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A former soldier has revealed how a Nazi general spared him from the firing squad in World War Two.
TV South Wales ^ | 21 November 2014

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 ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: rommel; ww2
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In the last few years leftist academics in FRG have launched a systematic campaign to denigrate Rommel and destroy the Rommel legend'. I suspect the reason is that Rommel is seen as a figure who embrace tradition cultural values and was willing , unlike virtually every other German general, to actually be willing to involve himself with those who were plotting to kill Hitler. Such a 'legend' of a hero who would really fight a tyrant state has to be destroyed.
1 posted on 11/30/2014 6:54:32 PM PST by robowombat
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To: robowombat

Rommel wasn’t a Nazi.


2 posted on 11/30/2014 7:16:26 PM PST by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: robowombat
Yes. The German officer corps were the aristocracy of the nation and generally held Hitler in contempt. While they were unwilling to launch a coup to unseat Hitler in the wake of his stunning string of diplomatic successes prior to Poland, the majority loved their country and detested what Hitler was doing to it. As the war dragged on and the tide turned following DDay, many (not all) tacitly signed a "separate peace" and treated Allied (western) prisoners with decency.
3 posted on 11/30/2014 7:16:28 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: laplata

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.

CC


4 posted on 11/30/2014 7:31:08 PM PST by Celtic Conservative (Hodie Christus Natus est!)
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5 posted on 11/30/2014 7:33:47 PM PST by RedMDer (I don't listen to Liars but when I do I know it's Barack Obama.)
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To: Celtic Conservative

Correct.


6 posted on 11/30/2014 7:42:23 PM PST by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: robowombat

Let me get this straight - the guy was smoking in his 20s and is now 95 years old. Hmmm.


7 posted on 11/30/2014 7:58:38 PM PST by BobL (I'm so old, I can remember when most hate crimes were committed by whites - Thomas Sowell, 2014)
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To: CougarGA7

ping and happy thanksgiving.


8 posted on 11/30/2014 8:02:05 PM PST by Tijeras_Slim
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To: laplata

Since he was questioned by Rommel, the Gestapo decided no further questioning was necessary. What a lucky guy.


9 posted on 11/30/2014 8:03:37 PM PST by Sasparilla
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To: robowombat
and there standing behind the desk was Field Marshall Rommel, so I gave him the courtesy of standing to attention.

Might have helped in this case - the courtesy of one officer and gentleman to another.

10 posted on 11/30/2014 8:06:26 PM PST by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: Celtic Conservative

The duo were captured.
What happened to the other guy? Was he kaput?


11 posted on 11/30/2014 8:07:33 PM PST by minnesota_bound
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To: naturalman1975

A time when those things mattered to some.


12 posted on 11/30/2014 8:08:44 PM PST by Tijeras_Slim
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To: robowombat

And PS - The US Army shot “saboteurs” not in uniform during WWII


13 posted on 11/30/2014 8:10:48 PM PST by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: Sasparilla

Yes, very lucky.


14 posted on 11/30/2014 8:14:08 PM PST by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: laplata

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.


15 posted on 11/30/2014 8:14:53 PM PST by SoCal Pubbie
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To: BobL

Let me get this straight - the guy was smoking in his 20s and is now 95 years old. Hmmm.


Good for him.


16 posted on 11/30/2014 8:16:53 PM PST by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: robowombat

After eating, he said “Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I ate your lunch!”


17 posted on 11/30/2014 8:19:01 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Larry Lucido

LOL!


18 posted on 11/30/2014 8:19:55 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Democrats have a lynch mob mentality. They always have.)
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To: SoCal Pubbie

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.


19 posted on 11/30/2014 8:21:03 PM PST by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: laplata

Yes as I wrote, a mixed bag. When it came time to act to remove Hilter, he did nothing.


20 posted on 11/30/2014 8:25:14 PM PST by SoCal Pubbie
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