Erwin Rommel has gone down in history as one of the most iconic world war 2 generals of
the conflict, and certainly probably the most revered German General of the Second World
War. He was an incredibly highly decorated officer, and he was the man who commanded
the 7th Panzer Division during the Invasion of France, and he was also in charge of German
and Italian soldiers in the North Africa Campaign. He became known as the Desert Fox for his
wily battlefield tactics.
He was a general who was much celebrated within Germany with his victories being a huge propaganda
boost for The Third Reich. However, in a spectacular fall from grace, Rommel the hero of the early
German invasions found himself implicated in the Stauffenberg Plot, to assassinate Adolf
Hitler. Rommel who was seen as a national hero, was then given a choice which virtually
signalled his death. Although Rommel wasn’t executed in the usual means, being shot or
by using the guillotine, Hitler offered him an ultimatum that ultimately was a death sentence
for the Desert Fox. He was given a choice, all of which would result inevitably in his
execution, or his death. Today we look at the ‘Forced’ Execution of Erwin Rommel,
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Erwin Rommel was born on the 15th November 1891 in Heidenheim in Southern Germany. His
father was a teacher and his mother was the daughter of a local government official. Little
is known about his early life, but at the age of 18 Rommel sought a career inside of
the military. He joined the Wurttemberg Infantry Regiment, and in 1910 began to study as an
officer in cadet school in Danzig. He was then comissioned as a leftenant and during
the First World War he saw lots of action.
He was noted for serving with distinction in the conflict, and he fought first on the
western front in France and Italy. During a number of successful battles for the German
Army, he became a captain in early 1918. He was noted for having courage, and for understanding
his fellow soldiers, and from early on he showed a natural gift of leadership. After
the war he was involved in suppressing uprisings of revolutionary communists in German cities.
There was much political instability following the First World War in Germany, and Rommel
was involved inside of the army to help the situation. He became known as someone who
would negotiate with dissenters, and through this he earned much praise for his level headed
approach, avoiding massive violent attacks.
In 1920, Rommel became appointed to a company command with the 13th Infantry Regiment in
Stuttgart, and he stayed in this role for 9 years before becoming an instructor at the
Dresden Infantry School. He then became a major, and more promotions came. He first
met Adolf Hitler on the 30th September 1934, as Hitler inspected his troops. During this
time he wrote many books, and even Hitler owned copies of them. He flourished in his
role as a military instructor, and Hitler was aware, assigning him to become a liaison
officer inside the War Ministry to the Hitler Youth. Here he was in charge with training,
and he clashed with the Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach, over how the boys should
be trained. Rommel wished to have the group overseen by the army, and not the Nazis, which
went against what Schirach and even Hitler wanted, and Rommel was then taken off this
job.
Much debate has emerged about Rommel and how integrated to the Nazi policies he was. He
was noted around this time for supporting Hitler, stating that ‘he was called upon
by God and speaks like a prophet,’ and much debate has emerged about if Rommel was involved
in the persecution of Jews. There is much conflicting evidence against it, some historian’s
consider that he simply ignored the persecution that was emerging in Germany, and that he
looked the other way. He may have also clashed with SA members who were violently assaulting
Jews in the streets. It was during the Second World War, the Rommel’s reputation as a
military general was really carved.
He was promoted to generalmajor in August 1939, and became the commander of the Fuhrerbegleitbattalion,
the group of soldiers responsible for guarding Hitler and his field HQ during the invasion
of Poland. It’s believed he did not understand Hitler’s intentions during this time, and
Rommel was there during each daily military war briefings. He watched how tanks were used
and other units would advance, and he later wished for command of one of Germany’s panzer
divisions. He received a promotion to general ahead of more senior officers, making others
jealous as Hitler admired him. This promotion made him Hitler’s favoured commander, and
Rommel then took control of the 7th Panzer Division on the 10th February 1940.
