The allies had already agreed on unconditional surrender. I doubt if the conspirators would have accepted this. There were no SS in the plot at all and Friedrich is right about Rommel. He wasnt directly involved in the plot. It's ironic that Speidel, who got him involved should have survived whilst Rommel died. Could he have led the Wehrmacht? Rundstedt did not like him, indeed he had many critics in the OKW and OKH. How many of them would have rallied to his cause?? I think that Rommel's involvement may not have worked
Initially the German Army was hesitant of putting their support behind a individual such as Adolf Hitler. With eventual pressure and the propoganda instigated by Nazi-affliated soldiers, the German Army soon fell sway. A good book,Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer (sic.) brings forth good resources concerning the German Armies reluctance. Just because Hitler had General Ludendorff on his side from the beginning does not necessarily rule out a automatic 'hoorah' on the part of the average german soldier. this is from an uneducated layman's perspective, i'm new to WWII history and learning all I can :ph34r:
A couple of good books on the subject of the Nazis and the German Army. O'Neill, Robert J., The German Army and the Nazi Party 1933-1939 Corgi, London, 1968 Craig A. Gordon, The Politics of the Prussian Army 1640 - 1945 OUP, London, 1978 PP383-503
Most soldiers in the Wehrmacht were apolitical. They just knew Hitler was making Germany into a great nation. The higher-ups in it were generally not on par with Hitler's views and Hitler came to distrust the Wehrmacht.
Also Rommel's involvment in the plot would not have made a difference in its success but if it had worked, then i think a seperate peace with the Western Allies could have een reached.
Originally posted by Field Marshal Rommel@Jun 27 2005, 04:00 PM Also Rommel's involvment in the plot would not have made a difference in its success but if it had worked, then i think a seperate peace with the Western Allies could have een reached. [post=35887]Quoted post[/post] I think not. It would have been a betrayal of our allies the Soviet Union. And would Germany have been prepared to withdraw all forces to the 1939 boundaries? No. Sounds a bit like the delusions the High Command had in 1918 that they could reach a settlement in the west and keep the gains in the east.
Originally posted by Field Marshal Rommel@Jun 27 2005, 03:56 PM Most soldiers in the Wehrmacht were apolitical. [post=35886]Quoted post[/post] I think not. By 1943, the Nazis had been in power for 10 years, most soldiers had spent at least part of their childhood under the Nazis and most had been members of the HJ. They may not all have been political activists, but they were very familiar and comfortable with the Nazi line. If you get the chance, watch the 1934 movie Triumph Des Willens, filmed at that year's Nuremberg rally and the scenes of the HJ rally in particular. Now go forward 10 years and there you have the junior leaders of both the SS and the Heer in 1944, pretty keen Nazi supporters.
Originally posted by angie999@Jun 27 2005, 04:11 PM I think not. It would have been a betrayal of our allies the Soviet Union. [post=35892]Quoted post[/post] Even, when there were assasination attemp by wehrmacht Officer, Both Churchil and Roosevelt resumed their business as usual, there were no intention to negotiate terms with any of new whoever might become the chancellor/president/fuehrer of Germany. Regards
Most soldiers in the Wehrmacht were apolitical. Absolutely NOT. More than half the Army's field marshals were members of the NSDAP. Most of them were involved in war crimes and their signatures can be found in anti-semitic and political documents, such as the comissar order. What about Von Blomberg who, on his own accord, introduced nazi insignia and the arian paragraph in the Army? What about Guderian, who, as Chief of Staff of the Army, made nazi salute and political indoctrination of the troops an obligation? What about the Army carrying well over 30.000 death penalties out of political reasons? What about the hundreds of thousands of cases of delations within the Army ranks?
