Killing Patton The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General by Bill O'Reilly Read Free Book Online

asks.
    “My dear boy,” Rommel responds, grabbing his son by the arm. “Our enemy in the east is so terrible that every other thought has to give way before it. If he succeeds in overrunning Europe, it will be the end of everything that has made life worth living. Of course I would go.”
    Shortly before noon Rommel walks to his room on the first floor and changes into his favorite uniform, a tan tunic that he wore in the North African campaign. Soon a dark green Opel pulls up the gravel driveway. The driver wears the black uniform of the Waffen SS, Hitler’s most feared and loyal fighters, who swear a personal oath of loyalty to the Führer. In the backseat sit the round-faced Burgdorf and the wiry Maisel, who themselves fear the SS.
    The two men enter the home and treat Rommel with the utmost respect and courtesy. When they ask the field marshal if they might speak with him alone, their deference is so overwhelming that Manfred is sure his father will not be made to appear before a people’s court. He calmly walks upstairs to look for a book to read.
    But unbeknownst to Manfred Rommel, Burgdorf and Maisel are giving his father the worst possible news: SS troopers have surrounded the house and have orders to kill everyone inside should Rommel attempt to flee.
    Erwin Rommel, the famous Desert Fox, is being accused of high treason by Adolf Hitler. If only out of respect for the field marshal’s bravery, and the devastating effects a public trial would have on the morale of German citizens, he is being offered the option of committing suicide.
    Manfred Rommel hears his father walk upstairs and enter his wife’s bedroom. Curious, the younger Rommel follows his father into the room.
    Lucie Rommel is lying on the bed, the picture of utter sorrow. Erwin Rommel stands and leads his son back to his bedroom. When the field marshal finally speaks, his voice is pinched in grief.
    “I shall be dead in a quarter of an hour,” he tells Manfred in a level voice. “The house is surrounded, and Hitler is charging me with high treason.”
    Now Rommel’s voice turns sarcastic. “In view of my services in Africa, I am to have the chance of dying by poison. The two generals have brought it with them. It’s fatal in three seconds. If I accept, none of the usual steps will be taken against my family—that is, against you.”
    “Can’t we defend ourselves?” Manfred asks, ready to die for his father.
    Rommel cuts him off. “It’s better for one to die than for all of us to be killed in a shooting affray.
    “Anyway,” Erwin Rommel adds, a soldier to the end, “we’ve practically no ammunition.”
    Rommel dons his long leather jacket and walks to the Opel with his son. His face is without emotion. Manfred will always remember that “the crunch of gravel seemed unusually loud.” The two shake hands when it comes time to say farewell. There are no tears, no final orders, and no mention of the horrible event that will take place in just a few minutes. A crowd of local villagers has seen the Opel and now gathers to watch Rommel be driven away, not having any idea about his fate. The general reaches into his jacket pocket and discovers his house keys and wallet. “I don’t need these anymore,” he says, handing them to Manfred.
    The SS driver salutes and stands stiffly at attention as Erwin Rommel steps toward the car, his field marshal’s baton tucked precisely against his elbow. Rommel sits in back. Burgdorf and Maisel slide in beside him. The bodies of the three generals press snugly against one another on the very small seat.
    The Opel drives away, leaving Manfred Rommel to watch the back of his father’s head through the back window as the car disappears into the distance. His father does not turn for one last look.
    After a few minutes, the car pulls off the road and into a forest clearing. A squad of SS troopers form a perimeter ring, with orders to shoot should the field marshal make a run for it.
    Rommel has no such