Manfred Rommel
Manfred Rommel | |
---|---|
Mayor of Stuttgart | |
In office 1974–1996 | |
Preceded by | Arnulf Klett |
Succeeded by | Wolfgang Schuster |
Personal details | |
Born | Christian Democratic Union | 24 December 1928
Spouse |
Liselotte Daiber (m. 1954) |
Children | 1 |
Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Branch/service | Luftwaffe |
Years of service | 1943–1945 |
Rank | Luftwaffenhelfer |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Manfred Rommel (24 December 1928 – 7 November 2013) was a German politician belonging to the
Background and family
Rommel was born in Stuttgart and entered service as a
Post-war life and career
In 1947, he took his Abitur while studying in Biberach an der Riß and went on to study law at the University of Tübingen. He married Liselotte in 1954 and had a daughter named Catherine.[4] After a stint working as a lawyer, in 1956, Rommel entered the civil service and later became state secretary in the state government of Baden-Württemberg.
In 1974, Rommel succeeded
While Oberbürgermeister of Stuttgart, Rommel began a much-publicised friendship with U.S. Army Major General George Patton IV, the son of his father's World War II adversary, General George S. Patton, who was assigned to the VII Corps headquarters near the city.[8][9] Additionally, he was also friends with David Montgomery, 2nd Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, the son of his father's other great adversary, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, a friendship viewed by some as a symbol of Anglo-German reconciliation following the War and West Germany's admission into NATO.[10]
In a 1996 celebration at the Württemberg State Theatre, Manfred Rommel received the highest German civil distinction, the
Rommel's political position was described as tolerant and liberal.[13]
Outside politics
Having retired from politics in 1996, Rommel was still in demand as an author and stirring speaker, despite suffering from Parkinson's disease. He wrote various political and humorous books. He was known for his down-to-earth and often funny sayings and quotations. Occasionally, he wrote articles for the Stuttgarter Zeitung.
Rommel collaborated with
Movies
In the following movies about his father during the Second World War, Manfred Rommel was played by the following actors:
- 1951: The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (German: Rommel, der Wüstenfuchs) (Director: Henry Hathaway), William Reynolds as Manfred Rommel
- 1962: The Longest Day (German: der längste Tag) (Director(s): Annakin/Marton/Wicki/Oswald/Zanuck), Michael Hinz as Manfred Rommel. Hinz's father Werner Hinz played Field Marshal Rommel in the film
- 1989: War and Remembrance (TV-Series), Matthias Hinze as Manfred Rommel
- 2012: Rommel (Director: Niki Stein), Patrick Mölleken as Manfred Rommel
Additionally, interviews with Manfred concerning his father are featured in the 2021 documentary Rommel: The Soldier, The Son, and Hitler narrated by Greg Kinnear.
Honours
Manfred Rommel once wrote about his many honours: "Die Zahl der Titel will nicht enden. Am Grabstein stehet: bitte wenden!" which translates as: "The number of honours seems to be endless. The inscription on my gravestone will read: Please turn over!"[4]
- 1979: Honorary citizen of Cairo[15]
- 1982: Orden wider den tierischen Ernst, for his sense of humor[16]
- 1982: Grand Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau of the Netherlands
- 1982: Honorary Senator of the University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart
- 1984: General-Clay Medal
- 1985: Knight of the Legion of Honorof the French Republic
- 1987: Guardian of Jerusalem[16]
- 1987: Grand Officer Cross of Merit of the Italian Republic
- 1990: Commander of the Order of the British Empire[16]
- 1990: Medal of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg
- 1990: Dr. Friedrich Lehner Medal for the development of public transport
- 1990: Bonding medal for German-American friendship
- 1992: Honorary doctorate of the University of Maryland
- 1993: Golden Order of Merit of the IAAF
- 1995: Otto Hirsch Medal
- 1996: Honorary Citizen of the City of Stuttgart
- 1996: Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff award for distinguished public service
- 1996: Friedrich E. Vogt Medal for Services to the Swabian dialect
- 1996: Honorary doctorate of the University of Wales
- 1996: Great Cross of Merit (1978) with star (1989) and sash (1996) *Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1996: Appointed Professor
- 1997: Price of the Entente Franco-Allemande for the German-French friendship
- 1997: Honorary member of the German Association of Cities
- 1997: Heinz Herbert Karry Prize
- 1998: Dolf Sternberger Award for
- 2008: Hans-Peter-Stihl Preis
Things named after him
- After his death Stuttgart Airport added "Manfred Rommel" to its official long form name.
