Rommel

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"WE ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OBEDIENCE!" HANNAH ARENDT

THIS FILM COVERS THE FINAL SEVEN MONTHS OF FIELD MARSHAL ERWIN ROMMEL'S LIFE

Herrlingen near Ulm October 14th, 1944

I'll get it.

Heil Hitler!

We are to be announced. The Field Marshal is expecting us.

- Your coats? - We will not be staying long.

- Will you take us to the General Field Marshal? - Of course.

Heil Hitler.

- General. - Field Marshal.

Madam.

- I hope you will stay for lunch. - No, thank you.

This is an official visit.

Can I ask you to let us meet in private with the Field Marshal?

Come.

I'll call if we need anything.

Aldinger, unpack the files on Normandy.

Are you still looking for a scapegoat ...

for the collapse of the Western Front?

General-Field Marshal, you are accused of being involved with the assassination attempt on the Fuhrer.

What?

"THE GERMAN WEEKLY REVIEW"

The desert fox. The victor of El Agheila ...

the hero of Tobruk, and conqueror of North Africa.

General-Field Marshal Rommel is inspecting the Atlantic.

From the North Cape to the Pyrenees ...

runs the world's largest and most modern fortifications.

Numerous Wehrmacht divisions, with hundreds of thousands of hardened soldiers ...

on the Western Front stand by ...

to beat the expected invasion of the enemy.

These are the soldiers who are protecting the freedom and culture of Europe.

They have the latest weapons.

And this is their commander. Experienced by many battles ...

awaiting calmly, and confidently, for the big confrontation.

Thanks to Rommel, Germany can sleep peacefully.

Thank you, Marshal. We'll now come up for close-ups.

Very well, if you postpone the invasion for a week.

Field Marshal, the adjutant of the Fuhrer's.

I need your support.

German officers who were captured at Stalingrad ...

sent our command letters.

- They call for the fighting to stop. - That Stalin himself, has wrote.

Unfortunately not. It is certain that the letters are not forgeries.

- Have you also gotten them? - No, otherwise I would have torn them up.

Now as the battle hardens, we need to give the Fuhrer the assurance...

that this betrayal is an incident, and his field marshals are loyal to him.

- The Fuhrer knows I'm faithful to him. - Enemy planes!

Aldinger, give me those.

They have not seen us yet.

Daniel, drive to the forest.

They have detected us.

- Do you prefer standing? - Daniel, hit the gas.

Faster. Do you see what our problem is?

With no German planes in sight. We are easy prey.

Stop.

Over there. Forward. Forget it, you'll never hit him.

Over there, hurry!

Damn.

Anyone shot?

Obersalzberg - March 15th 1944.

We express on behalf of the entire armed forces ...

our unswerving loyalty to the Fuhrer...

and National Socialism.

We will do everything to ensure ...

that each soldier will fight fanatically ...

for the national-socialist future of our people.

My aide was impressed with the Atlantic Wall.

I am looking forward to your report.

These recordings were made two weeks ago in Plymouth.

The enemy is preparing for a major landing operation.

They bring to the English Channel coast at least fifty divisions altogether.

- This should only take a few more weeks. - If it continues.

They are doing a lot of training on air landings.

It stands to reason that the landings will take place.

I am even looking forward to it.

Where do you think they will try to land?

Probably here at Calais, or Normandy.

Both peninsulas are ideally suited for a beachhead.

And how will the enemy attack?

First they'll bombarded our positions.

Then attack boats and armored landing vehicles...

under the cover of ship artillery.

Paratroopers will be placed behind the front.

What is your counter-move?

The enemy must be destroyed immediately.

The beach is the battle line.

Empty talk, Herr Rommel.

How with a coastline of more than 2000 km to defend?

We lack forces.

We place all armored divisions to the coast. I'll show you.

Within three months, it will look like this everywhere on the Atlantic Wall.

Barriers for hindering the landing crafts.

Artillery shells them directly at the landing.

And where we have no artillery in place, our tanks fulfill that role.

If the enemy breaks through our lines at one point ...

the Reich is defenseless.

Then, the enemy will be marching to Berlin ...

Our tanks would only be able to follow.

Our tanks can destroy them within 48 hours on every conceivable landing.

Before they can get a chance ...

enemy planes will be blowing them apart.

My Fuhrer, I ask that the tanks be placed under my command.

