Erwin Rommel's biography is a story of continuous career growth. He was a senior officer during the First World War and even received the Order of Pour le Merite for his exploits on the Italian front. The books of Erwin Rommel are widely known, the most popular of which, The Infantry Attack, was written in 1937.
During World War II, he distinguished himself as the commander of the 7th Panzer Division during the invasion of France in 1940. Rommel's work as commander of German and Italian forces in the North African campaign confirmed his reputation as one of the most capable tank commanders and earned him the nickname der Wüstenfuchs, Desert Fox (the officer was very proud of him).
He also succeeded as an author, and therefore quotes from Erwin Rommel can be heard from the lips of people who are fond of military history. For example, the following is widely known:
Sweat will save blood, blood will save lives, and the mind will save both.
Among his opponents, he earned a strong reputation as a noble knight, and the North African campaign was often called the "war without hatred." He later commanded German forces opposing the Allies during their invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
Erwin Eugen Johannes Rommel supported the Nazis and Adolf Hitler, although his disapproving stance against anti-Semitism, allegiance to National Socialism and involvement in the Holocaust remain a moot point.
In 1944, Rommel was implicated in a conspiracy on July 20, the purpose of which was allegedly to kill Hitler. Due to his status as a national hero, Erwin Rommel had some immunity to the top of the Reich. Nevertheless, he was given the choice between committing suicide in exchange for assurances that his reputation would remain untouched and that his family would not be persecuted after his death, and the shameful execution as a national traitor. He chose the first option and committed suicide through the use of a pill with cyanide. Rommel was buried with all honors, and as the official cause of his death was called the shelling of the company car by the Allies in Normandy.
Rommel became a living legend during his lifetime. His figure periodically surfaced in both Allied and Nazi propaganda, and in the post-war popular culture, when many authors considered him as an apolitical, brilliant commander and a victim of the Third Reich, although this assessment is disputed by other authors.
Rommel's reputation as a supporter of a “fair war” was used in the interest of reconciliation between former enemies: the United Kingdom and the United States on the one hand and the new Federal Republic of Germany on the other. Some of Rommel's former subordinates, in particular his chief of staff, Hans Spidel, played a key role in the rearmament of Germany and integration into NATO in the post-war era. The largest military base of the German army is named in his honor - Field Marshal Rommel Baraks, Augustdorf.
Erwin Rommel Biography
Rommel was born on November 15, 1891 in southern Germany, in Heidenheim, 45 kilometers from Ulm, in the kingdom of Württemberg as part of the German Empire. He was the third of five children of Erwin Rommel Sr. (1860-1913), a teacher and school administrator, and his wife Helen von Lutz, whose father, Karl von Luz, headed the local government council. Like the young man, Rommel's father was a lieutenant in artillery. Rommel had one older sister, an art teacher who was his favorite, and a brother named Manfred, who died in infancy. He also had two younger brothers, one of whom became a successful dentist, and the other an opera singer.
At the age of 18, Rommel joined the local 124th Württemberg Infantry Regiment as a fanrich (ensign), and in 1910 he entered the officer cadet school in Danzig. He graduated in November 1911 and was appointed lieutenant in January 1912. He was sent to Ulm in March 1914 to the 46th Field Artillery Regiment of the XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps as a battery commander. He returned to the 124th Regiment when the war broke out. At a cadet school, Rommel met his future wife, 17-year-old Lucia (Lucy) Maria Mollin (1894-1971), a charming girl of Polish-Italian descent.
Great War
During World War I, Rommel fought in France, as well as in Romanian and Italian campaigns. He successfully used the tactics of penetrating enemy lines with heavy fire in combination with quick maneuvers, and also quickly moved forward to the flanks of the enemy to go behind the enemy lines.
He received his first combat experience on August 22, 1914 as a platoon commander near Verdun. Rommel and three of his soldiers opened fire on an unprotected French garrison, without calling on the rest of their platoon. Armies continued to fight in open battles throughout September. The trench positional war characteristic of the First World War was still ahead.
For his actions in September 1914 and January 1915, Rommel was awarded the Iron Cross of the second degree. The future field marshal received the rank of lieutenant (first lieutenant) and was transferred to the newly created Royal Württemberg Mountain Battalion in September 1915, taking the position of company commander. In November 1916, Erwin and Lucia married in Danzig.
Offensive in Italy
In August 1917, his unit participated in the battle for Mount Kosna, a heavily fortified target on the border of Hungary and Romania. They took her after two weeks of hard fighting. The mountain battalion was then sent to the front of Isonzo, a highland in Italy.
The offensive, known as the Battle of Caporetto, began on October 24, 1917. The Rommel battalion, consisting of three rifle brigades and a machine gun mount, attempted to occupy the enemy’s positions on three mountains: Kolovrat, Matajur and Stol. Two and a half days later, from October 25 to 27, Rommel and his 150 men captured 81 guns and 9,000 people (including 150 officers), losing only six soldiers.
