Would Rommel be a War Criminal?

Emerson Begolly · Post by **Emerson Begolly** » 22 Sep 2003 18:16

Let's say this: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel does not commit suicide and he survives the war. But, here is my question: would he have been tried for War Crimes? If so, what would his sentence hace been?

Em.

PanzerKing · Post by **PanzerKing** » 22 Sep 2003 20:40

Of course not...what crimes did he ever commit, he is the opposite of a war criminal!

Sam H. · Post by **Sam H.** » 22 Sep 2003 20:51

I can't see any serious prosecution of him - the British respected the man, the Americans had no complaints and the Russians shouldn't care as he never met them in battle.

Station · Post by **Station** » 23 Sep 2003 00:22

PanzerKing wrote:Of course not...what crimes did he ever commit, he is the opposite of a war criminal!

The triumphant Fox was indeed a hero!

Rommel8 · Post by **Rommel8** » 23 Sep 2003 01:52

yea he was

even the 8th Army at El Alamein on the verge of destruction had the deepest respect for him, as did montgomery, and in time Patton/

KalaVelka · Post by **KalaVelka** » 23 Sep 2003 11:36

You dont have to be a true wacriminal if you are doomed about warcriminal actions at nurnberg.

Kasper

fdewaele · Post by **fdewaele** » 23 Sep 2003 12:12

But as the others said Rommel was highly respected by the western allies and never ordered war crimes to be committed. It's most likely they would keep him as a POW untill 1947-1948 and then release him. And by the 50s he would have become the Grand Old Man of the Bundeswehr...

KalaVelka · Post by **KalaVelka** » 23 Sep 2003 12:29

Yep but how much the respect that Rommel gained was from his suicide and anti-nazi status which is linked to his suicide?

Kasper

fdewaele · Post by **fdewaele** » 23 Sep 2003 15:40

He gathered the respect of the British as commander of the Africa corps not because of his suicide.

KalaVelka · Post by **KalaVelka** » 23 Sep 2003 16:23

Why didnt PanzerMeyer get same kind of respect from brittish in normandy 1944? Bad, evil nazi? No, one of the all time best division/regiment commanders, but he was also nazi.

Regards
Kasper

Matt H. · Post by **Matt H.** » 23 Sep 2003 17:16

Rommel's name was acknowledged with respect throughout Allied and Axis camps. The British troops, who had previously cracked jokes about the "Jerries" in Africa, soon gained remarkable respect for the man to whom they were opposed. Upon his arrival in Egypt, Montgomery was shocked to discover that his troops were more preoccupied with Rommel's next move than their own!

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 23 Sep 2003 22:31

Let's start with the war crime Rommel is supposed to have committed. What is it?

Michael Miller · Post by **Michael Miller** » 23 Sep 2003 22:48

KalaVelka~

Rommel gained the respect of the British as a senior commander in North Africa. He has never, to my knowledge, been linked in any serious study to war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc.

Kurt "Panzer" Meyer's reputation was gained primarily on the Eastern Front, against Soviet forces. Such men- though brave and talented- did not get the publicity of a Rommel, who was- in 1941/42- the darling of the Reich Ministry of Propaganda. Also, Rommel was one of a kind- commander of one of the more unique formations- the DAK- in the Wehrmacht. He stood out largely because of the location of his exploits- forcing the British into pell-mell retreat in the Sahara.

Then there's the fact that Meyer, unlike Rommel, was accused of (and ultimately sentenced for) the murder of Canadian POW's in Normandy.

Regards,
~ Mike Miller

P.S.~ Please back up the following statement with some supporting evidence:

You dont have to be a true wacriminal if you are doomed about warcriminal actions at nurnberg.

John W · Post by **John W** » 24 Sep 2003 03:20

Sam H. wrote:I can't see any serious prosecution of him - the British respected the man, the Americans had no complaints and the Russians shouldn't care as he never met them in battle.

What the man said...

I still remember the senior British Commander circulating the letter to the troops and expecially asking the Commanders to try and clamp down on all this "Rommel talk". I believe in the 8th Army at one point of time, if someone had pulled of a particularly good job, it was described as having "done a Rommel".

And ofcourse, as Mike has so ably pointed out, I don't ever recal reading about Rommel's warcrimes. He even burned Hitler's orders as regards shooting of POWs

John

Station · Post by **Station** » 24 Sep 2003 06:15

So far in my reading about Rommel, I too have not come across any warcrimes that he may have committed.