He put them to work, practising military tactics that they would use in the Invasion of Netherlands,
Belgium and France. Rommel’s division was an effective attacking force, and he demonstrated
skill in the Blitzkrieg tactic, and the German invasion of France was devastating. The French
would sign an armistice on the 22nd June, around 6 weeks after the invasion began. IT
was through the driving devastating tactics deployed by generals such as Rommel that caused
chaos. After this Rommel in February 1941, became the commander of the German Troops
in North Africa, the Africa Corps.
The deserts of North Africa became the scene of his greatest victories, and he became known
as the Desert Fox by his friends and enemies. He was known fo his victories, and Hitler
was very impressed with him. The German Army in Africa did suffer from a lack of equipment,
and supply issues tended to halt Rommel’s success. Hitler ordered an attack in the summer
of 1942 on Cairo, and the Suez Canal and Rommel’s exhausted German and Italian Army were stopped
by the British at El Alamein. The Egypt offensive was a bridge too far, and at the end of October
1942 he was defeated in the Second Battle of El Alamein, and in March 1943 Hitler ordered
Rommel to come home.
In 1944, he was trusted with defending the French Channel’s coast against an Allied
invasion which would occur. Rommel who was used to mobile tactics changed, and he sought
to build huge coastal defences to defend. Rommel believed that the only way of defending
the beaches was in preventing the enemy from landing in any capacity. He changed some of
the tactics, and became in disagreement with other generals, but at some point he began
to become concerned at Germany’s capacity to win the Second World War, and also in Hitler’s
leadership capabilities.
In Spring, 1944, a number of Rommel’s friends had joined together in clandestine groups
to oppose Hitler, and they approached Rommel to suggest that it was his duty to take over
from Hitler as the leader of the German War effort, and also as the Head of State, once
a possibly overthrowing of Hitler would have gone ahead. These men were later the men who
were behind the Stauffenberg Plot, and Rommel did not reject the suggestion. However the
plotters never revealed to Rommel that the plan involved assassinating Hitler. Rommel
himself would not have accepted this, as they knew he was opposed to murder for political
gain, and during the conflict he disregarded many orders from Hitler to execute men for
political gain. Following the Normandy landings, Rommel tried to point out to Hitler a number
of times that the war was lost, and that he should consider negating with the Allies.
On the 15th July 1944, he wrote to Hitler requesting a last chance to end the hostilities
with the Western Allies, but this letter arrived late. It’s believed Rommel had the support
of other generals even SS officers, but on the 17th July he was injured in an attack
by allied aircraft, and it’s believed that this took the opportunity away from Rommel
to be involved explicitly in the 20th July Plot. After the failed plot to assassinate
Hitler, many of the conspirators were arrested, and a huge Gestapo investigation took place.
It turned out that the net was much wider than the Nazis originally believed. The reprisals
for the bomb plot were bloody and saw the executions of many of the main plotters, but
also others who were implicated in the plan. Rommel too was implicated when a number of
the conspirators under torture had informed the police of Rommel’s possible involvement.
Martin Bormann reported to Hitler that, ‘Field Marshal Rommel was perfectly in the picture
about the assassination plan, and has promised to be at the disposal of the New Government.’
His house was then placed under Gestapo Surveillance, and the suspicions were turned over the the
court of military honour. The court obtained the evidence that suggested Rommel was involved,
and blamed the general. The normal protocol would have dictated that Rommel would have
been brought to Roland Friesler’s People’s Court, that always sided with the Nazi persecution.
This would have ultimately have resulted in the execution of Rommel, probably being beheaded
using the guillotine as many people classed as traitors endured this fate.
Hitler however had a huge problem. Rommel was seen in Germany as a national hero, a
man revered by the population for his victories over the enemies of Nazi Germany. His image
was a strong propaganda one, and Hitler could not drag him out in front of the press to
shatter this, as it would impact the morale of the country incredibly negatively. They
needed to protect this image of him, and for this Hitler agreed to not execute him in the
usual manner that a traitor would have been subject to. Hitler therefore offered the Desert
Fox the chance to take his own life. However, the options Rommel was given were ultimately
a death sentence.
