Born
November 15th,
1891. Died
October 14,
1944.
German general, one of the most
brilliant military
strategists of his time, and possibly the best tank commander of
World War II. Originally rose through the ranks in
World War I, after being commended for bravery and earning numerous decorations (including the
Iron Cross). He was promoted to General before WWII, took part in the invasion of
France, and earned the nickname "
The Desert Fox" for his
trickery in the
North Africa theater. His
Afrika Korps rescued the
Italians from defeat (temporarily), managing to drive the
British back to
Egypt, mainly through
blitzkrieg style warfare, traps, and
misdirection. During this campaign he was promoted to
Field Marshall (the youngest ever, at age 50), and given sole command in the African theater.
One of the tactics for which he was most famous was his use of 88mm flak guns (antiaircraft) against enemy tanks. He was forced to use them because he was lacking in antitank weapons for infantry. He used these guns with great success in both France and North Africa. Because the guns were less than ideal for antitank purposes (they lacked wheels and had a very high, visible
profile), Rommel had them dug into the sides of
dunes to where the barrel was sometimes mere inches above the ground. He then covered them with tan tents to make them appear to be
sand dunes. After arranging the guns in a U formation, he lured British tanks into the killing ground using a fake
retreat, where they were summarily
slaughtered by
point-blank 88mm fire.
Another famous tactic that won a major battle for Rommel was to send a few Italian
light tanks, followed by trucks, in a flanking
maneuver. Behind the trucks were tied bundles of
sticks and brush, which drug along the ground and made a
massive dust cloud, obscuring the
column. This also made the column appear to the British as a full scale German
attack. They began to
withdraw, but committed their
delaying force in the wrong direction, holding the German trucks. Rommel's entire force of main
battle tanks then fell upon the confused British force from the other side, turning the battle into a complete
rout.
Unfortunately for Rommel, the war elsewhere was not faring well for the Germans at this time, and his
supply lines were overextended. The harsh
conditions in North Africa exacted a toll in
machinery and men, until eventually the
exhausted Rommel and his Afrika Corps were defeated decisively by the British at
El Alamein, and forced to
surrender later when caught between British and
American forces.
Summoned back to Germany, Rommel helped prepare defenses against the impending
allied invasion. He was wounded in a
strafing attack, and while in the
hospital, was implicated in a
plot that attempted to
assassinate Adolf Hitler. He was given the choice of quiet suicide, or public
execution for
treason (along with his family). He chose suicide, and was given a full state funeral as a hero (with the cover story that he died from his wounds in the hospital).
He is one of the few high German officials who was never
implicated in any
war crimes.
Prisoners taken in North Africa were always treated well, even at the expense of water rations for Rommel's own men. His
participation in a plot against Hitler would indicate he had little
loyalty to the Nazis, fighting for Germany, not Hitler.