Only then can we impede the invasion.

If we put them all on the front, we will have no more reserves.

I can not take that responsibility.

You are responsible for any deficiencies in the Atlantic Wall.

While Herr Rommel within a short time has achieved great successes.

The invasion must not succeed.

If the landing operation fails, they will not try to do it again.

Then, we can use the troops for the Eastern Front.

All 45 divisions.

The outcome of the war depends on you and your soldiers,

and thus the fate of the Reich, and the entire nation.

- Are you aware of that, Field Marshal? - Yes, my Fuhrer.

Can you not wait for Manfred? He will be so disappointed.

Greet him for me. Tell him we have very little time before the enemy attacks

There is still much to do.

- You will succeed. - I must.

The Fuhrer is expecting me to save the Reich.

It's nice he trusts you again.

France - April 15, 1944

Rommel's Headquarters

There you are at last, General. We were expecting you earlier.

We were attacked twice by enemy aircraft.

Yes, their air superiority is our biggest problem.

- Captain Aldinger, my adjutant. - Delighted.

- Take the general's baggage. - You will get to meet my staff, Speidel .

What is the situation in the East?

The Russian offensive can not be stopped.

The orders from the Fuhrer are a disaster.

They claim too many victims, and prevent sensible maneuvers.

We must retreat. Then negotiate with the enemy.

- Do you want a second Versailles? - Of course not.

We will prevent the invasion.

Only then can the Fuhrer negotiate with the British and Americans from a strong position.

Gentlemen, here is our new Chief of Staff, General Speidel.

Nice to meet you.

This is Countess La Rochefoucauld, this castle was her uncle's.

- Bonjour. - Comtesse. Bonjour.

Her German is excellent. She translates for us.

Is that your famous ancestor, the author?

- " La jeunesse est une Ivresse continuelle . "

"C'est la fievre de la raison ."

What did he say?

"Youth is a state of continuous intoxication, it is a fever of the mind."

To whom are you referring to, Speidel?

The only one here that is in her youth, is the Countess.

It just suddenly came to me.

You need to be a little more polite in the presence of the Countess.

- Are you sure? - Why, aren't you?

Messieurs, have a nice evening.

Did you have to be rude, Speidel?

On the coast of Calvados is... France, the Atlantic Wall - April 17th 1944

still a gap of 40 kilometers. France, the Atlantic Wall - April 17th 1944

Without the tanks I'm pessimistic about our chances. 84th Army Corps Coastal section

Fuhrer promised tanks. I trust him.

We must continue placing obstacles Marcks.

The Allies are now training at low tide.

But we will make the path to the beach a living hell.

How? I can not tire out the men with pick and shovel.

- I need to rest the soldiers. - That's the problem.

Your men are too rested after three years of beach vacations.

Speidel fought on the Eastern Front. Any complaints?

I lost my leg on the Eastern Front.

Therefore I tell you with all due respect, Your plan will take at least a year.

Whoever says otherwise doesn't know what he's talking about.

What do you suggest? I have orders from the Fuhrer.

And that order is- "Stop the invasion."

Being lazy and a grouch will not help me accomplish this.

Will you get to work?

At your service.

Perhaps I was a little too rough, but if I'm not, it doesn't get done.

- Marcks, wait a minute. - He knows that Marck's right.

Your men have worked hard the last two months. I'm sorry.

Paris - April 25th, 1944

German Military Administration

Something has changed.

Almost all the Parisian Jews have been deported.

More transports leave from Drancy and ...

Heil Hitler.

The SS hunts for Jewish children sheltered in institutions.

This is the latest mission of the SS here?

During air attacks against train stations, they skip opening the car doors.

To prevent them from fleeing, the Jews are being transported naked.

Come in.

This is Lieutenant Colonel Hofacker, a cousin of Count Stauffenberg.

- General. - Nice to meet you.

Berlin wants us to take action.

That's why I requested you, because I trust you.

- It's about Rommel. - Rommel?

Can you get him behind the overthrow?

He'll do anything to prevent the invasion.

You need to convince him.

- We can do it with Rommel's army. - And the people.

He is our most popular General.

It is a big leap from being the favorite of the Fuhrer ...

to being the figurehead of a coup d'etat.

- There is no one else. - I must speak to him.

Without the Gestapo getting wind of it. Can you arrange that?