Robert Rohr

[John P. Moore]

Today I received the sad news that the former Untersturmführer Robert Rohr had died suddenly yesterday in Munich. It is likely that many of you knew of him. He had been a close personal friend for many years. I learned much from this good man who had become an educator after the war. Most importantly, I gained an appreciation for the people known as “Volksdeutsche” (ethnic Germans) as Robert had been born in Werschetz in the Banat district of the former Yugoslavia, a “Donau Schwaben”, in 1922. Before getting to know Robert I had the mistaken understanding that the “Volksdeutsche” were intellectually and militarily inferior to the “Reichsdeutsche”. An impression that I had received from reading German period documents and various postwar writings. Robert Rohr and the other “Volksdeutche” veterans of the Waffen-SS that I came to know along with veterans from the Baltic states taught me that I was wrong. Robert Rohr joined the “Prinz Eugen” division as a radioman and after completing officer school served in the “Nordland” and later as signal officer in the SS-Schwere Panzer Abteilung 503 in Berlin in 1945.

John

[Tom Houlihan]

My condolences, John, on the loss of a friend.

You are lucky, though, that not only did you have his friendship, but you were able to learn so much from him.

[John P. Moore]

Thanks Tom. Here is a photo of Robert Rohr with my youngest son at the 1998 Treffen of the SS-Nachrichtentruppe in the Rhön. My son got on very well with Robert Rohr and his wife, who both spoke good English that they had learned in their 60s, when he accompanied me to the Treffens in 1996 and 1998. That also shows that one is never too old to learn a foreign language.

John

[Jason Pipes]

I'm very sorry to hear this John. My condolences as well.

[John P. Moore]

Thank you Jason.

Today I received the following tribute written by Dr. Adalbert Lallier, a wartime comrade of Robert Rohr's from their time together in the "Prinz Eugen". Dr. Lallier, who I met thru Robert Rohr, wrote these thoughtful words after learning of Rohr's death and gave me permission to post them here.

John

"During the war, in Hitler's armed forces, the slogan die Besten gehen alle zuerst (“the best one always die first”), was officially used as a doctrinaire means to induce the youngest soldiers – those drafted as well as the volunteers – to consider “sterben für den Führer (to die for their Führer) as the ultimate way to join the German heroes already rejoicing in the Walhalla. Dying young was made out to be their ultimate, preferred, destiny. As the direct result, hundreds of thousands of eighteen to twenty year olds died willingly for a cause in which most of them had been made to believe (e.g. fighting to save Western civilization from the onslaught of godless Bolshevism), but which most of them did not understand. I, a survivor, witnessed too many of them die, usually calling for their mothers, or for God, but very rarely for Adolf Hitler. Robert Rohr, a Banater, had not volunteered to join the Waffen-SS. He, with about 20,000 other Volksdeutsche was drafted en masse, most against their will, early in 1942, to form the 7th Waffen-SS division, die Frewillige Waffen-SS Division “Prinz Eugen”. Primarily citizens of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia – and contrary to then existing international agreements concerning the induction of foreigners into national armies – this forced recruitment was the result of an agreement between the SS-Führungshauptamt’s Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger (Chief od the SS Head Office) and Volksgruppenführer Dr. Sepp Janko (the uncompromising Nazi-leader of the German-speakers of the Banat and of the Bacska, then occupied by Admiral Horthy’s Hungary). Commanded by Reichsdeutsche-officers of the Waffen-SS, the division was engaged for the duration of the war in fighting against Tito and his partisans, a war that resulted in many atrocities, almost two million casualties, both Yugoslav and German, and the annihilation or expulsion of more than one half of the German-speaking prewar population of those two regions. Upon his recruitment, Robert Rohr did not receive (was not deemed worthy of?) receiving a Waffen-SS number, a distinction that was accorded only exclusively to the citizens of the Third Reich, with the exception of a few foreign-born German speakers who had been “true volunteers”. This blatant discrimination of the Volksdeutsche by their Reichsdeutsche superiors in the Waffen-SS continued until the end of 1943, when, faced with enormous causalties amongst the ranks of Waffen-SS officers on the Ostfront, Himmler finally permitted the training as reserve-officers of the Waffen-SS, of a select group of Volksdeutsche-Gymnasium graduates. Robert Rohr being selected as one of the first test cases. Strongly religious and encouraged by the local Catholic and Protestant hierarchies, and faced with the historical task of his forefathers, of defending Western Europe against repeated onslaughts by the “hordes from the East”, Robert Rohr, convinced that the “cause” was just, was first doing his duty as a soldier, then continued to excel as officer-cadet, and was eventually promoted to Untersturmführer, even taking part in the defense of Berlin. Taken prisoner by the Americans, he was eventually released and denazified. Having no choice but to remain in West Germany, he eventually obtained German citizenship, went to university, and qualified as a secondary-school teacher. Free, for the first time in his life, to choose his own political priorities, he enthusiastically embraced the, new, democratic, ideals of Adenauer’s West Germany, underwriting the Articles of the Basic Law, and devoting his entire lifetime, both as teacher and as citizen, to the dissemination of those ideals, with special emphasis on the need to forge a new, united, Europe. Yet, he also found time to reflect upon his roots as a Banater, to maintain linkages with the various groups of Volksdeutsche refugees (by that time, renamed Donauschwaben), as well as to extend his helping hands to the more unfortunate (wounded or haunted) surviving veterans of the Waffen-SS. In his transition from a Nazi-ideology tainted refugee Volksdeutscher, to a fully-fledged citizen of the Bundesrepublik, Robert Rohr continued to leave his personal contribution to the creation of a Germany that would become fully capable of coping with the remaining demons of Nazism, while also seeking – and obtaining – full access as equal partner, to West European and Atlantic systems of alliances, requisites for keeping the expansion of bolshevism contained within eastern Europe; political, economic, and military pre-conditions for the eventual demise of worldwide communism.

