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The Rommel Papers, The European Theater

8/24/2015

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A couple of weeks ago I read an article about Field Marshal Erwin Rommel written by the Warfare History Network E-zine. It was so well written that I almost felt like I was "there" as I read it.

I have always thought well of Field Marshal Rommel, even though he was a German commander. Part of the reason is that I have always heard he was a man of integrity and he was thought to have been a part of the attempt to assassinate Hitler.

After reading the article in Warfare History Network, I was again interested in Field Marshal Rommel and decided to find a biography about him. I started searching online and found, much to my delight, a book that chronicles his life in his own words, The Rommel Papers.

I have now read the Introduction, The Story of the Rommel Papers, the Editorial Note and the Acknowledgements. Long ago I developed the habit of reading everything written before the actual book, including prologues and acknowledgements. These give incredible insights into the author's reasoning for writing the book, and they help me understand things I might not understand if I just read the book.

As I have found in other books, so I found in this particular book. There were things I understood that I might have missed had I not read them.

Before I started reading the book, I asked the Lord if I was reading it because He put a desire in me to read it and learn something, or if it was my own curiosity and love of history that caused me to read it. I have discovered, now that I have finished part one that I have much to learn from Field Marshal Rommel's words to his wife.

In order for me to process what I have read, I plan to write a blog about what I am learning and what I can take away from the reading of these papers by Rommel.


I find the text surprisingly easy to follow (I am not a tactician) and am experiencing the same strange phenomenon that I found with the Warfare History Network article. I feel like I am there. I can hear the whistling and exploding shells as Rommel describes to his wife the conditions of war. In my mind I am seeing the general confusion of the British accidentally running into the German vanguard and being captured.

Apparently Rommel was going to write a book about his experiences in the war after all was fought as he did during his World War One experiences.

The first part of The Rommel Papers are letters from him to his wife about the war in France. In these letters, I am beginning to see why he was such an amazing leader.

The thing that struck me first is the loving way in which he addresses his wife, "Dearest Lu …" He wrote to her often. He was also very careful how he described his situations to her, using words like "unpleasant", "unhealthy" and "not a comfortable situation."

On page 7 of my copy, I come across some wisdom from this man to his wife, "The man who lies low and awaits developments usually comes off second best." In other words, if a commander waits for reinforcements instead of firing in the general area where the enemy is thought to be, that commander usually loses the battle. His wisdom in this is proven on several occasions in what he tells his wife. One such occasion on page 38, he
says,
"I could not agree to General Harde's proposal that in these circumstances the attack should be postponed, and gave the orders for the brigade to move off punctually at 18.00 hours with such of its tanks as had then arrived on the northern bank."

On page 76, he describes to his wife an instance where his troops took cover instead of firing back. He said,
"My troops had unfortunately again made the bad mistake of diving straight for cover instead of immediately replying to the enemy fire with their machine-guns."
In both these instances, he put his beliefs to practical use and was correct in his assessments.

Another point of wisdom Rommel wrote to his wife appeared on page 17, "The officers of a Panzer division must learn to think and act independently within the framework of the general plan and not wait until they receive orders." I was always under the impression that the Generals of the German army did not encourage free and creative thinking among their troops. Since I am not a military historian, I do not know if my impression was false or if Rommel was an exception in this feeling. Certainly the Field Marshal was an exceptional officer, but several times in this part of the book I have seen where he was flexible in his decisions and modified his tactics as needed, "within the framework of the general plan."

As before, Rommel shows several times where his observations about military tactics prove true. Rommel chose to go cross country which paid off for him. In his letters he writes,
"At point 184 I had another brief discussion with Rothenburg and stressed the main points to be observed during the day's advance; avoidance of villages – most of which were barricaded – and all major roads; movement straight across country, thereby ensuring a surprise appearance in the flank and rear of the enemy."
Editor B.H. Liddell-Hart observes,
"Such a general cross-country advance was rarely attempted by the Allied armored forces in 1944-45. Many of the delays they suffered might have been avoided by fuller use of this method of movement."

Rommel wrote,
"…This move led to a number of clashes with the enemy and we were more than once forced to change our plans."; "…I could no longer enter a slow probe forward, but was compelled to demand that the tanks plunge forward at their top speed to St. Leonard either on the road or alongside it."

In this instance Rommel shows both flexibility and revaluation. Rommel changed his tactics as he needed to. He was not bound by his initial plans. If he saw that something wasn't working or going to work, he changed it as needed.

Peppered throughout these letters, I got a sense of the decency in which he treated his prisoners and the civilian population. He was very concerned with preserving the dignity of those he captured and those who were caught up in the conflict. He often used the phrase, "I ordered," when talking of those soldiers who were his subordinates. When he spoke of his prisoners, especially those Generals who were captured he said, "I then requested the General (French) to present himself with his staff in the market square of St. Valery and agreed to his request that he should be allowed his own vehicle and kit…"

Not understanding military history or tactics, there are things that confuse me. One of which was that the Field Marshal sent prisoners to convey a surrender message to their fellow soldiers. Why did he do that? Did it occur to him that his prisoners might join their compatriots? Was he taking a risk? They did not turn and fight, so apparently he did not take as much a risk as it looks to me he made.