Rommel achieved this remarkable success by taking advantage of the terrain features to circumvent Italian forces, attack from unexpected directions and take the lead. The Italian forces, taken aback and believing that their lines had collapsed, surrendered after a brief skirmish. In this battle, Rommel used the revolutionary tactics of infiltration for that time, a new form of maneuver warfare, which had just been accepted first by the German and then foreign armies, and described by some as “Blitzkrieg without tanks”.
Walking in the forefront at the capture of Longarone on November 9, Rommel again decided to attack with much less forces than the enemy has. After making sure that they were surrounded by an entire German division, the 1st Italian Infantry Division, which was 10,000, surrendered to Rommel. For this, as well as for his actions in Matajour, he received the Order of Pour-le-Merite.
In January 1918, the future field marshal was appointed to the post of Hauptmann (captain) and assigned to the army corps XLIV, in which he served the rest of the war. But she, as you know, was still lost.
And thunder struck: Erwin Rommel, World War II and military glory
The quiet peaceful life of the Rommel couple, which lasted a little over 20 years, was violated by the threat of a new war. On August 23, 1939, he was appointed major general and commander of the security battalion, who was tasked with guarding Hitler and his headquarters during the invasion of Poland, which began on September 1. Hitler took a personal interest in the campaign, often moving close to the front in a headquarters train.
Erwin Rommel attended Hitler's daily briefings and accompanied him everywhere, using every opportunity to observe the use of tanks and other motorized units. On September 26, Rommel returned to Berlin to create a new headquarters for his unit. On October 5, he left for Warsaw to organize a German victory parade. He described the devastated Warsaw in a letter to his wife, concluding: “For two days there was no water, no power, no gas, no food. They created numerous barricades that blocked the civil movement, and bombarded people from which people could not escape. The mayor estimates that the number of dead and injured is 40,000. The residents probably breathed a sigh of relief when we arrived and saved them. "
After the campaign in Poland, Rommel began advising the team of one of the German tank divisions, which were then only ten. Rommel's successes in World War I were based on surprise and maneuvers - two elements for which new tank and mechanical combat units are ideally suited.
Becoming a general
Rommel received a promotion to the rank of general personally from Hitler. He received the team he sought, despite the fact that earlier his request was rejected by the Wehrmacht command, which invited him to command the mountain division. According to Kaddik-Adams, he was supported by Hitler, the influential commander of the 14th Army, Wilhelm List, and probably Guderian. For this reason, Rommel gained a reputation as one of Hitler's privileged commanders. However, his later outstanding successes in France forced former enemies to forgive him obsessive self-PR and political intrigue.
The 7th Panzer Division was transformed into a tank unit, consisting of 218 tanks in three battalions with two rifle regiments, a motorcycle battalion, and engineering and anti-tank battalions. Having taken command on February 10, 1940, Rommel quickly introduced in his unit the practice of fast maneuvers that they would need in the upcoming 1941-1943 North African campaign.
French campaign
The invasion of France and the Benelux countries began on May 10, 1940 with the bombing of Rotterdam. By the third day, Rommel and the advance detachments of his division, together with the detachment of the 5th Panzer Division under the command of Colonel Herman Werner, reached the Maas River, where they discovered that the bridges had already been destroyed (Guderian and Reinhardt reached the river on the same day). Rommel was active in advanced areas, directing efforts to overcome the crossing. Initially, they were unsuccessful due to the overwhelming fire from the French on the other side of the river. Rommel assembled tank and infantry units to provide a counterattack, and set fire to nearby houses to create a smokescreen.
By May 16, Rommel reached Avesnes and violated all command orders by launching an attack on Kato. That night, the corps of the French II Army was defeated, and on May 17, Rommel's forces captured 10,000 prisoners, losing no more than 36 people. He was surprised to learn that only the vanguard followed him in this offensive. The High Command and Hitler were extremely nervous because of his disappearance, although they awarded him the Knight's Cross.
The successes of Rommel and Guderian, the new opportunities offered by tank weapons, were enthusiastically greeted by several generals, while most of the general staff was somewhat disoriented. Quotes of Erwin Rommel of that time, they say, amuse the British very much, but the damn angry French.
The Germans on the "black continent"
The theater of war soon moved from Europe to Africa. On February 6, 1941, Rommel was appointed commander of the newly created German African Corps, consisting of the 5th Infantry (later renamed the 21st Panzer) and the 15th Panzer Division. On February 12, he was promoted to lieutenant general and arrived in Tripoli (at that time - a colony of Italy).
The corps was sent to Libya for Operation Sonnenblum to support the Italian forces, which were badly battered by the British Commonwealth during Operation Compass. It was during this campaign that the British nicknamed Erwin Rommel the Desert Fox. Allied forces in Africa were commanded by General Archibald Wawell.
During the first offensive of the Axis forces, Rommel and his troops were technically subordinate to the Italian Commander-in-Chief Italo Gariboldi. Disagreeing with the order of the Wehrmacht's high command to take a defensive position along the front line in Sirte, Rommel resorted to a trick and disobedience to give battle to the British. The General Staff tried to stop him, but Hitler encouraged Rommel to advance deep into the English position. This case is considered an example of the conflict that existed between Hitler and the leadership of the army after the invasion of Poland. He decided to launch a limited offensive on March 24 with the 5th light division, supported by two Italian divisions. The British did not expect this strike, because their data indicated that Rommel had received orders to remain in a defensive position, at least until May. The African corps was waiting and getting ready.
