Show FOR HEALTH t Biomes Rommel Rod i for Supply Failures This I Is nn- nn Note Edit s a cries aeries of If 6 het In Ie nt Telegram n rUde article salt ft Lake Uke secret ct enrY or the top sec I nR n Y t between Hitler l Id d oME O fE-Adol fE Hitler Hiller for the tIme o on March arch 14 1943 1913 reL rc- rc confidential letter to toTo L jj li d jn to n a n To M Mussolini what prompted i P to o dismiss ass Field Marshal Erto Er- Er fi Rommel from command o of oft Africa t force in North e called Vo to called desert fox id In an an n allied strafing at- at tI t- t I wrecked his command n on n a highway In Normandy r dead elther dead either murdered by orders or compelled d by his chines to commit suicide fillers filler's historic letter follows I From the Fuehrer Fuehrer's s Gen I March 14 1913 u t t your letters with aith The stabilization of oC the then ern n front which I hope to be been been en en its way already will allow oh rh h duce if your health and andr f r occupations permit it to tot with with- t you tou personally perhaps of ot time cry brief brier period bel c that this is absolutely ry because the arguments vast ASt and so absorbing that virtually 11 impossible to deal them exhaustively by letter des j I feel eel a very personal deto deto de- de to meet with you ou personally having overcome one of the thet est eat t crises of ot this war a n crisis h if has subjected my assistants i i exceptional trial f C Consolidates tes Front Fron t ut it t as I mentioned above I Ive Ive Ive ve that the cast east front has haJ been ly If consolidated and will be erect ered even e more In the coming nand land that the initiative will williI iI incompletely X in our hands lands that we have begun to take f mong Bong the matters of ot major which command my lion tion now there Is Ls oh duce in inI I position the conserva- conserva and ind the possible expansion of or orl l told iod ld in North Africa In relate rela- rela l te lp th this problem oh duce I Ito Ito Ito to to take the following stand Marshal Rommel presented jf lf to my general arid and IndI I have for tor the moment d him for reasons of oC health lie according uc according to physicians ay own personal persona impression gently bently needs rest rest and care i hi his place I shall entrust the theland theland theland land of the North African Africani i 1 of armies to Gen Cen Arnim Gen Jurgen Von Arnim now toner loner of the British rah h however to talk over definitive revamping of the jn an jn command personally with withIn In any case I beg you duce absolute secrecy on of Marshal RomI Rom- Rom I t Criticises Rommel b leg g of you therefore duce part strict orders to this cf- cf tp to your commands For no nor nor r sr how posterity will judge Marshal Rommel has been in command entrusted to him h hr hr r r loved by his soldiers soldiers par par par- I irly ily l German soldiers And for he has haa been and still enemy nemy to be feared hat Tut t L 1 Is more tragic Is that this who is one of the most valor- valor ong my officers and pos pos- 5 pos exceptional qualities of and courage should fallen down on the problem which can be solved oy y the maximum development transportation fI 1 I told Marshal Rommel pre- pre I lithe e same lame thing you oh duce me recently The Tunisian eh ad must be held at any F 1 Its Ito extension must not fore Core be contracted to such an anit it Irs s to further aggravate the em tm of transportation and andus rUSt us finally In the t of having M. to abandon it Y I Protect Convoys Con ri the 1 th e other hand however howe I at ot- ot abstain from adhering to viewpoint vIe that this Will be ble be only If Jf the problem of ot ly y and transportation Is faced v fed In a really radical man man- he dec decisive hc factor duce is the air arm ann but the tion fl of or the protection of envoys The average transition trans traM transition Uon which Germany alone furnish furnish Including that of ot the Ita amounts to from four fourur ur lur and h one half 1 million tons ly Of the these e between three wee three and a half million tons tonsa 1 a 1 along the Atlantic coast fin In part along the channel itself to reach the Ule northern tip Up of oC Norway It ll It would be completely impossible impossible impossible sible in face of British air force superiority to protect this mile route loute by aircraft alone In general the decisive factor In convoys especially as os far as torpedo planes arc are concerned is to provide adequate protection in the form of naval vessels which are properly armed and more Important important important im im- Im- Im still absolutely expertly manned Sends r The solution of oC this problem duce is o of such paramount importance importance importance im im- im- im that upon it depends the fate of your our African African posse possessions ions and at the same time constitutes a decisive factor for the thc victorious conclusion of this war It Is for this reason that I have sent you duce the best navy officer officer officer the German fleet has ever possessed Grand Adm Karl Doenitz to submit to you proposals proposals proposals pro pro- which I beg beb you duce to examine only from the point of view of ot the absolute necessity to use every means available to solve this Intricate problem 3 On the basis of ot papers at my disposal the report of oC Marshal Rommel and from conversations with several of or my my 1 most capable officers of the general I 1 have examined thoroughly what line of or conduct It Is worth while for us to assume ume with the Eighth army in every eventuality The anta ad advantage e of or the Mareth I Iline line position Is based ed o oi 01 i the fact tact that g given gen en favorable conditions It provides the best possible Jumping of off point for offensive action The disadvantage L i. is due to the un- un doubtable possibility that we might be outflanked from the westI west I If the adversary and adversary and it ft is 13 in keeping with British technique of oC war war breaks breaks through after a n powerful artillery preparation the sector near the coast which Is between 12 and 15 Hi kilometers wide and simultaneously develops de a successful successful suc sue envelopment from the west it can result first of all In the Immediate loss of all units Last Man Stand To my of or thinking the entire defensive sector mu must 1 however be supplied and defended by every everyman man that man that Is to the Ule last manI manI manI man I have already given n duce to Marshal KesselrIng the order order- parallel with the revamping rc of ol convoy traffic traffic traffic-to to hit the VIII VIll army Field Marshall Sir Bernard BernardS S S. S Montgomery's famous eighth with his entire aviation from time timeto to time A At t any rate all we can procure In the way of reinforcements reinforcements reinforcements reinforce reinforce- ments will be be- placed at your dis dis- I If we succeed duce in holding the Mareth line and l If we succeed in reorganizing our convoys no force in the world can drive us out of ot our positions in North Af Af- rica rieD To this end I have already given en the order that Immediately followIng following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing the transport of the brigade of the tenth Marsch Battali Bat- Bat tali on en and the entire Herman Goering panzer division the seventh seventh seventh sev sev- division be also readied for departure to North Africa Grand Admiral Doenitz will vill present to you ou duce a n series of proposals which he has discussed with me In detail and which in his opinion and my conviction are arc best indicated to sol solve sol Vo the supply problem Color Improved Every day lost however may cause irreparable damage All that thatis is within my power Duce to support support support sup sup- port this front will be doneIt doneIt doneIt done It would probably do you OU a world of good if even cven for a couple of d days s 's you could get gel out of oC your environment and for me it will be bea a fortune If subtracting myself from the horrible Orient tire the Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian front where for many months now I have been touring without Interruption I can see again Salzburg Salzburg-a a region which for tor us Germans represents in Its construction and in its high artistic artistic artis arUs- tic manifestations a synthesis between between between be be- tween Italian and German nature In the thc mean meantime timet duce accept the most affectionate greetings of ot him who is bound to you by loyal comradeship A ttA Hi Hitler tIer Copyright 1945 by King Features Features Features Fea Fea- tures Syndicate Reproduction In whole or part prohibited |