Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael_Dailey
I am an MvR fan myself but I wouldn't so quickly posit that he would have went after Hitler or would have not tolerated terror bombings, etc. He was a product of his country and his time. I seem to recall in his autobiography that early in the war when he was in the cavalry, he didn't seem to mind the idea of taking hostages, executing civilians suspected of spying during the German drive through Belgium, etc.
MDD
|
michael,
fair point... i also thought of MvR's attitude to events when on the ground (early days in the cavalry) but don't tip in the other direction: there rules of war sanctioned proportionality in reprisals against partisan attacks. while i also think MvR would not have gone the lengthf a von Stauffenberg (but then again, maybe he would have), i think he would have been nauseated by the barbarities of the nazi regime.
to add relativism and contextuality to the debate, i refer all interested to joerg friedrich's book on the "rule of war" (has it been translated into english yet?). it makes a convincing case that basically decent men on the german side slid down a slippery slope when confronted with eastern front wartime conditions. rommel fought a clean war in africa, because conditions permitted it (few civilians around). that is why i like to think that MvR's instinct would have been in favor of fighting cleanly, but when one is thrust into contradictory and ambiguous positions, who knows how we actually behave? the mystery of character, upbringing and human nature...
marc