Gunther E. Rothenberg
Gunther Rothenberg | |
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Born | 11 July 1923 Berlin, Germany |
Died | 26 April 2004 Canberra, Australia | (aged 80)
Resting place | Gungahlin Cemetery, Canberra, on 29 April 2004 |
Nationality | American |
Education |
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Occupation | Professor Emeritus, Purdue University |
Spouses |
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Military career | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | |
Years of service | 1941–1946 |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit | Eighth Army (United Kingdom) |
Battles/wars |
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Awards |
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Notes | |
Gunther Erich Rothenberg (11 July 1923 – 26 April 2004) was an internationally known military historian, best known for his publications on the Habsburg military and Napoleonic Wars. He had a fifteen-year military career, as a British Army soldier in World War II, a Haganah officer in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and in the United States Air Force during the Korean War.
Escape from Nazi Germany and military service
Gunther Erich Rothenberg was born in
On 13 July 1941, his parents emigrated to the United States on the Villa de Madrid, an overcrowded ocean-liner that left Barcelona on 20 June.[8] His father, Erich Joseph Rothenberg, was an importer, and both his parents spoke English, Hebrew, French, and German. Their visas, issued in Lisbon, Portugal, claimed Cuban citizenship.[9] At the age of 57, his father registered for the fourth draft in 1942, listing his residence as New York City, and his next of kin as his wife, Lotte.[10]
In 1941, Gunther Rothenberg volunteered for the British army, serving in an all-Jewish unit. He was wounded in
By 1948, Rothenberg's father had died
Education and career
After military service in the United States Air Force, he graduated from the University of Illinois with an undergraduate degree. Two years later, he had a master's degree from the
, where he continued to write about the Napoleonic Wars.He wrote several ground-breaking books on the organization of the Habsburg military and the military reforms of Archduke Charles in the first decade of the Napoleonic Wars. His last book, The Emperor's Last Victory, about the Battle of Wagram in 1809, was published posthumously. Although he had never finished high school, with the help of the
In part-time temporary teaching positions in Illinois
In the 1970s, Rothenberg also established himself as an international Napoleonic scholar with The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon, published in 1977. He also mentored hundreds of graduate and doctoral students. He regularly published in such peer-reviewed publications as Journal of Military History and served on the editorial board of War in History. In 1985, Rothenberg was a visiting
From 1995 to 2001, Rothenberg was a visiting fellow at the School of Historical Studies, Monash University. After his retirement, he moved to Melbourne, Australia, and then to Canberra, where his third wife, Eleanor Hancock, taught at the Australian Defence Force Academy.[7] Although retired, he continued to teach, lecture, and publish reviews.[20] He also wrote two more books.[11]
Life in Australia did not always please him; he missed both his colleagues in North America and his Purdue students. His politics—he "was anything but politically correct"—did not mesh well with Australia's leftist atmosphere.[6] He wrote indignantly to a friend in the United States that he regretted moving to Australia when the authorities confiscated his muzzle loaders, which were prohibited "Down Under."[6]
In 2004, he returned to the United States to present the
Legacy
Rothenberg's legacy is not only the generations of scholars he prepared, but also his vast historiographical contribution to understanding the Revolutionary era. For many years, his Army of Francis Joseph (1976) was the standard and the only English language analysis of the Habsburg Army in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic wars.[21] He changed the widespread perception of Archduke Charles' military acumen. A masterful historian,[16] Rothenberg was known furthermore as an eminently fair scholar. After publishing a critique of a publication, the author contacted him, and proved the critique unjust; Rothenberg immediately wrote to a review retracting the criticism, and the two scholars remained friends for the remainder of his life.[6]
Some of his colleagues considered Rothenberg "the greatest scholar of the Napoleonic era of our day."[22] His adventurous life and diverse experiences gave him a deep understanding of human nature.[7] This made him a valuable colleague and a treasured mentor for his many graduate students.[6]
High Point University conducts the Gunther E. Rothenberg Seminar in Military History.[23]
Personal life and family
His first marriage in 1952 ended in a 1967 divorce. In 1969, Rothenberg married Ruth Gillah Smith, a widow with three daughters (Judith Goris, Laura Allman, Georgia Jones (all born Herron)), whom he helped to raise; she died in 1992. In 1995, he married for a third time, to Eleanor Hancock, a lecturer at
Publications
Rothenberg published hundreds of journal articles, reviews, and lectures. This is a partial list.[27]
Books
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (1960). The Austrian Military Border in Croatia, 1522–1747. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. LCCN 60015931. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (1966). The Austrian Military Border in Croatia, 1740–1881; a Study of an Imperial Institution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 66013887. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (1976). The army of Francis Joseph. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. LCCN 75016051. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (1979). The anatomy of the Israeli army. London: LCCN 79321715.
