinced that "other officers took advantage of his accomplisments". He was quite ambitious!
I do not recall of Rommel knowing anything about the concentration camps. I don't think he knew... I mean, look at the way in which he treated the POW's, also he was a familly man, (he wrote to his wife all the time), he would have never approved with the holocaust!
The first time (I think) that Rommel started to have doubts about the Fuhrer was, more or less, after the 2nd battle of El Allamein, when he wasn't allowed to retreat, Hitler saying that Afrika Korps "must fight to the last man and gun". That was "the turning point". Rommel did what the Fuhrer ordered, but later on, he said that "it was a mistake... I should have ignored that ordered".
To call Rommel a nazi, well I don't think it's fair! I do not recall the fact that Rommel was a member of Hitler's party! He was a soldier, as Guderian and the others... Only SS units were nazi troops, in the full meaning of the expression.
Regards

[PanzerKing]

He shared the Nazi beliefs at first, but over time understood what nonsense it really was.

That must have been after he saw the consentration camps and all that crap, yes?

What do you mean by that? I was talking about when he began to see Hitler's irrational decisions and mistakes.

[KampfgruppeMeyer]

being a nazi early on was not any worse than being a communist or republican, etc.. it is what nazis did later on that was bad (killing jews, etc.). i dont think there is anything wrong with being a nazi per se. it's like saying all democrats are bad because Bill Clinton was a disgrace to America.

so just because rommel was a nazi, that should not scar him. rommel did not support the killing of civilians and he was a man of honor, nazi or not!