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Erwin Rommel

German field marshal (1891-1944) · Germany · Historical Figures · Died at 52

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The Wehrmacht field marshal who commanded Axis armor in North Africa earned the nickname "Desert Fox" from both sides - and after the war became the template for how the West wanted to remember the German military: allegedly apolitical, chivalrous, and conveniently dead before the full reckoning.

Historical FiguresOtherGermanyEurope20th Century

A life in dates

1944Died14 October 19441938“Be an example to your men in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself, and let the troops see that you don't, in your endurance of fatigue and privation.”In their wordsAddress as Director of the Military School in Wiener Neustadt at the passing out parade of the 1938 class of cadets.

1915Golden Military Merit Medal (Württemberg)AwardIron Cross (1914), 1st classAward1914Iron Cross (1914), 2nd classAward1891Born15 November 1891

Also in Deutsch

Photos 3

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J16362, Erwin RommelBundesarchiv Bild 183-J16362, Erwin RommelBelgium-6190 - Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (14028439013)Belgium-6190 - Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (14028439013)BZT 1944 10 16 1 Rommel (2)BZT 1944 10 16 1 Rommel (2)

In their own words 9

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Erwin Rommel
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9 statements, newest first

  1. Be an example to your men in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself, and let the troops see that you don't, in your endurance of fatigue and privation.

    1938, Address as Director of the Military School in Wiener Neustadt at the passing out parade of the 1938 class of cadets., Own words

  2. The German soldier has astonished the world; the Italian Bersagliere has astonished the German soldier.

    On the plaque dedicated to the Bersaglieri that fought at Mersa Matruh and Alamein., Own words

  3. One must not judge everyone in the world by his qualities as a soldier: otherwise we should have no civilization.

    As quoted in Dirty Little Secrets : Military Information You're Not Supposed To Know (1990) by James F. Dunnigan and Albert A. Nofi, p. 50, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

Iron Cross (1914), 1st class1915
Golden Military Merit Medal (Württemberg)1915
Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class1914
Pour le Mérite
Military Merit Cross III. Class
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Friedrich Order
Order of Michael the Brave
Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
Knight of the Württemberg Military Order of Merit
Wound Badge (1918) in Silver
Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
Sudetenland Medal
Memel Medal
Wehrmacht Long Service Award
Grand Officer of the Military Order of Savoy
Knight of the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy
Silver Medal of Military Valour
Order of Military Merit
Clasp to the Iron Cross
Military Merit Cross

Family

Erwin Rommel

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About this person

Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel was born 15 November 1891 and decorated for valor on the Italian Front in World War I, earning the Pour le Mérite. In 1937 he published Infantry Attacks, a tactics manual drawn from that experience. When war returned he led the 7th Panzer Division into France in 1940, then took command of German and Italian forces in North Africa, where his handling of armor made him one of the war's ablest tank commanders. He pledged allegiance to the Nazi regime after 1933 and remained loyal to Hitler, though not to the party or the SS. In 1944, commanding forces against the Normandy invasion, he was implicated in the 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. Given the choice between suicide and a show trial, he took cyanide on 14 October 1944. The regime announced he'd died from wounds sustained in an air attack and gave him a state funeral.

Country
Germany
Category
Historical Figures
Type
Historical Figure
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1891 to 1944 · aged 52

In common with Erwin

Dietrich von CholtitzBoth received Wound Badge (1918) in SilverRobert LeyBoth received Wound Badge (1918) in SilverViktor LutzeBoth received Wound Badge (1918) in Silver

Historical Figures from Germany 3

Frederick the Great72.2Empress Elisabeth of Austria69.6Wilhelm II, German Emperor73.5

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