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (1982). Napoleon's Great Adversaries: the Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army, 1792–1814. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. LCCN 82047512. Retrieved 1 February 2014. (Subsequent editions titled Napoleon's Great Adversary: the Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army.)
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (1978). The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. LCCN 77086495. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (2000). LCCN 2001347125.
- Rothenberg, Gunther Erich (2004). The Emperor's Last Victory: Napoleon and the Battle of Wagram. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. LCCN 2005440770. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- LCCN 79051780. Distributed by Columbia University Press
- Rothenberg, Gunther E.; LCCN 81050886. Distributed by Columbia University Press
Journal articles
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (June 1960). "The Origins of the Austrian Military Frontier in Croatia and the Alleged Treaty of 22 December 1522". JSTOR 4205180.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1961). "Venice and the Uskoks of Senj: 1537–1618". S2CID 144221514.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1963). "Aventinus and the Defense of the Empire Against the Turks". JSTOR 2857048.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1964). "The Croatian Military Border and the Rise of Yugoslav Nationalism". The Slavonic and East European Review. 43 (100): 34–45.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1964). "The Struggle Over the Dissolution of the Croatian Military Border, 1850–1871". S2CID 159876996.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1968). "The Austrian Army in the Age of Metternich". S2CID 143628536.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1972). "Toward a National Hungarian Army: The Military Compromise of 1868 and its Consequences". Slavic Review. 31 (4): 805–16. JSTOR 2493764.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1973). "The Austrian Sanitary Cordon and the Control of the Bubonic Plague: 1710–1871". PMID 4568378.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1973). "The Habsburg Army in the Napoleonic Wars". Military Affairs. 37 (1): 1–5. JSTOR 1986561.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1976). "Nobility and Military Careers: The Habsburg Officer Corps, 1740-1914". Military Affairs. 40 (4): 182–6. JSTOR 1986702.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1988). "The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon". JSTOR 204824.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1989). "The Austro-Hungarian Campaign Against Serbia in 1914". JSTOR 1985745.
References
- ^ a b c
Rothenberg, Gunther E. (17 October 2013). "Gunther Erich Rothenberg 11 July 1923 – 26 April 2004". The Emperor's Last Victory: Napoleon and the Battle of Wagram. Orion. ISBN 9781780226989. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Gunther Eric Rothenberg". . 2001. Gale Document Number: GALE|H1000085240. Retrieved 1 February 2014. (subscription required) Biography in Context.
- ^ "Gunther Eric Rothenberg" (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Directory of American Scholars. Gale. 1999. Gale Document Number: GALE|K1612517143. Retrieved 1 February 2014. Biography in Context. (subscription required)
- ISSN 1448-2843. Archived from the original(PDF) on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-78238-985-9, pp. 19, 35‒36, 429‒430 (including a short biography and bibliography).
- ^ a b c d e f Thomas M. Barker. "Letters to the Editor." Project MUSE. 2004. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Peter Dennis and Eleanor Hancock. "Gunther Rothenberg Obituary. Jewish News (Melbourne). Melbourne, Australia, 11 June 2004.
