Westphal was the most loyal and efficient officer von Rundstedt could name, and others had felt the same way, especially the other commanders Westphal had served. Throughout the war, the young man’s assignments had reflected the enormous respect that came his way, even from the High Command, those officers close to Hitler who seemed incapable of offering respect to anyone who might be a rising star. Though it never seemed to affect Westphal one way or the other, his various superiors—Rommel, Kesselring, and now von Rundstedt—all recognized that a wave of Hitler’s hand might take Westphal straight to Berlin to occupy a seat held now by one of the maddeningly mindless yes-men the field commanders had to endure. So far, Hitler’s own staff, who were expert at protecting their own lofty perches, had been successful at keeping Westphal in the field. So much the better for those he served. Von Rundstedt had always known that his command existed at Hitler’s whim, and when the need came for a scapegoat, von Rundstedt would fill that role perfectly.