Finally I see that Rommel was a tough commander. He said things like, "I told him what I thought of him,"; "a few straight words,"; "put the boy (Major Heidkaemper) in his place," and "necessary to assert my authority." Because he was willing to do what he asked his men to do, Field Marshal Rommel was a man who was respected by his troops.

There may be people who wonder what I could possibly learn from this glimpse into the mind of a famous man who lived and died long before I was born. One thing I am seeing so far is that flexibility is very important when involved in a big project like the project I am involved in with making Shots in the Dark.

This weekend we shot one of the scenes in the movie. The day before we were to shoot, I got an email from one of the actors saying he couldn't make it. I almost canceled, but instead of cancelling, I reevaluated the situation and decided we could go ahead with the shoot and reschedule this particular actor's parts another time. It wasn't going to affect us that much to do it in two parts. On the morning of the shoot I got another email telling me someone else wasn't going to make it either. We went ahead with the shoot and it turned out to be the best shoot thus far (as concerning organization).

Would I have cancelled the shoot if I'd not been reading about Rommel's flexibility? I don't know, but certainly I thought about him as I considered what I should do. I'm glad we went ahead.

I have always felt the people involved in the project are much more important than the project itself. Seeing how Rommel treated his troops and his prisoners reinforces to me that this is the way to work. To preserve others' dignity is an essential part of any leadership role, whether in the military theater, in the business world, making a hobby movie, or in any other leadership role. People respond best and are more willing to help when they are treated with respect and dignity. Perhaps that's the most important thing I've taken away from the first part of this book.


I highly recommend reading The Rommel Papers. I hope the fact that this is a book written from the papers of a military man about a war that was waged close to 75 years ago would not keep anyone from reading this book. Not only does it give a glimpse into the mind of an intelligent man, but it also gives practical help in being a leader.



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Battle Scarred

8/22/2015

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Two of our three sons served in the Marines and were honorably discharged. Their dad and I are very proud of all three of our sons and who they have become. Two of our three are married and we love their wives as if they were daughters born to us. For me, it is more true to drop the descriptor one uses of the wives of sons. I do not consider Heather and Erin daughters-in-law. To me, they are my daughters every bit as much as they would be had I born them myself. Our youngest son is not married yet, but I have no doubt that the Lord has a young woman in mind for him that will be every bit as beautiful to us as Christian's Heather and Rob's Erin.

One of our Marine sons left his military cover at our house after he was discharged. I have taken possession of this old cap which is showing signs of age and wear. The bill looks scruffy and the inside has frayed edges. Entropy in this dear old hat is certainly taking its toll, but I love it and I love the way it makes me feel when I wear it.

The old cap does several things for me.

First it reminds me of all three of our sons and how proud I am of all of them, as I mentioned above.  I know that together, with their wives, they will teach their children the importance of trusting in the Lord with all their hearts and not leaning on their own understanding.

The hat also reminds me of who I am. There are aspects of my life that are tattered, and rough, but I know that in spite of the ragtag person I am, the Lord loves me as I am. Not only that, I am to love as He loves so that others can see how much He loves them. I often laugh and tell people that I don't take this "woman thing" very seriously. I don't because I wasn't made to be a "long cool woman in a black dress," I was made to be Coleen, a woman who is comfortable in her skin, no matter what age or condition that skin gets to be in. God sent his Son, Jesus, to save a ragamuffin woman from herself, a person bent self-destruction.

And there's something else this hat reminds me of. It reminds me that this life is a war, but the enemy is not other people. The great enemy is satan, whose sole obsession is to destroy mankind. He hates God, and the best way to hurt God is to turn His children against Him.

It doesn't matter what corrupt seeds first planted themselves in the enemy's heart before the world was created, what matters to us now is that there is a great enemy who kills, steals and destroys anything and everything he can to get back at God. He lost the war when Jesus was resurrected from death to give those who believe eternal life, but the battles still rage throughout all the earth until that great and glorious ending of all time.


As that day approaches, the battles will get more and more fierce, but thanks be to God, those who stand firm and trust in the Lord with all their hearts will see the victory Jesus ushers in and be part of the great victory party at the end. Yes, we are living a battle. Some days it seems the enemy wins, but we will have Victory in Jesus if we endure to the end. 

"This is not time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure." Winston Churchill


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A Mystery to Me

8/19/2015

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I find great comfort in knowing that some of the greats of the faith had moments of doubt. I don’t think they doubted God and His faithfulness as much as they doubted themselves. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:15-24

15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[b] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?


Dietrich Bonhoeffer had moments of doubt too. While sitting in prison he wrote a poem:

WHO AM I?

Who am I? They often tell me
I would step from my cell`s confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I? They also tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me
I would bear the days of misfortune
equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself,
restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
trembling with anger at despotisms and petty humiliation,
tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today, and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.