Meanwhile, the British western desert group was weakened by the transfer in mid-February of three divisions that were supposed to help the Allies defend Greece. They retreated to Mers el Bregu and began to build defenses. Rommel continued to attack these positions, preventing the British from building up their fortifications. After a day of fierce fighting, on March 31, the Germans captured Mers el Bregu. Dividing his forces into three groups, Rommel resumed his offensive on April 3. Benghazi fell that night when the British left the city. Gariboldi, who ordered Rommel to stay in Mersa el Bregu, was furious. Rommel was equally firm in his answer, saying to the hot-tempered Italian: “We must not miss the unique opportunity to slip through because of some trifles.” At that moment, a message came from General Franz Halder , reminding Rommel that he should stop at Mersa el Breguet. Knowing that Gariboldi did not speak German, Rommel told him that the General Staff had actually given him complete freedom of action. The Italian retreated because he could not resist the will of the German General Staff.
On April 4, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel informed his supply officers that he was running out of fuel for tanks, which could lead to a delay of up to four days. The problem was ultimately Rommel's fault, as he had not informed the supply officers of his intentions, and no fuel reserves had been created.
Rommel ordered the 5th Light Division to unload all his trucks and return to Al Aheilah to collect fuel and ammunition. Fuel supply was problematic throughout the campaign, as gasoline was not available locally. It was delivered from Europe by tanker, and then sent by land to where it was needed. Food and fresh water were also in short supply, and it was difficult to move tanks and other equipment off-road through sand. Despite these problems, Cyrenaica was captured by April 8, with the exception of the port city of Tobruk, which was surrounded by ground forces on the eleventh.
Americans Intervention
Having reached Tunisia, Rommel launched an attack against the II Corps of the US Army. He defeated the U.S. forces at the Casserin Pass in February, and this battle was his last victory in this war and his first attack against the United States Army.
Rommel immediately led Army Group B against the British forces, occupying the Maret line (the old French defense on the Libyan border). While Rommel was in Kasserine at the end of January 1943, the Italian general Giovanni Messe was appointed commander of the African Panzer Army, renamed the Italo-German Panzer Army in recognition of the fact that it consisted of one German and three Italian corps. Although Messe replaced Erwin Rommel's Desert Fox, he was very diplomatic with him and tried to work as a team.
Rommel's last offensive in North Africa came on March 6, 1943, when he attacked the Eighth Army at the Battle of Meden. After that, he was sent to the Western Front in order to protect his native Germany from the Anglo-American invasion. Erwin Rommel’s African Corps was widely praised in Germany, whose tokens are still found in great abundance in Libya.
Mysterious doom
The official death story of Rommel is a heart attack and / or embolism of the brain resulting from a skull fracture that he allegedly received as a result of shelling his jeep. To further strengthen the people's faith in this story, Hitler appointed an official day of mourning in memory of Rommel. As promised earlier, Rommel's funeral was held with state honors. The fact that his state funeral was held in Ulm, and not in Berlin, according to his son, was agreed upon by the field marshal during his lifetime. Rommel requested that no political attributes adorn his dead body, but the Nazis ensured that his coffin was decorated with a swastika. Hitler sent Field Marshal von Rundstedt (on his own behalf) to the funeral, who did not know that Rommel was put to death by order of Hitler. His body was cremated. While the Germans mourned Erwin Rommen, the Second World War ended in complete defeat for them.
The truth about the death of Rommel became known to the Allies when the scout Charles Marshall interviewed the widow of Rommel, Lucia, as well as from a letter from his son Manfred in April 1945. The real cause of Erwin Rommel's death is suicide.
Rommel's tomb is located in Herrlingen, near Ulm. For decades after the war, on the anniversary of his death, African campaign veterans, including former adversaries, gathered there to honor the commander.
Recognition and memory
Erwin Rommel is highly regarded by many authors as a great leader and commander. The historian and journalist Basil Liddell Hart concludes that he was a strong leader, whom his troops idolized and respected by opponents, and deserves to be called one of the “great captains of history.”
Owen Connelly agreed, writing that "there is no better example of a military leadership that can be found besides Erwin Rommel," quoting Mellentin's account of the inexplicable understanding that existed between Rommel and his troops. Hitler, however, once noted that "unfortunately, the field marshal is a very great leader, enthusiastic in times of success, but an absolute pessimist when he encounters the slightest problems."
Rommel received both recognition and criticism for his activities during the French campaign. Many, for example, General Georg Stamme, who had previously commanded the 7th Panzer Division, were impressed by the speed and success of Rommel's actions. Others were restrained or critical: Team Officer Kluge argued that Rommel's decisions were impulsive and that he required too much trust from the general staff, while falsifying data or not recognizing the contributions of other units, especially the Luftwaffe. Some noted that Rommel’s division suffered the highest losses in the campaign.
The family of Erwin Rommel continues to honor the great ancestor from generation to generation.