Between the Wars
Germany was defeated by the Allies in 1918. Rommel, like all patriotic Germans was devastated by the defeat. His first task was to find employment. The Treaty of Versailles disbanded the German army but permitted a new army of 100 000 men to be formed: the Reichswehr. Rommel immediately applied for it. There were thousands of applicants for each position. Rommel was only accepted on the basis of his reputation.
He was then attached to the Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 13 which� had the responsibility of quelling various rebellions, or putsches. Rommel had the gift of imposing discipline and respect.
"Your medals are a symbol of a defeated empire," some mutinous sailors under Rommel's command told him. He then pointed out that the medals served to remind him of the times he had spent in combat, times when he prayed to Almighty God to save the German Fleet. "And my prayers have been answered because you are here!" The sailors then became exemplary company.
Various coup attempts were made and at several times Germans were asked to fire on Germans. Rommel was a soldier without politics and quelled rebellions without violence, by implying his troops should be proud of Germany and unify it once more.
Rommel served for 14 years in the army of the Weimar Republic. In 1924 he had command of a machine gun company and he periodically was attached to other regiments to give ski instruction.
Rommel's son Manfred was born on Christmas Day, 1928. As a family man Rommel was devoted, loyal and domesticated, He always found his primary happiness with his wife and son. Erwin and Lucy� rode, skied, canoed and explored every chance they got. Rommel was a countryman at heart. In spite of his uncanny natural skill for war whenever Rommel referred to the bloody war of 1914-18 he described it as 'a stupid activity, a business no one should wish repeated. He had thoroughly enjoyed his soldiering, but he had watched Germany's painful death.
In 1929 Rommel instructed at the Infantry school at Dresden. Rommel was apolitical but empathized with the feelings of his generation that National Socialism seemed the Jugendbeuregeing, the movement of the future.
At Dresden, Rommel was an extremely popular instructor- he spoke from experience and lectured in a way that no one was ever bored, confused or inattentive. His stories of the taking of Mount Matajur and other battlefield exploits captivated�the cadet audience. He spent four years at Dresden, during which time he wrote a book, Infantrie greift an - The Infantry Attacks - to be published in 1937. He liked teaching, he enjoyed inspiring the young, and developed his skills at communication and exposition. A mathematician, technologically gifted and inventive he was a practical man also interested in theory. He undertook and recorded action while simultaneously drawing lessons from his action.�
When Hitler received congratulationsfrom the cabinet and Hindenburg for restoring Germany, Rommel was one of many who approved. Five weeks after Hindenburg died Hitler made all German soldiers, SS and regular army, swear an oath to him personally. The Battalion Rommel had under his
command had a long and proud history. It served in the Seven Years War, Gibraltar
and, more interestingly, at Waterloo. Rommel first met Hitler briefly in
September, 1934. Later that month Hitler visited Goslar, where Rommel's
battalion was stationed. An interesting story happened on that day. Rommel found
SS men being drawn up for the personal protection of Hitler. Rommel threatened
to march his men home unless the SS men were removed, since he regarded their
presence as an insult that his own troops were inadequate to protect his Fuhrer.
Rommel won the argument and the SS men were removed. A year later, 1935, Rommel was
posted to the War Academy at Potsdam. Rommel was nearly 44, but he was, and
remained, the young commander who had done legendary things in France, Italy and
Rumania. 'As a young captain, I already knew how to lead an army.' Rommel was a demanding father, and
he expected Manfred to develop the same qualities he had developed. Manfred,
however was highly independent and did what he thought was right for him, not
his father. Rebelling against conventional religion, Manfred listened to his
father argue the case for a god. Rommel never joined the Nazi party,
even when it was the right thing for an officer to do. Rommel had full
confidence in Hitler. The Fuhrer was updating the German army and telling
the populace that to serve the Fatherland was a thing to be proud of. Hitler
also believed that the army was a necessary school for youth. In February, 1937, Rommel was
assigned to the HitlerJugend organization as War Ministry Liaison
Officer. The HitlerJugend consisted of approximately 5.5 million boys. Infanterie greift an by this
time had been published with widespread readership. Among these readers was
Adolf
Hitler and most members of the HitlerJugend. This book earned the respect
of the HJ, but he fell out with the HJ leader, Baldur von Shirach.�Reasons
differ but the main reason appears to be that Rommel felt that Shirach knew
nothing of soldiering; that he had no right to be Rommel's superior.