Like Paul and Dietrich I too find I am a mystery to myself. I have days of great faith and trust in the Lord to use me to His great purposes. Then I have days of great pain and anger at myself for not allowing the Lord to keep guard on the door of my mouth, as Psalm 141:3 says. And it is my bitter tongue that I have the most trouble with. Truly James said

5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. James 3-5-6


Recently I was reminded of how easily my tongue gets out of control. A situation in our lives has arisen that I will not go into now. To do so would compound the guilt of my lack of control.  I let my tongue loose and it ran away. By the time I was finished with my word vomit I found I was holding the whip that scourged Jesus' back. By blasting someone with my words, I had ripped the flesh off my Savior myself. I can't even say, "Before I realized it, I was saying bad things about these people." I would be lying to say that.

But even as I realized I have sinned, I also know I must confess my sin against the Lord to the Lord. For when I sin against any other, I have sinned against the Lord Jesus.  The hope we have is that God is faithful to forgive us as 1 John 1:9 says:


If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And even Paul's despair about the war within himself does not leave us in the mire. After he writes of his quickness to sin, he gives us hope in Romans 7:25

25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

As humans we are quick to sin against God, but if we are as quick to confess our sin, God is faithful to forgive us through Jesus' sacrifice. God wants to forgive us more than we want Him to forgive us, because He loves us so much.

Rich Mullins wrote a song which I go back to again and again when I have failed Him. If there is anyone out there reading this and feeling despair over their pain, I hope this little blog will help you find comfort in the God who is never too far away to forgive.

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Shots in the Dark

8/3/2015

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1st draft of the poster for our new movie, Shots in the Dark written by Coleen Frazer-Hambrick
In 2009, John and I were involved with a group of people in making the movie, The Death of Kevin Frye, based on a novel I wrote of the same name. The movie was written into a screenplay and directed by Renee Michaels.

While writing the novel, I kept having the feeling this story would make a great movie. Just before beginning to film, the Lord blessed me with the revelation that movies can be modern day parables that will draw people to him. I began to believe that I would be involved in a number of these modern day parables.

As it turned out, the Lord was giving me that idea, and throughout 2009 we saw miracle after miracle that He accomplished on our behalf to see this movie to its completion.

You can find the trailer to this movie by clicking The Death of Kevin Frye.

Throughout the showing of the movie and the premiere, we continued to see God working. Discussions were taking place, and the movie was carried to Ireland, Thailand and several other places, including places stateside, like California and Texas.

With every project there is a bit of a letdown as one wonders what is going to come next. After being intent on this particular project, I too, had that "after project blues" set in, and I began to believe this would be the only project that would see any of my writing come to life on the screen.

But the Lord never told me that.

I didn't come to realize that until the summer of 2013. During that time, our Sunday school teacher was showing a video series from Ray Vanderlaan. In that series, at the completion of each lesson, Ray would tell his audience that we, as Christians, needed to be involved in the secular world "that the World may know" there is a God who loves them. Most of the time he mentioned the entertainment industry. I kept hearing the Lord calling me to follow His lead and trust Him for this, but I kept responding as Moses, "What can I do?"

Finally, at the last lesson, I realized I'd been arguing with God just as Moses did. I asked the Lord to forgive me for my lack of trust. Although I know the truth that I cannot accomplish this, I forgot the other part of that truth: I can do ALL things through Jesus who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).


So, I began a prayer journey asking the Lord what He wanted me to do. Amazingly, the next Sunday school lesson was on some material by Mark Batterson called The Circle Maker. I was already familiar with Mark Batterson's writings through another book he wrote called, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.

Both books teach us that God wants us to believe Him for the impossible. I found it quite interesting how God made sure we were going to go through that lesson after the lesson from Ray Vander Laan.

During the course of this lesson, I began to realize God was calling me to believe Him for a production company I would call Ebenezer Productions. "Ebenezer" means "thus far God has helped." I knew I would need all of God's help to see this through.

At this time, also, we began to be friends with Dennis and Charyl Armstrong. During the beginning of our friendship, she found out that we'd made The Death of Kevin Frye and that I had completed a new story called Shots in the Dark. She encouraged me to start thinking of making this story into a movie as well.

I found myself arguing, again, with God. "I can't do this…" This time it didn't take me as long to realize I was arguing and Charyl, Dennis, John and I began talking about making the movie.  There will be more about our friendship with the Armstrongs in later blogs.

So, now we are involved in making this new movie with me (gasp) as director; or rather, assistant director. The true Director is the Lord, Himself. In later blogs I will tell about all the miracles God has been doing for us to get this movie made, and the people He has brought and will bring into our project.

In this blog, however, I will just introduce the story. Shots in the Dark is a story about Abby Cooper, a woman who has unexpectedly lost her husband when they were shot in their home. She becomes angry with God and decides to leave her son and his family in order to find the murderer and discover why God let this happen.

Be watching for the progress of our movie and eventually a trailer. I know that the Lord's hand is in this. Every morning my question to Him is, "So God, whatcha gonna do today?"

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    Coleen Frazer-Hambrick is a writer and photographer who lives in Oklahoma with her husband. They have raised three boys and now have four grandboys. Along with writing and photography, Coleen and her husband are active members of a Wesleyan church.

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