On the 14th October 1944, Rommel and his son had breakfast after 7am, and following this
they walked in their garden of their home. He announced to the family that two generals
from Berlin were coming to the house to meet with him at noon, when many of his associates
had been executed and arrested. Rommel himself wished to be sent to the Eastern Front to
fight, and before meeting with the men he changed into his Africa Korps tunic. Wilhelm
Burgdorf and Ernst Maisel arrived at the house and politely asked to speak with Rommel alone
at noon. After getting him on their own, they gave him an ultimatum with no way out. This
in a sense was the death sentence of Rommel. He was given 3 choices, first to accompany
the generals to Berlin so that Rommel could defend himself in front of Hitler himself.
Something that would ultimately have led to Rommel’s execution at the hands of Hitler
and his close inner circle.
The second choice was that he could face the people’s court, which definitely would have
resulted in his execution, being beheaded by guillotine. Or his third choice was that
he should take his own life there and then. The first 2 options would have caused pain
for his family, as its likely they would have also suffered, and his staff would have all
been executed too. But with the option to take his own life, his image could be protected
within German propaganda, and he was promised to be buried a hero and with full military
honours, and that his family would receive a huge pension from him. Anticipating the
choices, Wilhelm Burgdorf himself had brought a cyanide capsule with him in preparation.
Rommel agreed to take his own life, but insisted on being able to tell his family what was
going on, and the Nazis agreed with this on the basis that it was kept secret.
He explained to his son, ‘In a quarter of an hour I’ll be dead,’ his teenage son
responded with ‘Can’t we defend ourselves,’ and a defeated Rommel said, ‘There’s no
point, Its better for one to die than for all of us to be killed in a shooting affray.’
Inside of the House was also Captain Hermann Aldinger, one of Rommel’s closest and oldest
friends, and he was isolated from the family by the Nazis and distracted, but when Rommel
told him of the plan, he was ready to go down in a hail of bullets, fighting the Nazis generals
rather than to surrender over his friends. Rommel refused the resistance, and said ‘I
must go, They’ve only given me 10 minutes.’ He then put on his overcoat and made his way
out of the house, taken by the generals, and he paused on the driveway to stop his dog
following him. Outside was an SS driver who waited outside, and the two generals waved
goodbye. He got into Burgdorf’s car, and Rommel was driven out of the town, with the
two Nazi officials sitting each side of him to prevent an escape.
It was inside isolated woodland near the town of Herrlingen where Rommel died. The road
from the village passes up a steep hill and into a dense forest. There are a number of
different accounts of Rommel’s death that outline different things. The car had disappeared
into the forest, and after stopping the driver and Maisel left car leaving Rommel alone with
Burgdorf who had brought the poison. It was claimed by the driver that he returned and
saw Rommel sobbing after consuming the cyanide, however this is doubtful as it’s claimed
he returned 10 minutes later seeing Rommel take his last breathes, but cyanide killed
usually within 3 minutes. It’s mostly believed that Burgdorf who stayed with Rommel to ensure
he took his own life after around 5 minutes summoned the others over, and when they saw
the car they saw Rommel slumped over in the craw with his field marshals baton fallen
from him. Twenty minutes after he left his house, his family were telephoned and notified
of Erwin Rommel’s death.
The public were informed that Rommel died of a heart attack or a cerebral embolism,
following the attack on his car. Hitler to give Creedence to the false story ordered
a national day of mourning to commemorate his death, and a state funeral was held. The
truth behind Rommel’s death was known to the Lies after an interview with Rommel’s
window was conducted before the end of the Second World War, and his son also wrote a
letter outlining it.
Despite Rommel not undergoing an execution in the traditional sense, the ultimatum he
was offered by Adolf Hitler was a death sentence. Whichever option that the Desert Fox took
would ultimately have resulted in either his execution or death, but Rommel foresaw what
would happen if he did anything but select the option that took his own life. He’s
remembered as a skilled military general, who was ultimately purged by Hitler following
the tentative links to the plans to assassinate the leader of Nazi Germany.
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