An Honourable Death

Noble Soldier

We grew up in a post-World War II home.  Our father had fought against Rommel in the Desert Campaign.  In retrospect there was an oddity associated with our parents' recounting of that campaign.  The Desert Fox was always spoken of with great respect.

Rommel's reputation amongst other things was that of being a stickler for the standards, rules, and regulations of the Geneva Conventions of warfare.  At one point we learned that the Allies were treating German prisoners in a "vigorous" manner, shall we say.  Word got around.  Rommel took to the airwaves and rebuked the Allied commanders to the effect that if such breaches continued, he would be forced to retaliate.  The upshot?  The Allied commanders immediately cleaned up the acts of a minority of their troops.

Rommel was not a Nazi: he never joined the party.  He was a product of the Prussian military aristocracy.  He and his family were professing Christians.  As more of the depredations of Hitler and the Nazis became known to him, the more uncomfortable Rommel became--even to the point of becoming involved in the famous plot to assassinate the Fuhrer.

He was "informally" executed by the Nazis.