Originally posted by davewolf
Once again some things have to be told apart.
First did you ever hear of Ted Bundy? (I said Ted, not Al...) He was a handsome, charming guy living in the U.S., I think it was in the seventies or eighties. Many predicted a great political career for him. But in some nights he used to cut women to pieces. And even after he was arrested most people couldn't believe that he was guilty and, now hold your breath, he got many love letters!
Second of course looking at a period when being a fascist was quite normal in Europe and when Amon Goeths were walking throuh their concentration camps and killing people whenever they liked to how could someone who loved his german shephard be insane? But today we know more about it (if we want to) than the people who were trapped by Hitler's charisma.
There's no serious doubt that he at least (if not more) knew about the mass murders. So he knew it and did nothing to stop it! Wouldn't you call such person insane? Is violence already that ordinary that this might not be abnormal? If so then I wouldn't definitely want to be 'normal'!
My opinion is - I don't know if it's new but at least I never read about it - that he had not only a strong inferiority complex tending to be destructive, but he was a potential suicide.
If you want to know why you'll have to wait for another post. I'm too lazy to go on writing now...
Anyway trying to understand someone's mind is like trying to look behind a curtain.
Dave
P.S. Even more off topic: Why Rundstedt, Herr GFM? Why not Rommel, Guderian, Manstein (if a german at all)?
Well, I like von Rundstedt and he differed from the rest, or at least several, of the other personalities in the German Wehrmacht. Rommel for instance can be described as a social climber, a "career gold-digger". In the beginning of the war he, along with many other officers of the German army, greeted and joined Hitler and his expansionistic visions. Then, later on when the German war fortune was gone, he suddenly suddenly turned against the nazis. Furthermore, I believe Rommel was and is an overestimated superior commander. He was a good tactician and knew how to motivate his men to perform their best at all times,
but he lacked some strategical abilities. Of course he anticipated that Allied air power would disrupt German counter-attacks at Normandy if the armored support was placed too far away from the beaches. In short, I think he was an exceptional corps commander but not suited for higher commands. But that's only my personal opinion and i do not expect you to agree.
v. Manstein on the other was in many ways the opposite character of Rommel. He excelled in strategy, but lacked Rommel's seductive charisma. v. Manstein was somewhat short of character, if I may say so. Knew about the Einsatzgruppen, but refused to act. At the same time he didn't follow Hitler's orders and fell from grace. Perhaps foolish orders, but orders are orders... Most of the time anyways...
Guderian was a bulldog, and a successful one too, and he, not Rommel, was in my opinion Germany's answer to Patton. A very competent commander and co-inventor of the German blitzkrieg doctrine. He even had the balls to oppose Hitler at several staff meetings, when he served as CoS at OKH. My choice was between v. Rundstedt and Generaloberst Guderian, but it's more fun to be v. Rundstedt because he outranked "alte Heinz".
v. Rundstedt was respected by both German nazis/officers, especially Hitler himself, which was very important in those days, and the Allies. He was an organizer, not a warrior; a staff officer, not a grunt. He did his job well and even managed to live through the entire war, without being killed by American bombs or the Gestapo.
I hope this answers your question?
Regards, von Rundstedt (OB WEST)
"We never underestimated the Red Army, contrary to the general conception. The last German military attaché in Moscow, General Köstring - a very competent man - had kept us well-informed about the condition of the Red Army. But Hitler refused to believe h
