When the young Erwin Rommel met Lucia Maria Mollin at the Konigliche Kriegsschule in Danzig, where he was a cadet, the two began what would become a lifelong romance. Hiding their relationship from her strictly Catholic mother (unhappy about her daughter seeing a Protestant), the two agreed that they would eventually marry but for the time being told no one. Following his graduation in 1912, Rommel was sent to Weingarten, where he was responsible for drilling and training of new recruits. Though he wrote affectionately to Lucie nearly every day, he also began a relationship with a teenage fruit seller named Walburga Stemmer, who gave birth to his daughter, Gertrud, in the spring of 1913. Chalking it up to a ‘Kavaliersdelikt’ (gentleman’s mistake), Rommel agreed to financially support the child but did not consider marrying her mother, knowing that such a move would end any hopes for further advancement in the army. He informed Lucie, who seemingly accepted the incident, as the two continued their long-distance courtship and finally married in 1916. Rommel stayed close with his daughter throughout his life, even more so following Stemmer’s suicide at the news of Lucie pregnancy in 1928. This interesting collection of early letters to his future wife offers a glimpse into the love-struck young cadet, whose personal affairs have garnered great attention in the last several years especially.
An interesting collection of 4 ALSs in German, most written in pencil, ranging in date from October 9, 1911, to February 22, 1913, all of which he signed “Erwin.” A translated selection from his letters is as follows:
October 9, 1911, two pages on two adjoining sheets, to Lucy, signed “Erwin.” “I received your special delivery letter, and I will arrive at 8 o’clock…I won’t be able to bring a cadet sergeant with me…Can’t you come alone? Have you not yet received the letter that I sent to Langgasse…I went to the cinema yesterday at noon approximately a half an hour before you went there. In the evening I was at the German House. So, tonight at 8, alone if possible!”
October 16, 1911, three pages on two adjoining sheets, to “My dear little Molly!,” signed “Your Erwin.” “You must be wondering why you haven’t heard anything from me for so long. First—I have to admit—I was in a bit of a bad mood after Monday evening, and second, I have had an inhuman amount of work to do this past week…and third, because I was sick, as you probably suspected. Yesterday I couldn’t even make it to military school. I don’t think I’ll be able to go out before Thursday, and even then I won’t be free until after 8 o’clock in the evening so that I couldn’t possibly be at the train station or Langgasse before 8:45. Let me know if you should have for me some evening, my dear Molly. Perhaps Friday or Saturday evening. There is no news, really. Things are starting to calm down at the military school. The ghost of ‘examinations’ is creeping into people’s souls and haunts everyone. Hopefully, it will be drowned in celebration and champagne in 40 days.”
January 2, 1912, four pages on two adjoining sheets, to Lucia, signed “Erwin.” Letter is missing middle pages, and reads, “Just returned from my 14 day Christmas vacation and found your cards, for which I heartily thank you. Want to tell you a little about my conduct since War-School. I am just as good and virtuous as in Danzig. During the farewell from the comrades in Berlin, I saw quite a few tears. That’s how hard it was for some for always to part. I went home alone from Berlin and released for 3 days and came here. The reception was charming…I am not used to good manners anymore. And my greetings were very rude in the beginning. There is little to tell about my Christmas vacation. It rained constantly. Splash, splash. I wore a uniform in the morning and civilian clothes in the afternoon or vice versa. Often, due to boredom I changed my clothes 4 times a day. Today, I returned from my vacation, I recruited 6 men from the 12 in the company that helped me move into my proper quarters. It was hard work. Everything is now in its rightful place. If you would be closer I would invite you next Sunday for coffee. Sorry that is not possible. Now live well. Be in the New Year as happy as I hope to be.” After his signature, he adds a short postscript which reads, “A radio-operator from our ‘patron’ is coming on Jan. 7 to Danzig, take care of him, but don’t forget me. Now I hope to receive a long letter from you.”
February 22, 1913, eight pages on two sets of adjoining sheets, to his future wife Lucy, signed “Your Erwin.” “Thanks to recruitment at the beginning of January, I got a young captain who has been dissatisfied with everything in spite of his advancement. Constantly preaching at me that I should do this like this and that like that. The march went miserable (says he) and there is no discipline in the young troops. He sometimes even becomes a bit coarse. Before inspection he soft-soaped me, saying that he hoped that I and all the other recruits might have a guardian angel, etc. I was so enraged I almost cried. When one works for months and really strains, and then someone comes along who isn’t satisfied with anything and even needles one, well the pleasure in the whole business can just disappear. But it didn’t disappear in me. I knew that my boys shone in comparison to the other companies…We passed everything with flying colors. My ‘chief’ and I were congratulated on our recruits. My ‘chief’ has been a changed man since then. He no longer appears at exercises, lets me do everything the way I want and frequently invites me for champagne…So, at least for now I’m still ruling the roost. My life outside of the service has been quite ‘solid’ to now, I only went to two balls during Carnival and enjoyed it only little. I never get into more intimate things. You see, my little Lu, how well behaved my little self can be? I’m sure you went overboard again. On 1 February I moved again for a change. I now have a princely home with 3 rooms, kitchen, and bath, and borrowed furniture. All that I lack now is a woman to manage the whole place. Not that I’m thinking of getting married; I detest the idea of an officer’s marriage with its 80,000 marks… I’ll get married when I’m ready, and for that I will need neither church nor magistrate. Can’t you imagine me a lieutenant like that my dear sweet Lu? You know, I would love to see you on the Langgasse in Danzig; that would be something, wouldn’t it? What all wouldn’t we do together, my little angel. If only the dream could become reality!! Why do you no longer send me pictures of yourself. You merely write, ‘you have changed, and I don’t know you anymore,’ but I never get a picture of you. You have promised me for a long time, for God’s sake!! When I see you again in Berlin I won’t even recognize you. Or are you already engaged or even married? You mustn’t take it amiss if I remind you; I like you so much and I would at least like to see you on a photograph that I might kiss. Well, I hope that you will ‘confess’ to me how things are going, what you have been doing and what has happened to you. Then finally, I beg that you send that long-promised picture. I eagerly await your reply. Greetings, kisses, and thousands of hugs.” RR Auction COA.
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