Is there a kassern near there? That would be a help tracing what unit it may have been.
Rothenburg is a great town and houses a fantastic Museum of Medival Torture devices…I recommend stopping in…
Here’s a couple interesting tidbits on Rothenburg and it’s relation to WWII from wiki,
Rothenburg held a special significance for Nazi ideologists. For them, it was the epitome of the German ‘Home Town’, representing all that was quintessentially German. Throughout the 1930s the Nazi organisation “KDF” (=Kraft durch Freude) Strength through Joy organized regular day trips to Rothenburg from all across the Reich. This initiative was staunchly supported by Rothenburg’s citizenry – many of whom were sympathetic to National Socialism – both for its economic benefits and because Rothenburg was hailed as “the most German of German towns”. In October 1938 Rothenburg expelled its Jewish citizens, much to the approval of Nazis and their supporters across Germany.[2]
In March 1945 in World War II*, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 39 people and destroying 306 houses, six public buildings, nine watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet (610 m) of the wall. The U.S Assistant* Secretary of War John J. McCloy knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered US Army General Jacob L. Devers not use artillery in taking Rothenburg. The local military commander Major Thömmes ignored the order of Adolf Hitler for all towns to fight to the end and gave up the town, thereby saving it from total destruction by artillery. American troops of the 12th Infantry Regiment*, 4th Division occupied the town on April 17, 1945, and in November 1948 McCloy was named Honorable Protectorate of Rothenburg. After the war, the residents of the city quickly repaired the bombing damage. Donations for the rebuilding were received from all over the world. The rebuilt walls feature commemorative bricks with donor names.*
Hey Eric,
A killer find, these photos!
I have looked at the shot here, and have some opinions about the characters in the photo.
The guy you have speculated to be Himmler is probably not–there are no ranking badges whatsoever on his lapels, and Himmler was SS-Reichsfuhrer as early as 1929. So, I would say it couldn’t be him given the absence of identifying lapel badges.
I’m pretty sure that the portly guy facing to the left (if you’re looking at looking at the picture) in the middle of the photo just left of the bush is Julius Streicher, founder and publisher of the Nazi propaganda rag Der Sturmer who was executed for Crimes Against Humanity after the war.
The beefy guy in the dark uniform on the edge of the steps to the right of the pic with what looks like his hand in his pocket is probably Ernst Rohm, co-founder of the SA, who was arrested and exectued on Hitler’s orders because he feared him as a rival. . Same uniform, same style hat he always wore, same disheveled appearance.
Those words on the back of that other dressed-up soldier photo are nothing more than the photographer’s name, numbering of the photos on the reel, and city of the photographer’s studio. Common on old German war photos.
Just for fun…here is a LIVE CAM that sits over the market square: http://www.rothenburg.de/index.php?get=112
Sareth- WOW! This is freaking AWESOME! Thanks for the link. I will definitely let my friend Bob know about this. I loved the picture of the building shown in both past and present photos… unscratched! [snWcm] to FSM by the way…
Stikpusher- Great story about how the town was untouched during the war especially at the end. That explain why many buildings are still standing today. [B]
Doog- It is great to know about those big shots. Thanks for dropping by. My friend is going to be thrilled… he will let us show you more pictures. He has about 150-200 photos of those…
Manny- Recommend any good brothel in that town? [;)]