Rodewald is an agricultural village in the district of Nienburg, Lower Saxony and is locally administrated by Steimbke. At in length, Rodewald is considered the second longest village in Lower Saxony, Germany and is split into three farming communities or peasantries, known simply as; Lower, Middle and Upper Farming Community (obere, mittlere and untere Bauerschaft).
It is situated approximately to the north of the federal state capital, Hanover, south of Germany's second largest city, Hamburg and belonged until the administrative and territorial reforms of 1974, to the district of Neustadt am Rübenberge.
History
Rodewald is first mentioned in historical records during the initial quarter of the 13th century, after which the Bishop of Minden requested that the Earl of Wölpe establish a settlement. Through a systematic clearing of forests in the northern area, which is identified today as Untere Bauernschaft, the village was created and is ultimately where the name stems from; the direct English translation clear + wood, i.e. from, Low German roode 'to root' and wald 'forest'. Each settler received an equal size of land in the Hagenhufendorf format, a typical form of High Middle Ages land ownership.
These pitches of land, no greater than the width of the farmstead, although several hundred metres deep, were between 60 and 70 Morgen in size (a Morgen being approximately the amount of land tillable by one man behind an ox in the morning hours of a day). This method of land ownership, typical of the High Middle Ages, can still be observed as one passes along the Landesstrasse 192 (Dorfstrasse in the north and Hauptstrasse in the south).
In the course of the centuries the village lengthened considerably with both sides of the L192 becoming populated by the typical Fachhallenhäuser or timber framed farmhouses, found throughout the North German Plain.
Only after the Second World War and with the luxury of the motor car becoming available to the masses did the village begin to see buildings purely used as housing, although in order to ensure a balance between landscape and practicality two new areas in the more densely populated centre and an industrial park at the southern edge were developed. Its original charm has been retained with the open spaces along the street continuing to display the Hagenhufendorf format.
The First and Second World Wars
First World War
During the course of the First World War Rodewald lost a number of its inhabitants after they had been drafted to serve in the army or Deutsches Reichsheer as it was known at the time, although the area was not occupied after the cessation of hostilities.
Second World War
11th Armoured Division
During the dying days of the Second World War, the troops of the British 11th Armoured Division carried on their steady, although strongly contested, advance across the North German Plain. Under the command of Major General George Roberts, it had 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division to its north (later being replaced by 7th Armoured Division after particularly heavy fighting at Rethem), and 6th Airborne Division to the south. Directly to its front were the troops of SS Panzer Grenadier Ausbildungs und Bataillon 12. HJ, who had been pushed back from Stolzenau during their defence of the Weser, and the sailors of 2. Marine Infanterie Division that were now forming a defensive line along the Aller. The Division formed an essential part of General Sir Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group during its crossing of the Rhine and the subsequent race to the Baltic.
159th Infantry Brigade
Having crossed the River Weser at Petershagen, rather than the intended crossing point at Stolzenau - which was staunchly being defended by SS elements of the Hitler Youth and featured one of the last stands of the Luftwaffe, the British 159th Infantry Brigade's, forming the right hand flank of the divisional thrust, advanced along its axis of Loccum, Rehburg, Eilvese, Hagen, Dudensen, Laderholz and Rodewald. Its two battle groups were formed by combining the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry with 1st Battalion the Herefordshire Regiment and the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars with 1st Battalion the Cheshire Regiment. Each battle group would then take it in turns to head up the advance, where they would be leapfrogged by the other battle group after any major actions, thus allowing the opportunity to establish control and to re-organise should substantial losses be experienced.