European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a a the stars and stripes monday october 15,1990 Over Here Wii soldiers recall Rommel s Genius in annual tribute by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Herrlinger Germany a with . Troops awaiting the outcome of a military face off in the Sandy Middle East a Busload of fellow soldiers paid tribute sunday to a former enemy whose name seems synonymous with desert warfare. Field marshal Erwin Rommel the a desert Fox who helped nazi Germany seize most of North Africa in the Early years of world War ii still commands the respect of military leaders 46 years after his death. Delegations from Vii corps and the French and German armies demonstrated that sunday by laying wreaths at Rommel a grave in the Village of Herrling in about four Miles West of Ulm. A they respected him even during the War. The War in Africa was entirely different than in Europe a said the Field marshals son Manfred Rommel lord mayor of Stuttgart. He said Battles in which German troops a did their duty but nothing in excess of that a characterized the african campaigns while events in Europe were barbarous. The Small Cluster of White haired afrika Korps veterans who attended the annual ceremony portrayed Rommel As a commander who always paid attention to his troops needs inspiring them to near miraculous accomplishments with inadequate supplies. A Rommel was the desert Fox. The others were the desert rats a said Anton Ulrich 70, who served in the 3rd co 475th Panzer div in Africa. Otto Hopper also 70, and like Anton also in an afrika Korps uniform said he has attended every memorial service in Herrlinger on the anniversary of Rommel a death for the past 22 years. Franz Urban 69, who fought under Rommel in the 2nd in 25th anti aircraft regt said the afrika Korps is one of Only two groups of German world War ii veterans whose bonding was so close that its members have held regular reunions a amp map for decades after the War. The other group was the notorious Schut Staffel or is he said. Rommel died in october 1944 when he took a vial of Poison according to one of his biographers Ward Rutherford. Implicated in the unsuccessful 1944 plot to kill Adolf Hitler Rommel chose suicide and a heroes funeral rather than a court martial for treason and the disgrace of his wife and son. Although Rommel swallowed the Poison his role in the plot to kill Hitler never was proven. A one might con elude that Rommel was a highly gifted sometimes inspired German commander a Rutherford wrote a who fully concurred in the ideals of chivalry cherished by european armies his own included and which did have some effect in mitigating the horrors of War. A amps Joseph Owen afrika corps veterans Anton Ulrich left and Otto Hopper stand by the grave of German Field marshal Erwin Rommel during a ceremony sunday in Herrlinger. Rommel even if an insufficient one. He leaves the impression of a simple honest likable patriotic Man a All Virtues which Are far from  Manfred Rommel said the Field marshal executed his Battles Only As a duty and he bore no hatred for the americans British or French. He compared americans regard for his father to their esteem for Gen. Robert e. Lee the Confederate commander whose civil War tactical Genius and chivalry made him admired even among his Union opponents. Field marshal Rommel a career is detailed year round at the nearby Linden Hof an Art Nouveau Villa that is Home to the Erwin Rommel Archive. The mayor and Many other visitors toured the Archive after the ceremony. Rommel said he doubts the North Africa campaigns of the 1940s can serve As a Model for what might occur in saudi Arabia or Iraq because air forces play a key combat role that was Only starting to emerge in world War ii. But he said he Hopes that with the passing of years Mutual respect will enable Germany and its former foes to a find a collective interpretation of history through such events As the memorial ceremony held  Honor French town for Wii heroism Paris apr recognition reached be Chambon sur Lignon on sunday 50 years after the isolated protestant Village began the task of saving 5,000 jews from persecution and death during world War ii. Several dozen villagers who risked their lives As they sheltered jews on the run were presented by israeli officials with the medal of righteousness. The town itself was awarded a scroll and will be honoured again on oct. 22 at the had Washem holocaust memorial in Israel. A the Honor comes a Little late now that so Many villagers involved have passed away a Marie bottes 84, said in a Telephone interview. Bottes said she and her neighbors mostly poor peasants simply did what the Bible advised. A you had to see those poor jews who arrived in be Chambon with nothing a no clothes no possessions no family. We helped them because its written in the gospel. That a what gave us the courage and strength to do what we  bottes along with other villagers recalls the events of 1940-45 in a the weapons of the spirit a a documentary film about How be Chambon a people turned the quiet Mountain Community in Central France into a Haven unlike any other. Just 11 weeks after France fell to the germans the collaborationist Vichy government passed Laws discriminating against jews. By 1945, 80,000 jews had been deported to nazi concentration and death Camps. Only 2,500 returned. Sheltering mainly children at first the people of be Chambon turned no one away betrayed no one attempted to convert no one. The 90-minute film shown in France for the first time last week was screened in be Chambon before an audience of rescuers and survivors Many never reunited before. A ale Chambon sur Lignon was like Paradise a Little Corner of the world that allowed us to survive a said Joseph Atlas who reached be Chambon at age 14 after a Brief period at a French internment Camp. Atlas now a 64-year-old Engineer said residents might not understand Why Many jews took so Long returning to the Village to express thanks. A at the end of the War when we discovered the full extent of the holocaust we had to rebuild ourselves psychologically emotionally a he said. A we had emerged from a Nightmare but that does not mean we have  he praised the film for its accuracy but said it brought Back troubling memories. A i was very upset when i saw it for the first  the film seven years in the making is the work of Sauvage bom in 1944 to non practising jews who had taken Refuge in be Chambon. He was not told that he was jewish until he was 18. Sauvage says he approached had Washem in 1983 about honouring the Village. Had Washem Only presents such honors after a recommendation from a jew who survived the holocaust. For Sauvage be Chambon a inspired by its impassioned pastor Andre Trocme a was swept up in a conspiracy of goodness. A i Call it a conspiracy because it appears that goodness was contagious. It was a situation in which it was almost harder to do evil than Good. There was a certain momentum to goodness a said Sauvage who is based in los Angeles and has worked for the Public broadcasting service. In the film to be shown on pcs dec. 12, Sauvage suggests that even a German is officer Julius schmaling stationed just a few Miles away chose to ignore what was happening in be Chambon a which also accommodated convalescing German soldiers who were aware of the jews. Not everyone is convinced. Oscar Rosowsky the villages wartime specialist in forging identity papers says the film romanticized reality. A a it a constructed like a russian fairy tale with the dragon being transformed into a hero at the end. That interpretation is intolerable. Schmaling probably did not know what was going on in be Chambon because there was no one feeding him information a he said. The villagers Are hardly inclined to see themselves As heroes. Henri and Emma Heritier who sheltered Rosowsky say in the film a when people came if we could be of  they do not finish the sentence. A the villagers simply thought what they did was Normal and they looked at me As though my questions were stupid a Sauvage said