Unlike Hitler’s war-time slogan about the “heroes destiny being to die young”, Robert Rohr was doing his “best”, both during the war as well as after the end of the war. He was one of the “best” who, in surviving the war, was destined to leave his personal imprint as his legacy for future generations: honesty, integrity, comradeship, belief in Western values and Reasoning, transnational Europeanism, and incessant quest for peace amongst all nations. Originally, only a naïve recruit for the Waffen-SS, Robert’s “best” was brought to full bloom after the end of the war – with many thousands of other veterans, his example clearly reveals the falsehood, the dishonesty of that war-time slogan. In this sense, I am happy and proud to know that Robert did survive the war and did, with his lifestyle and spirit, enrich all of us. In this sense, Robert deserves my profound admiration. I am privileged to be able to bow with utmost respect before his spirit, of a sincere and honest man who, even though losing his Heimat, and being disparaged for years for having been member of the Waffen-SS, was destined to reveal himself a true humanitarian and tireless contributor to the improvement of the lot of humankind. "

[pzrmeyer2]

Sounds like a great man. Send my condolences to his family, and to his friend Dr Lallier.

[Mark C Yerger]

He appreciated the need to record the history of his units and helped me as well. My heartfelt feelings go out to his family, friends, and Comrades.

[RaymondG]

It a very sad news, John.

Please accept my condolences to you the family of Robert.

That was a very touching eulogy written by Dr. Lallier.

Raymond

[Jan-Hendrik]

Very sad to hear this, dear John

We exchanged our last E-Mail at Sylvester, I wanted to visit him on spring...he was a nice and well educated man, someone you could really call a gentlemen, old school.

Farewell, dear Robert Rohr, I am still proud that I was able to correspondend with you!

Mein Beileid seinen Hinterbliebenen

Jan-Hendrik Wendler

[Annelie]

My condolences to Herr Rohr's family and many friends.

Indeed very thoughtful words by Dr. Adalbert Lallier.
Something to ponder.

Time moves too quickly sometimes and at others so slow.

[John P. Moore]

A family photo from around 1930 with Robert on the right. His father owned a mineral water company in Werschetz. On the left is his older brother Rudolf who was MIA as a signal officer in the "Totenkopf" division in August 1944.

John

[Scott Revell]

Sorry to hear this John and my thoughts are with you as well as Herr Rohr's family.

It is a sign of the times that each year more and more veterans pass away. I guess you are one of the lucky ones to meet, know and befriend a number of veterans around the world which makes it even harder when their time comes to an end.

Take care

Scott

[pimberg]

My condolences too to the Rohr Familie.

Thankyou for the information and pictures John. Also thankyou for sharing the very well written and interesting piece by Dr. Lallier.

Regards,
Peter

Melbourne, Australia

[haen2]

Although I did not know Robert Rohr, I could place myself in his shoes, after reading Dr. Lallier's moving contribution, about his life.
Sadly, but true, there was indeed "discrimination" within the German forces, and some groups of "kameraden" were better accepted than others.
I remember a "spiess" who came straight out and told me that he hated serving with the Landstorm Nederland, because we were not Germans, and "only" germanics by blood association.
He finally succeeded to get a transfer to an all German unit, and the last I heard of him was that he had fallen in Berlin.

I am saddened by the loss of yet another kamerad, and human who proved to the world that one could be true to his principles, and yet come to grips with the past.
My sincere sympathies go out to his family, who must feel the emptiness of his leaving.
Lastly I am glad that at least some people on our forum and my mutual friends, have met and / or correponded with him; their lives cannot be anything other than enriched.
Rest in peace my unknown friend, it's getting lonely in the ranks.
H.N.

[John P. Moore]

Haen2 - Thanks for the nice comments.

Here is a photo of Robert Rohr as an SS-Standarten Oberjunker in 1944 after graduating from the signal officer course.