Rommels' grave

[Shugster]

I was talking to my neighbour the other day and he said that the old Dessert Fox was a local lad. I took a few pictures for those interested...

This is the memorial at the location where the Gestapo drove him about a Mile from his house and gave him the choice of either topping himself or face a firing squad and be stripped of his awards...





The plaque says..

It was here that General Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was forced to commit suicide on 14/10/1944.
He took the poison capsule and sacrificed himself to save the lives of his family from Hitlers henchmen.

If anyone wants the originals just PM me.

 

[Shugster]

Here's his grave itself...

 

[Ex-Bay]

I hope someone occasionally pays tribute to a brave man and skilled soldier.
His son, Manfred, used to be the Mayor of Stutgart.

 

[loopallu]

Went to see the site in the 80's and there was a group of Afrika Corp veterans tidying up the area.

 

[Shugster]

Went to see the site in the 80's and there was a group of Afrika Corp veterans tidying up the area.

If you look at the top picture there is a dark green ribbon at the bottom, that had 'Afrika Corps' written on it. So they haven't forgotten this Great leader, and rightly so.

 

[Talk Wrench]

I read a concise article about Rommel some months ago and the overall opinion of him was that he was a gifted tactician and at the top of the league of desert warfare at the time. He also was defiant to the third reich in his refusal to execute captured Jews and was known to treat British PoWs with dignity and respect.

He was also implicated in a plot to kill Hitler himself.


Rommel was not just "another Nazi" He had a strong social conscience and was appalled at many of the policies and actions of the Nazi Party. But his strategic judgement impressed Hitler, allowing him to rise the rank of General Feld Marschall .

However, he was our enemy.

The memorial needs to be kept intact for future generations to see.


Nice one Shugs.


TW

 

[Gunnerrock]

So whats the actual location then?

GR

Cancel last, Mr Google just told me.

 

[Rikster]

On a similar vein, I visited the grave of Michael Wittmann in La Cambe German war cemetry Normandy. There are over 21,000 buried here, and its a very moving experience, and quite different to allied cemetries.

the whole crew of Wittmans PzKpfw VI "007" from 2.Kp S.SS Pz.Abt 100 "LSSAH" (thats Tiger 007 from the 2nd Coy of the heavy panzer Btlln SS "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" Div, to the uninitiated), are buried together their remains only being found in 1983.
The crew:

SS-Sturmmann Rudolf "Rudi" Hirschel (radioman) 24/1/3 - 44/8/8
SS-Unterscharführer Henrich Reimers (driver) 24/5/11 - 44/8/8
SS-Unterscharführer Karl Wagner (observer) 20/5/31 - 44/8/8
SS-Sturmmann Günther Weber (loader) 24/12/21 - 44/8/8
SS-Haupsturmführer Michael Wittmann (commander) 14/4/22 - 44/8/8

The equivalent(ish) ranks :
Sturmmann: L/Cpl
Unterscharführer: Sgt
Haupsturmführer: Capt

If you don't know about Wittmann a google search will give you more than enough info.