Rommel letters reveal secret second family by Jack Grimston and Michael Woodhead Sunday Times July 22 2001 ERWIN ROMMEL, the German tank commander known as the Desert Fox, had a secret child by a teenage girlfriend.The girl's mother committed suicide when Rommel later married another woman and had a second child. The existence of his second family has emerged in a collection of more than 150 letters and photographs, kept for decades by his illegitimate daughter Gertrud Pan at her home in Kempten, southern Germany. Rommel met Lucie in 1911 in Danzig. During a temporary posting in Weingarten, hundreds of miles away, he met the teenage Walburga Stemmer, and they had an affair. In 1913 Gertrud, their daughter, was born, to Rommel's delight. He wrote to Walburga, calling her his "little mouse". He said he would like to set up home with her and Gertrud: "It's got to be perfect, this little nest of ours." However, he returned to Lucie and married her in 1916. Walburga never recovered from her rejection. Gertrud's son Josef Pan, 62, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler from Kempten, whose family own the letters, said: "Rommel was Walburga's only love. As long as Rommel and Lucie never had children she held on to the conviction that he would return to her. When Manfred was born in 1928 she took an overdose . . . The explanation given in public was that she had died of pneumonia. Later the family doctor told my mother she had taken her own life." Lucie knew about Gertrud, but to Manfred she was always "cousin Gertrud". She was a frequent visitor to the family and was at Rommel's hospital bedside after he returned ill from Africa. There, she answered the telephone when a furious Hitler ordered him back to Africa, where he was defeated at El Alamein. She stayed close to the family even after her father's death http://www.fpp.co.uk/History/Rommel/son220701.html PS. I know there´s Irving mixed but anybody know if this is true or not???
That sure is an interesting story. I tried the link but--for some reason--I get tossed out of ww2n and to the libraries homepage. Nope--Ive never heard this story or rumor on Rommel.
i REALIZE THIS IS AN OLD THREAD, BUT I LIKE TO ADD MORE TO THIS STORY IF IT'S OKEY... Rommel had first met his future wife (Lucia Maria Mollin) and mother of his son (manfred Rommel) in 1911 in Danzig. Shotly after he fell in love again this time with a woman from Weingarten named Walburga Stemmer. She appearently was madly in love with him. When rommel's father found out about the relationship he forbade his son to be with her but Walburga was already in her 5th month of pregnancy with his child. unfortunately for Rommel's father, who was also named Erwin, never found out about this pregnancy because he died on the 5th of dec and walburga would give birth 3 days later. They named her Gertrud, or as he would call her "little mouse" Walburga wanted hi, to leave the army and be with her in raising Gertrud, but close members of his family convinced him to stay in the military. shortly after WW1 was to begin and he had no other choice but to remain in the military and fight for his country. he asked his sister Helene to make sure that in case he died in combat, that his 10,000 marks in life insurance would be put for the care of Walburga and to pay for his daughters future education. Eventually his relationship with Walburga would end and he would return to Lucie. He had always wanted to be with Lucie.. but religious differences (she was catholic he was portestant) and the the fact that he had an illigitamit daughter made it difficult. but in 1916, they set their difference aside and he would marry Lucie in 1916 after a short leave from the war. he continued to maintain a relationship with his daughter throughout his life, but his fatherhood to her had to remain a secret. It would bring shame to have a child out of wedlock in those days and his military career would be threatened.. so it remined so closely guarded that the nazis would never know of Rommel's daughter. In 1928, the Rommels had a son named Manfred (future mayor of city of Stutgart). His birth devistated Walburga. she always believed Rommel would return to her so as long as his marriage remained childless. Some reports say she died of pneumonia others suggert she commited suicide. Gertrud would end up marrying a fruit vendor named Josef Pan and having a few children. She family secret would only be revealed after Gertrud passed away. - My sources came from the book - Mythos Rommel (german) Manfred, Lucie, and Erwin Rommel - 1932 Rommel Family in 1941 View attachment 10541 Rommel, Lucie, and his daughter Gertrud in 1942. Rommel returning from Africa to be treated for his ailments. image source - https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/stz/page/detail.php/1596396/r_artikel_projektor_popup?kategorie= Hope this gives more information Enjoy!
Thanx for the addition, Suzie! I do think though the nazis especially Gestapo knew about this- it would have been just bad propaganda to publish it because Rommel was a national hero, but worth keeping in the locker for a day that it might be useful to blackmail Rommel, perhaps.
forgot to the add the source to the last image (with Rommel's daughter.) ALMA : Info the same picure is in the book, Mythos Rommel .. which identifies her in the picture. (Just in case someone needs sources)
Your probably right, he did write letters to her from the battlefield. They had to have been very careful in their wording, since the nazis/gestapo were notorious for going through people's mail. But then again, Rommel's private life was never really in the spot light during those times. It wasn't like the Goebbels family or Albert Speer's family. They prefered not to attend Nazi social events.. During the war Rommel's few moments of free time was spent with his family at home. His situatiuon was rather minor compared to other people's secrets that the gestapo knew about.. like Field Marshal Milch's Jewish heritage, or the worst one, Goebbels cheating on his wife with several women. But that's a whole new topic of discussion
I recall that the pocket camera Rommel was using was given to him by Göbbels, to take propaganda pics everywhere. And somewhere I read that his son said that " he only took pictures when they advanced...". Makes sense though....
It really would be considered his "first family" since Gertrude was his first born child. A descendant grand-daughter and great-grand son live in Rogersville Tennessee. I will contact them and have them post information here. BTW the great-grandson has a strong facial similarity to Rommel.
