Who is Field Marshall Ironside?

[fiftysomething]

I have an old recording of a German propagander broadcast in English. The reporter tells about Rommell visiting the Atlantic in France, and then makes a comment about Field Marshall Ironside and how they will win the war.

I think this has been translated from the German in English and the name has been translated literaly into English.

The question is who is 'ironside'

I would like to post the MP3 sound recording for you to hear yourself but I am not sure how!

Thanks

[Shadow]

Greetings "fiftysomething" -
Welcome to Feldgrau!
The only Field Marshall Ironside I'm aware of was British FM Lord William Ironside. He was promoted to that rank in 1940, the 107th person to be granted that rank.
I wonder if FM Rommel was referring to him in some way? Hard to tell without the exact "word for word" of the original broadcast.
Sorry I can't be of more help -

[Kaiser]

FM William Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside of Archangel born May 6, 1880. Entered the Royal Artillery in 1899, the lauguage-talented Ironside served as a spy during the Anglo-Boer War, during the First World War he mainly served as a staff officer and 1918-1919 commanded the Anti-Bolshevik forces at Archangel. He was then knighted and promoted to major-general. 1922-26 Sir William was commendant of the Staff College at Camberley, 1933-36 he served as Q.M.G. India and then G.O.C.in.C. Eastern Command. At the outbreak of WW 2 he served as C.-in-C. and Governor of Gibraltar, he then returned to Britain to become chief of the Imperial General Staff and then from May to July 1940 commander of Home Forces.

The small bodies of mobile and strongly armed troops organized at that time for local defence, was named Ironsides after him and in allusion to Cromwell's soldiers. Promoted Field-Marshal he was raised to the peerage as Baron Ironside of Archangel in 1941. The same year Lord Ironside left active service and died 22 Sept. 1959.

[fiftysomething]

This a German propagander broadcast in English, the text of the broadcast is as follows.

First.

A song inviting the Allies to come and visit the Atlantic Wall because we're ready and and will destroy you (from Charlie and his orchestra?).

Then the reporter says
"NEWS HEADLINES.

Heavy German bombers directed a large scall attack against Portsmouth.

The new German biltz attacks are more nerve wrecking than the bombardments of 1940 and 1941, writes Newsweek.

Field Marshall Rommell is again on the French coast on a tour of inspection.

The Sphere(??) states that the man in the street doubts the result of the British and American air raids.

Field Marshall (slight pause) Ironside indicated that in the event of an invasion, Germany would be in a position to deal out heavy counter blows.

The annual conference of the British Labour Party has been postponed..." (and so on, and so on).

The impresion I got was that Ironside was a German Field Marshall whos name had been badly translated into English, but it is possible that it is a British officer refered to, what do you think?

[Shadow]

fiftysomething -
Sounds to me as if the German broadcaster is making propaganda reporting that British FM Ironside "indicated that in the event of an invasion.....deal out heavy counter blows" [positive tilt for the Axis].
The broadcast would be early 1944 (I suspect) - if they have Rommel visiting the French coast [Atlantic Wall] on a tour of inspection and Newsweek reporting on the "new German blitz attacks".
Just a guess on my part - was German intel accurate enough to know of Ironside's VIP status in the British military - I suspect so
Make any sense
anyway - just my 2 cents worth
best regards -

[Mikko]

Might the 'Ironside' actually be Runstedt? I can see how the name, pronounced by an English-speaker, might sound like 'Ironside'. Generalfeldmarschall Gerdt von Runstedt was at the time the Commander-in-Chief in West.