When Rommel Came to Cottage Country

[Wolfe8918]

Hello all,
I am putting together an article detailing the funeral of DAK Major Wilhelm Bach, who passed away from cancer while a POW in Camp 20, located in Gravenhurst, Ontario Canada. Major Bach, a Knights Cross holder and known as the "pastor of Halfaya Pass", was a close associate of Erwin Rommel and, on the day of his funeral in the small town, a token of remembrance and memorial arrived, sent by Rommel personally through the Red Cross. He was given a full military funeral, with a Kriegsfahne over his casket and an honor guard. The funeral procession went down the mainstreet of the small town, and many local residents paused to watch. I am doing the article strictly for my own interest and will post the finished results here. It is quite a story.

[gregM]

Hello all,
I am putting together an article detailing the funeral of DAK Major Wilhelm Bach, who passed away from cancer while a POW in Camp 20, located in Gravenhurst, Ontario Canada. Major Bach, a Knights Cross holder and known as the "pastor of Halfaya Pass", was a close associate of Erwin Rommel and, on the day of his funeral in the small town, a token of remembrance and memorial arrived, sent by Rommel personally through the Red Cross. He was given a full military funeral, with a Kriegsfahne over his casket and an honor guard. The funeral procession went down the mainstreet of the small town, and many local residents paused to watch. I am doing the article strictly for my own interest and will post the finished results here. It is quite a story.

I am looking forward to seeing your finished work.

[djpool]

I am looking forward to seeing your finished work.

Me too. I think Father Bach's actions were recounted in Carells Foxes of the Desert. I'm intrigued about the gift Rommel sent and what happened to it. Jim

[TWS]

Bach is also mentioned serveral times in Barrie Pitt's "The Crucible of War", which is an excellent book about the desert campaign of 1941.

Looking forward to the article.

[Yubari]

good luck with that. Such effort is priceless

[Jean-Loup]

I often wondered what Back went on to do after the war and had no idea he had died as a POW.


JL

[Wolfe8918]

Hi guys!
Thank you for all your support, I am glad to see all the excitement for the article. I am just finishing up my first draft now. I have gone to Gravenhurst, interviewed people who witnessed the funeral, studied original photos and documents and artifacts from that day both in Gravenhurst and in the War Museum in Ottawa. So much to say, the trick is sorting it all out...

I was hoping to get in contact with Bach's family, but this has proven to be a nigh impossibility. Bearing an incredible stroke of luck, it will probably not happen. Overall, it has been a very fun project. The trick has been sorting out the fact from myth. For example, several major Toronto papers all reported on the funeral, yet only reporter was in attendance that day, and that was for the local paper (the story was reprinted in a few nearby papers too, but not in Toronto). However, the Toronto papers each wrote a different account of the funeral, based on third hand accounts and random witnesses. The story also was published near Christmas, so they did not have all their staff on hand between the holidays and the war going on. Hence, alot of missrepresentation that some have presented as fact. Part of the struggle I suppose.

Overall, Major Bach seems like a remarkable individual. He was, at the end of the day, a man of many talents. From what I have learned (so many histories just stop after his capture), in his six months at Gravenhurst he made a major impression on all who met him. I believe that he was a very open minded man, and this was part of his success. He enjoyed listening, speaking, and learning. He was very empathetic, hence his life as a successful minister, but this also worked to his advantage as a soldier. He listened to the men around him, from the soldiers up to Rommel, and learned from the best and struggled with the lowest of ranks. He earned their respect because he worked so hard to be one of them, and this funeral is very much the reflection of earning the respect and admiration as a good man overall, from friends, comrades, and enemies. The final article will still be a few weeks off, but I will try to get it done soon.

[Stickfigure21]

Looking forward to reading it!


- Steve

[Tim O'Keefe]

Very interesting study, looking forwards to your finished article. Here is some fuel to the fire on the "Pastor of HellFire Pass" copied from the DAK archive site.

"One of the most unusual characters in the Africa Korps was Major Wilhelm Georg Bach, a Lutheran pastor," noted as Rommel's best battalion commander. Although his rank demanded respect, he was the friendliest, most relaxed German commander serving under Rommel. He was captured and taken to Egypt after the lengthly siege of his surrounded positions in Halfaya Pass.

When Erwin Rommel reached Africa in February 1941 his officers were introduced. He didn't smile nor was polite. He had to test them in combat first. But there was a particular officer which Rommel disliked a lot the first time he saw him; that was Hauptmann Bach, veteran of France. He had earned the Iron Cross 1st Class there and was wounded in the knee, so he had to use a batton. Rommel hated the idea of having a unhealthy-officer there but he just went furious when he knew that captain Bach was a Lutheran priest.

Some months later, Rommel loved Bach. Bach was a master with his 88s as another Bach was with his organ. Even if captain Bach never wore his uniform adequately and dressed very ridiculous sometimes... He also treated his soldiers like sons, very warmly.

Bach was a picturesque figure of Afrikakorps ... His eternal cigar, his myopic glasses were well known to all DAK gunners. Major Bach and his 4,000 soldiers resist the assaults of the 20,000 British of the 12th Corps in the Halfaya Pass.

He served in Africa, where he was promoted to Major and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He courageously defended the Halfaya Pass (named "Hellfire Pass" by the Allies) until supply lines were cut on Nov 26 '1941 and he surrendered on Jan. 17, 1942. As a POW, he was brought to Canada where he died of cancer later that year. He was very well-liked by his men, who carved a wooden marker for his grave which stands in the corner of the cemetery, separate from his burial plot."

Heia Safari !
Tim

[michael.g]

win win

dear canadian friend

one of mr. bach`s sons is very close to a friend of mine, living near by sinsheim, germany, where i live too
would be possible to come in contact with him and some other people who know the kc winner major bach

please be so kind and write a pm

sepp 45 - my argentinian friend- is writing about my father hans guhr within this thread and i hope that i can help you to have a win win situation too

michael

[Sepp45]

Wilhelm Bach display at Technik Museum Sinsheim

[michael.g]

please have a lock

www.technik museum sinsheim major bach and you will find some news paper info about major bach

i am still locking to come in contact with his family but in germany we have holiday time

wait and see

michael