Charley Fox Charles William Fox , < a href = " Distinguished % 20Flying % 20Cross % 20 % 28United % 20Kingdom % 29 " > DFC and Bar < / a > , CD ( b . 16 February 1920 , Guelph , Ontario ; d . 18 October 2008 , Tillsonburg , Ontario ) was a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II . He attended Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute . Biography . Fox , the son of an Irish immigrant , joined the RCAF in 1939 at the beginning of the war ( his brother Ted joined the Royal Canadian Artillery ) . He graduated near the top of his class in 1941 and was offered a job as a flight instructor in Dunnville , Ontario . He remained in this position until 1943 when he began combat training in Bagotville , Quebec . He flew Spitfires over Europe , destroying or damaging 153 enemy vehicles ( mostly trains ) , and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross ( with bar ) . In 1944 , he began his tour of duty with the Canadian 412 Squadron . On D - Day he flew three patrols off the coast of France . On July 17 , 1944 , he flew from the Allied air base at Beny - sur - Mer in Normandy and strafed an unknown black car ; he later learned that one of the passengers was German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel , who was seriously injured in the attack . This is disputed as an Australian and RAF ( Chris Le Roux of 602 Squadron ) pilot also claim to have been responsible for the attack . Australian Fred Cowlph of 453 Squadron also claimed responsibility for the strafing attack , asserting that his guns camera verified this . He recorded this action in his aircraft log book . As Rommel was soon afterwards implicated in the assassination plot against Adolf Hitler , he was allowed to commit suicide and his death was announced as a result of injuries from the air attack . In 2004 Fox was officially credited with injuring Rommel , although he has expressed some regret about the attack , as Rommel was supposedly planning to secretly negotiate an earlier end to the war with the Allies . Fox ended his tour of duty in January 1945 , and served in the 420 Reserve after the war . He retired in 1956 and began to work at a shoe factory , from which he retired in 1998 . On April 30 , 2004 , he was named honorary colonel of 412 Squadron in Ottawa , ultimately belonging to 8 Wing / CFB Trenton . For his long service in the RCAF , he was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration . He died in a car accident near Tillsonburg , Ontario , on 18 October 2008 . Legacy . It is noteworthy that fourteen of Mr . Fox ’ s planes were rendered no longer usable after returning from missions due to excessive damage from enemy fire . Charles Fox was noted as an educator of youth and spokesperson for veterans . He founded Torch Bearers , a non - profit organization aimed at educating young people about Canadian military exploits . He regularly took on speaking engagements to keep veterans ' stories alive and fought with school boards to ensure Remembrance Day ceremonies were held annually . According to Fox ' s family , he spent his life wondering why he survived numerous dates with death and was in the process of telling his story and those of other veterans in a book titled " Why Not Me ? " , which the family hopes to finish . " It did give him a purpose in life and he was searching for that , " according to his son . Mr . Fox had one son ( James William Fox ) , two daughters ( Susan Fox and Adrienne Black ) , nine grandchildren , three step - grandchildren , and fourteen great - grandchildren .