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wrap this up. Let's git 'er done.
Posted on 11/30/2014 6:54:32 PM PST by robowombat
21 November 2014 Last updated at 13:11 ET
A former soldier has revealed how a Nazi general spared him from the firing squad in World War Two.
Roy Wooldridge, 95, from Hendy, Carmarthenshire, .....
Mr Wooldridge, who was twice awarded the Military Cross, was sent a telegram ordering him to report to his unit just three days after his wedding in 1944.
The lieutenant, who was later promoted to captain, was sent to the French beaches with a colleague to ensure there were no mines which could blow up the boats during the D-Day landings.
Due to the secretive nature of the mission, he was not wearing a uniform or carrying identification.
The duo were captured
He was then blindfolded and taken to a chateau where he was ordered up a flight of stairs.
"I opened the door... and there standing behind the desk was Field Marshall Rommel, so I gave him the courtesy of standing to attention.
....... After his request to the general, he was taken to the mess hall where a stein of beer, a packet of cigarettes and a meal of meatballs, potatoes and sauerkraut were waiting.
....... After his meeting with Rommel, he was taken to Paris.
He said: "When I got to the Prisoner of War camp, a German guard who spoke English said 'you're a very lucky man, if you hadn't been to see Rommel you would have been shot as a saboteur.'"
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Rommel wasn’t a Nazi.
Correct. He never joined the party. He was one of the last of the traditional Prussian officer corps. Most old-school German soldiers loathed Hitler. They called him “that Bohemian corporal” behind his back. Rommels son ended up rising to the rank of general in the West German Bundeswehr.
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Correct.
Let me get this straight - the guy was smoking in his 20s and is now 95 years old. Hmmm.
ping and happy thanksgiving.
Since he was questioned by Rommel, the Gestapo decided no further questioning was necessary. What a lucky guy.
Might have helped in this case - the courtesy of one officer and gentleman to another.
The duo were captured.
What happened to the other guy? Was he kaput?
A time when those things mattered to some.
And PS - The US Army shot “saboteurs” not in uniform during WWII
Yes, very lucky.
Rommel’s history re: Nazism is a mixed bag. No, he was not a Nazi but like many German soldiers embraced, or at least did not oppose, the Nazis who were going to rebuild the German Armed forces. This is not to denegrate the man but to point out the old adage about good men doing nothing.
Let me get this straight - the guy was smoking in his 20s and is now 95 years old. Hmmm.
Good for him.
After eating, he said “Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I ate your lunch!”
LOL!
Some good men did nothing. On July 20, 1944 a lot of good men did something.
Rommel did what he could. He stood up to Hitler and was told to leave the room.
Yes as I wrote, a mixed bag. When it came time to act to remove Hilter, he did nothing.
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