Karl Rothenburg

[Peter H]

Oberst Rothenburg(1894-1941) commanded the 25th Panzer Regiment,part of the 7th Panzer Division.He was killed in action in June 1941.

Has anyone any details on his WW1 career,a young Leutnant awarded the PLM in 1918?

His main striking force was the Twenty-fifth Panzer Regiment,for which Berlin had given him Colonel Karl Rothenburg,a tough ex-police colonel who had, like Rommel, won the Pour le Mérite as a company commander in 1918 At forty-four, he was one of Germany’s finest tank regiment commanders. Like Rommel,he figured that he had escaped death so many times that he was already living on an overdraft of life.

The Trail of the Fox,David Irving

[Andreas Schulz]

Karl Rothenburg

30.06.1918 Pour le mérite (as Leutnant d. R. and Kompanieführer im 5. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß)


AnDie

[Glenn2438]

Peter,

Karl Rothenburg was born at Fürstenwalde on the 8th of June 1894. He entered the 3rd Company of the 5. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß on 1st of April 1914 just short of twenty as a "One Year Volunteer". He fought at the fall of Namur and then went east with his regiment to the Masurian lakes and then in Southern Poland. Promoted to Unteroffizier on the 21st of December 1914 he saw further fighting in the east; at the Maurian Lakes again, Courland and Lithuania. In the Autumn of 1915 5. G.R.z.F returned to the West and the in the mean time Promoted Offizier-Stellvertreter was commissioned as a Leutnant der Reserve on 18th of November 1915. He fought on the Somme the following year becoming the acting commander of the 2nd Company. By April 1917 he was the permanent commander of this company. He participated in the March offensive of 1918 in the breakthrough between Gouzeaucourt and Vermand and was wounded by shrapnel on the 29th of March in the right hand. For his conduct in the March and April fighting he was awarded the Knight'S Cross of the Hohenzollern House Order with Swords on the 23rd of May 1918. He was awarded the OPLM for leading 2./5.G.R.z.F. in the assault and capture of the Ricquebourg Wood and the forced crossing of the Matz Stream. He remained as commander of 2./5.G.R.z.F.until leaving the army on the 20th of December 1918.

Joining the Schutzpolizei in Thüringia he commanded the Schupo in Jena as an Hauptmann from 1924 to 1930 when he became a Major and police commander in Weimar. In early 1934 he became police commander and Oberstleutnant at Sondershausen. He entered the Wehrmacht in the rank of Major on the 26th of July 1935 becoming commander of II./Pz.-Regt. Nr. 6 on 1 August 1936. Promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 April 1938 and Oberst on 1 August 1940 he had become regimental commander of Panzer-Regiment Nr. 6 on 1 March 1939. Posthumously promoted to Generalmajor.

Regards
Glenn

[Peter H]

Thanks AnDie and Glenn.

Another former Garde member.


http://forum.axishistory.com/files/roth ... _k_72_.jpg

From Feldgrau:

http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3986

On 28 Jun. Minsk falls and the pocket is sealed. But this is a sad day for 7. Panzer Division, for they lost one of their head figures - Oberst Rothenburg - a Pour le Merite and KC holder. He is wounded by an explosion from the burning armored train. Since the regiment is still isolated from the main body of the division, first a Fiesler Storch and then an 8-wheel armored car are offered to him to carry him back to the main dressing station, but he refuses both and also a panzer escort (doesn't want to weaken his already depleted regiment) and decides to drive with two cars back to the rear. On his way through the enemy occupied land he is killed and his body is discovered the next day. Oberst Karl Rothenburg was admired and loved by his soldiers and maybe it's not surprising that the regiment received an honorary title »Panzerregiment Rothenburg«, which is also commonly accepted by its members.

Regards,
Peter

[Peter H]

From KIR : http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2515&st=240

[AlifRafikKhan]

Erwin Rommel talking to General Major Karl Rothenburg in France in 1940 - shortly before Rothenburg died...

From Rommel-Lebt.com

Source : http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-3219348216 ... _254331801

[AlifRafikKhan]

The back of the foto mentions Generals Rommel, Rothenburg, Luft(?) and Bismarck in 1940. This foto is the companion to the above photo. It was taken the same day, by the same soldier...

From Rommel-Lebt.com

Source : http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-3219348216 ... _254595018

[skorzeny2004]

IF YOU ARE GOING TO STEAL PHOTOS FROM ROMMEL-LEBT.COM WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION, SHOULDN'T YOU AT LEAST GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR THE PHOTOS YOU "TOOK"? I AM REFERING TO THE PHOTOS OF ROTHENBURG & ROMMEL. MAYBE IN INDONESIA THEY DON'T GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. BUT I LIVE IN THE USA, AND WE BELIEVE IN DOING THIS!

[AlifRafikKhan]

Before you accused me just because I'm an Indonesian (which, in fact, you know NOTHING ABOUT IT!!!), please used your AMERICAN eyes to see the link I gave, and you will know that it is from Rommel-Lebt and not from imageshack, flickr, photobucket, etc.

[skorzeny2004]

If you did give him credit, then I apologize. BUT I can not see where you gave him credit. There is a link for "source" where credits are normally given. When I clicK on that link I see nothing. Where, exactly did you give him credit?

[Peter H]

The source links don't open for me,so I've added their original source as a notation--from Rommel-Lebt.com.

Apparently the owner of that site is not even happy when full accreditation is given though.Suggest he invests in a watermark program etc.

[David Thompson]

A mistaken caution by this moderator, along with a now-unnecessary response from skorzeny2004, have been removed - DT.

[David Thompson]

An off-topic post from rommel-lebt was removed by this moderator - DT.

[Ken S.]

Not a good image but this is one photo of him from the 5. Garde history:

Rothenburg.jpg

[Ken S.]

And...

Rothenburg2.jpg