Une collection particulière....

Suite à mon article sur « le Journal d’un Allemand …suite », mon adorable lectrice m’a encore interpelée sur un point évoqué dans ce papier : le Maréchal Rommel.

Point de critiques, cette fois (étonnant, non ?), mais plutôt une interrogation légitime sur, je cite, « cette fascination pour un soldat allemand déchu ».

Si je dois objecter sur un mot dans la phrase, cela ne sera absolument pas à propos de « fascination », mais de « déchu ».

Il est demeuré droit dans ses bottes (ce que j’admire habituellement chez toute personne) jusqu’à la fin devant la folie de certains. Il a eu ce sens du sacrifice qui mérite un respect certain.

Résumer la vie de Rommel me prendrait sept ou huit pages (ce que j’ai déjà effectué, par ailleurs dans ce -très vieux- document) mais surtout ne justifierait pas mon profond intérêt pour lui.

Honnêtement, je ne crois pas être capable de définir le moment M où j’ai commencé à apprécier ce militaire. Ce dont je me souviens, c’est d’avoir lu et relu un passage sur l’avancée de la VIIe Panzer et d’avoir trouvé fascinant le mouvement d’attaque. Dès lors, j’ai quémandé des livres sur cette période et sur ce « Rommel ». 

Mon grand-père maternel  m’a alors trouvé dans le grenier et les bibliothèques de la maison des livres, des magazines et autres fascicules sur la période et la personne évoquées. Mon autre grand-père m’a expliqué alors son expérience dans les chars en 1940 et cela n’a fait que conforter mon envie de me renseigner.

En parlant avec ma grand-mère maternelle, j’ai appris son passage dans la zone interdite vers Mers Les Bains lors de l’inspection pré-débarquement, et appris d’autres aspects de sa carrière militaire. Dès lors, je pense que j’ai dévoré les biographies et surtout son « Infanterie d’Attaque » et ses « mémoires sans haine ».

Alors, oui, en effet, je collectionne les ouvrages en tous genres, les photos et autres objets reliés à ce « soldat allemand » et je n’ai pas à en rougir. Je suis désolée mais je possède une âme de collectionneuse (défaut familial).

Je sais que cet intérêt peut paraître étonnant et peu reluisant aux yeux de beaucoup, mais comprendre, connaître et apprécier un homme ne signifie pas approuver le régime au cours duquel il a officié.

Il fut à la fois respecté par ses hommes, par ses pairs (et jalousés) et surtout par ses ennemis. Nombreux généraux alliés lui rendirent hommage après les batailles et après sa mort. Le fait que sa loyauté en tant que soldat allemand et comme stratège, fut reconnue conforte mon opinion sur l’intérêt que je lui porte.

Rien n’est ni blanc, ni noir lors d’une guerre, et le véritable aspect d’une personne ne se dévoile, généralement, que dans les moments extrêmes. Bien ou mal, il faut alors choisir et s’y tenir.

Rommel a sans aucun doute commis des erreurs de jugement, mais qui, dans cette période troublée, n’en a pas commis. Sa clairvoyance sur le régime à un certain moment a, au moins, eu le mérite de prouver qu’il était intelligent et doté d’une réflexion que certains n’ont pas voulu entamer.

Quoique l’on puisse penser de lui en tant que militaire, il n’en demeure pas moins un personnage de l’Histoire contemporaine suffisamment fascinant pour entretenir cette attention auprès d’historiens et autres passionnés d’Histoire sans jamais s’essouffler.

Le mot de la fin…. Winston Churchill (volume 3 « In the Second War War - The Grand Alliance » 1950 – p.177 - Boston: Houghton Mifflin) a écrit à propos d’Erwin Rommel :

“He was a splendid military gambler, dominating the problems of supply and scornful of opposition ... His ardor and daring inflicted grievous disasters upon us, but he deserves the salute which I made him — and not without some reproaches from the public — in the House of Commons in January 1942, when I said of him, "We have a very daring and skillful opponent against us, and, may I say across the havoc of war, a great general."
He also deserves our respect because, although a loyal German soldier, he came to hate Hitler and all his works, and took part in the conspiracy to rescue Germany by displacing the maniac and tyrant. For this, he paid the forfeit of his life. In the sombre wars of modern democracy, chivalry finds no place ... Still, I do not regret or retract the tribute I paid to Rommel, unfashionable though it was judged.”

Part I : A collector ? Me ? Yes, indeed...

I’ve already written upon my interest on History and I mentioned this military man too. 

I am talking about German Feldmarschall Erwin Rommel. I really can’t remember the exact moment when I started to be interested into his career and life, but it’s been quite for a few decades. What I do remember is the speech from my grandfathers, uncles and cousins who fought during the WWII and we were rather appreciative of him.  Their positive attitudes toward a German General made me want to know more about him and his book on military strategy pleased me at once. This is the first book I read from him : “Infantry attacks”. It was so remarkable and fascinating. I asked for more information and my grandparents taught me a few facts, bought me books and I started to learn more about him.

Then, when I was 14, I became more interested into the WWII and specifically on the IIIe Reich. It is not a nasty curiosity or even erroneous convictions, but it is just that I wanted to know the facts and how this situation happened. Since I’ve been 10, I’ve wanted to be a forensic to “explain death to the living ones”.  So, I wanted to know any detail of this period to understand (or try to) how humans can be as mean and inhuman as some had been.

