The famous German general "Desert Fox" Rommel was able to rocket like a rocket, which can be said to be achieved under hitler's hand, and in just two and a half years, he was promoted from a major general division commander to an army marshal and commander-in-chief of the African Panzer Army, becoming Hitler's favorite general. In 1943, when the German army in North Africa was gone, Hitler specially transferred Rommel back to the country to "recuperate", and his grace was not reduced, and then on New Year's Day 1944, he appointed him commander-in-chief of Army Group B on the Western Front.
Marshal Rommel
However, only ten months later, Hitler suddenly decided to "give death" to the beloved general, on the grounds that Rommel was involved in the assassination of himself in the "720 Incident", which was a huge change that was really puzzling, because there was no direct evidence that Rommel was involved in the activities of the conspiratorial group. So why did Hitler make up his mind to let his former love die? In the confusion of history, three key figures have played an important role, including a lieutenant general, a lieutenant colonel and a party stick.
The story begins on July 17, 1944, when the Battle of Normandy had been fought for more than a month, and in the early morning of the same day, Rommel drove to inspect the Normandy front, met with the commander of the Panzer Group on the Western Front, Spencer, and Dietrich, the commander of the 1st SS Panzer Corps, and at four o'clock in the afternoon on the way back to the headquarters, they were bombed by Allied aircraft, two British Hurricane fighters strafed the Marshal's car, Rommel was seriously injured and unconscious on the spot, and was urgently sent back to the rear for treatment. Three days later, the famous bombing of World War II, the "720 Incident", which shocked the world, broke out.
Rommel
In fact, the rebel officers waiting for news in Berlin did a terrible job, and when Colonel Stauffenberg escaped from the wolf's den and returned to the reserve command in Berlin, he was surprised to find that his comrades had done nothing, were in a state of confusion and confusion, so the situation was quickly calmed down by Goebbels. The ones who really started faster were the "comrades" who conspired against the group far away in Paris, France.
At four o'clock in the afternoon of July 20, 1944, Stauffenberg telephoned his cousin Lieutenant Colonel Holfach in Paris, urging them to act immediately to "revolt". So the main member of the conspiracy group, Lieutenant General Stuart Nagel, the German military governor in France, ordered the arrest of the SS members, and before dark, all 1,200 SS security officers and men in Paris were disarmed and imprisoned by the Wehrmacht.
Promoted to Field Marshal
Late one night, Hitler made a speech on the radio, first to prove that he was still alive, and second, to demand that all German officers and men abide by the oath of allegiance, which meant that the "720 Incident" was a complete failure. The next day, Marshal Kruger, who had temporarily taken over as commander-in-chief of Army Group B, finally took a stand, denying any plans for the mutiny and demanding that Stuartgner immediately release the captured SS officers.
The latter had to do so, and the army generals held a cocktail party at the Rafael Hotel in Paris that night to shock the newly released senior SS officers, which was both sad and comical, because the SS would immediately arrest the Wehrmacht generals involved as ordered, and a day earlier they had almost all been shot. After the reception, Stülgener was ordered to report to Berlin, but on the way he raised a gun and committed suicide, but did not die, and was blinded and escorted to Berlin by the SS for trial, and Lieutenant Colonel Holfach was immediately arrested.
Hitler and Rommel
So it was this lieutenant general and the lieutenant colonel who sent Rommel to Yellow Springs Road: Stuartger was taken to the army hospital after committing suicide, and in the process of rescuing himself, he muttered Rommel's name. Now it seems that he believes that if Rommel is in power, he will never be as perfidious and ruthless as Kruger, and the German army on the Western Front may really "oppose the water" and make peace with the Allies, so it is very unwilling and nostalgic, which belongs to the subconscious behavior of can't help but be.
So suppose Rommel was not wounded, but continued to command the most powerful German army group on the Western Front, would he really support the rebellion and rebellion against Hitler? I am personally skeptical that, on the one hand, Rommel did not support the physical elimination of Hitler, and on the other hand, as long as Hitler proved that he was alive, Rommel did not have enough prestige to persuade the Germans on the Western Front to advance with him. All in all, Stuartger's call was promptly and truthfully reported by the secret police.
Marshal Kruger
In the field hospital, Rommel wrote to his wife Lucy after learning of the 720 incident: "I was extremely shocked that someone actually tried to murder the Führer, thank God, everything is finally safe", which fully demonstrates Rommel's complicated attitude towards Hitler, he was loyal to Hitler and could not stand him, he wanted to overthrow Hitler but never thought of killing him. There is reason to believe that he was aware of the activities of the anti-Hitler conspiracy group, although he was not personally involved, because on the Western Front, it was the "hardest hit area" for the activities of the conspiracy group.
Soon after, on September 7, Rommel's chief of staff, Speidal, was arrested (he was not wronged), and the fainting Rommel demanded Hitler's release, which increased the mustache's suspicions. Lieutenant Colonel Holfach was brutally tortured at the Gestapo headquarters in Berlin, and the guys' methods of torture were appalling.
Marshal Keitel
After a long period of torture, the lieutenant colonel finally collapsed, confessed that Rommel was indeed involved in the 720 conspiracy, and quoted Rommel's original words: "Tell the people of Berlin, they can count on me", whether this statement was said or not, it is impossible to confirm, because Rommel did not get the opportunity to confront Hofak.
The Confessions compiled by the Gestapo were rushed to the "Wolf's Den" base camp in Rustenburg, and the half-convinced Hitler was furious and scolded, but did not immediately give the order to execute Rommel. At this time, the Nazi party stick Baumann nailed the last nail in Rommel's coffin: even if Rommel was not involved in the 720 conspiracy, he must be the one who knew, and the failure to report the knowledge was the same as the rebellion, so Hitler made up his mind to let Rommel die.
Rommel's remains
As for why Rommel was forced to commit suicide by poisoning, Marshal Keitel, chief of staff of the Supreme High Command, later confessed in the Nuremberg courtroom: "The Fuehrer realizes that it would be a great shame if this famous field marshal, Germany's most popular general, was arrested and taken to the people's court." Therefore, after consulting with Keitel, Hitler decided to show Rommel the evidence against him and then give him a choice:
He was either put on trial in the so-called "people's court" or committed suicide on his own initiative, and if he committed suicide, he would receive a state funeral with full military honors after his death, while preserving his family. In the early hours of October 14, 1944, two Chincha departed from the Wolf's Den with missions, General Burgdorff, an aide-de-camp to the Führer's headquarters, and General Messer, the head of the Army's personnel department, who arrived at Rommel's home in Herlingen at noon, which had been openly surrounded by local SS armored vehicles (initially under secret surveillance).
Rommel with his wife and children
There was no room for negotiation, and Rommel had no choice, and after only five minutes of conversation, the suicide of the field marshal was a foregone conclusion, and he bid farewell to his wife and children and followed the two generals to the car, drove two miles out of the country, and then took poison and committed suicide. The German authorities announced that Rommel had died of his wounds on 17 July, and Hitler's telegram of condolences to Lucy arrived at the first time: "Your husband's death has brought you great losses, please accept my sincerest condolences, Marshal Rommel's heroic name will always be associated with the heroic battles of North Africa"!
Marshal Rondestedt, a veteran of the German army, represented the Wehrmacht at Rommel's funeral, and it was a great shame.
Rommel funeral