- A central square in Stuttgart which will be created in the course of Stuttgart 21 is to be named after him.[17]
Works
- Abschied vom Schlaraffenland. Gedanken über Politik und Kultur. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, München 1987, ISBN 3-421-06081-9.
- Manfred Rommels gesammelte Sprüche, Gefunden und herausgegeben von Ulrich Frank-Planitz, Engelhorn Verlag, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-87203-050-7
- Wir verwirrten Deutschen. Ullstein, Frankfurt am Main 1989, ISBN 3-548-34614-6.
- Manfred Rommels gesammelte Gedichte. Engelhorn-Verlag, Stuttgart 1993
- Die Grenzen des Möglichen. Ansichten und Einsichten. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, München 1995, ISBN 3-421-05001-5.
- Trotz allem heiter. Erinnerungen. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, München 1998, ISBN 3-421-05151-8.
- Neue Sprüche und Gedichte. Gesammelt und herausgegeben von Ulrich Frank-Planitz, Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 978-3-89850-002-9
- Manfred Rommels gesammelte Sprüche, dva, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 978-3-421-05573-6.
- Holzwege zur Wirklichkeit. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-89850-026-8.
- Soll und Haben. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, München 2001, ISBN 3-421-05579-3.
- Das Land und die Welt. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-89850-099-3.
- Ganz neue Sprüche & Gedichte und andere Einfälle. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-89850-123-X
- Vom Schlaraffenland ins Jammertal?. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-89850-137-X.
- Gedichte und Parodien. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-89850-151-5.
- Manfred Rommels schwäbisches Allerlei. Eine bunte Sammlung pfiffiger Sprüche, witziger Gedichte und zumeist amüsanter Geschichten. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-89850-170-5.
- Auf der Suche nach der Zukunft. Zeitzeichen unter dem Motto: Ohne Nein kein Ja. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-89850-173-6.
- 1944 – das Jahr der Entscheidung. Erwin Rommel in Frankreich (1944: The year of decision: Erwin Rommel in France), Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-89850-196-5.
- Die amüsantesten Texte. Hohenheim-Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-89850-203-0.
References
- ^ "The sons of wartime generals who became great friends". Archived from the original on 10 November 2013.
- ISBN 9780306801570
- ISBN 3-421-05151-8
- ^ a b Was Macht Eigenlich...: Manfred Rommel Archived 25 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine stern.de
- ^ Usselmann, Rainer. "18. Oktober 1977: Gerhard Richter's work of mourning and its new audience". Archived from the original on 27 June 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
- ^ "Tage des Zorns, Tage der Trauer". Die Zeit (in German). 16 October 1987. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ "ZEIT ONLINE | Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl". Die Zeit. 16 October 1987.
- ISBN 978-0-275-95714-8.
- ^ "Career Spotlight: Benjamin Patton (C'88)". alumni.georgetown.edu. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013.
- ^ "Die Väter Feinde, die Söhne Freunde" (in German). Badische Zeitung. 5 May 2009.
- ^ "Festive retirement party for Stuttgart Mayor Manfred Rommel". German News. Archived from the original on 20 September 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2006.
- ^ a b c Dan van der Vat, Manfred Rommel obituary, The Guardian, 7 November 2013
- ^ Manfred Rommel: Freundlich, ehrlich, demokratisch Der Tagesspiegel, vom 23. Dezember 2008.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (9 November 2013). "Manfred Rommel, Son of German Field Marshal, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ehrenbürgerwürde der Universität Stuttgart für Suzanne Mubarak und Manfred Rommel". Informationsdienst Wissenschaft. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Löffelholz, Thomas (16 December 1996). "Was vorbei ist, kann nicht mehr schiefgehen". Die Welt.
- ^ "Ehrung für Stuttgarter Alt-OB: Straßburger Platz wird zum Manfred-Rommel-Platz".
Bibliography
- Puhl, Widmar: Manfred Rommel: Der Oberbürgermeister. (in German). Zürich/Wiesbaden: Orell Füssli 1990, ISBN 3-280-01997-4.