I’ve read books, seen films, documents and TV reports, heard stories from soldiers (French, English and German) and even met a few. I just wanted to know more about their reasoning. I read the basic books on IIIe Reich, forbidden books included. I am not supposed to list some here and I won’t because I don’t want this blog to serve as springboard to certain ideologies.

But I read them all to make an opinion.

I think that whenever you want to know and understand a History fact you ought to read any version of it.

Anyhow, the more I learnt about Rommel, the more interested I was. The fact is that I was buying many books and without notice it I’ve kind of started a collection. I have more than 150 books based on, related to or from Rommel. I own first editions, second hand book and mainly hard covers. I just think that this collection is one of the most surprising I’ve made. I also have some original photos, and objects. Most of them I’ve been bought in bookshops or from Internet. Some had been given to me after a soldier’s death. I met him twice and he wanted me to get his military papers and photos. I was quite sorry for his family but they didn’t want the souvenirs anymore. So, I kept them.

As for Rommel, my grandmother (mom’s side) saw him a couple of times in 1944 before the D Day while he inspected the defense lines on the Channel French coasts. She was living in the “forbidden” area close to Mers Les Bains (Somme). I guess that many times people told me that he had an aura. His soldiers were appreciative of him, but his enemies too. A British soldier told me that he was respected on the battlefield because he was along with his men and never ran back toward the enemies. It is most likely why I like this character.

I based my final dissertation on him and the analysis of his Infantry book. The fact that I am interested into Rommel doesn’t mean that I agree with the actions he did or the speeches he said. It is just that inquisitiveness about a part of History.

History & I

History… Gosh ! What do I want to explain my link to History for ? Again, it’s a family “business” ; Again involving my grandparents, father & uncle. I can not remember a single day without hearing a “History” conversation, whatsoever. My interest of the WWI & WWII came from my grandparents whom shared with me all theirs souvenirs from those periods. The Middle Ages, the castles, the wars in general came from my father. My uncle interested me into South American & Russian Histories. As far as I’m concerned, I am into german History from 1919 to 1949 and into Russian History from 1790 to 1953. Then, I am fond of History of England & Ireland. Hungary & Chile draw my attention too.

In fact, I am a History freak. I have so many books about History and collect on a few characters and I buy too many more books yearly to expand my shelves without feeling disturbed by the volume of it. One of my most important collections is upon German soldier, Erwin Rommel. I treasure any book I own on him and some photos/postcards/military papers.

When I’ve decided to write a book upon my village in Périgord, it was mainly History which interested me. Geography, Places & people were attracted of course, but knowing how the village had been built, upon which treaty, with whom nobles families, etc. was way to be fascinating for me to stop looking for in Libraries. I wish I could have worked more on that book but I was already working full time and I didn’t had that much spare time to travel by and to major libraries (which some could say it is not an obvious excuse, I bet !). I think that I did a decent job and I am still looking from archives to find out extras details. I think that my whole life shall be devoted to that purpose.  Nevertheless, this village is tiny and wasn’t famous, even though it was strategically located and had been a main interest to many people (Churches, Nobility, etc.).  

In fact, I believe that we have a historic inheritance to carry on our shoulders. We all are from a culture, a religion, a country (or more) and have this legacy in our blood. History has to be shared within a family and beyond that to a larger level. I feel like my family historian and just want to keep on putting along the photos and stories I’ve learnt all my life through the ancients. Nevertheless, I bet that, one day, this legacy would die, more or less, but without roots I think one can’t move on. I remember that an old classmate was adopted and when he turned 16, despite the love he had for his adoptive parents, he went to the country where he was born and looked for any history of his family. He didn’t meet any of them, if I can remember that clearly, but he found out a few papers and a photo in the file of the administration. He told me later that he had found his roots and that he could move on in life with his beloved parents on his side. He was happy to know that he belonged to a civilization and culture and was richer from that diversity.

About History in general, both sides have to be read, learnt and understood. You can know only one part of the story. Both sides have interest for Historians and for any person. My father taught me that before taking a decision on a historic fact, I needed to know both parts of the story (or third, if you consider “neutral situation”). I respected that teaching and I am trying to do so.

Whatever you believe in or think of, you need to stay focus that what you were not living at that period of time and you can’t judge from your actual perspective. It would be a deviation of the History. I often remember the discussion I had a few years ago about a book “The Reader” with some acquaintances. They were saying that it was obviously a shame to evocate the possibility of this woman living freely after what she’d done in the WWII. I answered back that they were judging the book over the nowadays knowledge of this period of the war and weren’t taking the ambience back then.

Nor, I won’t be able to say which side I would have been during WWII in France : resistance or the people whom lived egoist not caring about the others to save their own lives. Now, in 2012, no doubt that I shall tell you “I’d have been a resistant” knowing that France was liberated in 1944 and that Resistance sort of won on the battlefield. But, back then, without any clue of the victory, under the Nazi doctrine, with an army totally lost and beaten, with a collaboration political system, I would have probably decided to stay on my path, trying to get food, be safe (and my family) and hoping for better days without being arrested, tortured or slaughtered.

That is why I love History. You have to put yourself in another situation trying out to discern how to react and to think. Moreover, History fascinates me because of all those people whom lived and died for thousand years to build the world I live in. All the sacrifices, the hopes, the defeats, the joys, the wars, the treaties of peace, which lead to today world, had been done from people whom believed in the future. They were not thinking about you, but only their children.

Anyhow, I now think of them and I am grateful, truly obliged.