- ^ Art Mahler, "Glory and Liberty: Recollections of WWII." Accessed 24 June 2012.
- ^ Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820–1897. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. National Archives and Records Administration Branch locations: National Archives and Records Administration Region Branches.
- ^ a b c d e f g Schneid, Frederick (28 April 2004). "Gunther Rothenberg (1923–2004)". Habsburg. H-Net. Retrieved 28 April 2004.
- ^ Charles Schneid. Hnet Obituary. 28 April 2004.
- ^ Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ^ Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792–1989. New York, NY, USA: National Archives and Records Administration, Northeast Region.
- ^ a b Manifests of Alien Arrivals at Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, New York, 1902–1954. (National Archives Micropublication M1480, 165 rolls); Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ a b c Earl A. Reitan, "Letter to the Editor." Journal of Military History. 68.4 (2004) 1343–1350.
- ^ Caucasian Battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border, 1828–1921, for Journal of Modern History, September 1956, vol. 28, no. 3, p. 280–281.
- ^ Gunther E(rich) Rothenberg. Worldcat.org Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ^ Published in Wien: Verl. Herold. See Gunther Rothenberg. Worldcat. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ^ See for example, Gunther E. Rothenberg, "Review: War for the Everyday, by Eric Lund." The Journal of Military History, Vol. 64, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 522–523.
- ^ H. H. Herwig. "Rebirth of the Habsburg Army." Central European History (1997), 30: 116–117.
- ^ Reed Browning. "Review: Rothenberg's The Emperor's Last Victory." European History Quarterly. 37:4, p. 638.
- ^ "The Gunther E. Rothenberg Seminar in Military History". High Point University. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ MacMillan Palgrave. "Eleanor Hancock". 2008 Macmillan. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ^ Worldcat, "Eleanor Hancock (thesis/dissertation)," Worldcat.org. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ^ Council on Foreign Relations. "Capsule Reviews." Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ^ Gunther Rothenberg. Worldcat.org Accessed 31 May 2010.
Sources
- Barker, Thomas M. "Letters to the Editor." Project MUSE. 2004. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- Browning, Reed. "Review: Rothenberg's The Emperor's Last Victory." European History Quarterly. 37:4, p. 638.
- Council on Foreign Relations. "Capsule Reviews." Accessed 31 May 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-78238-985-9, 1‒52.
- Dennis, Peter and Eleanor Hancock. "Gunther Rothenberg Obituary." Jewish News (Melbourne). Melbourne, Australia, 11 June 2004.
- Herwig, H. H. "Rebirth of the Habsburg Army." Central European History. (1997), 30: 116–117.
- Schneid, Frederick. Gunther Rothenberg. H-net. 28 April 2004.
- MacMillan Palgrave. "Eleanor Hancock". Macmillan. 2008–. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- Reitan, Earl A. "Letter to the Editor." Journal of Military History. 68.4 (2004) 1343–1350.
- Rothenberg, Gunther E(rich). Worldcat.org Worldcat. Accessed 31 May 2010.
- Rothenberg, Gunther. "Review: War for the Everyday, by Eric Lund." The Journal of Military History. Vol. 64, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 522–523.
- United States Government. Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820–1897. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Readily available in a variety of indexes and databases. See for example Ancestry.
- United States Government. Manifests of Alien Arrivals at Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, New York, 1902–1954. (National Archives Micropublication M1480, 165 rolls); Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Readily available in a variety of indexes and databases. See for example Ancestry.
- United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. National Archives and Records Administration Branch locations: National Archives and Records Administration Region Branches. Readily available in a variety of indexes and databases. See for example Ancestry.
- United States, Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792–1989. New York, NY, USA: National Archives and Records Administration, Northeast Region. Readily available in a variety of indexes and databases. See for example Ancestry.
- Mahler, Art. "Glory and Liberty: Recollections of WWII." Accessed 24 June 2012.