Erwin Rommel

Deputy Leader of The Imperium

First Imperial President of The Atlantic Imperium

Erwin Rommel (1891 - 1977) was a very important individual in the World. He was the Deputy Leader of the Imperium and High Field Marshall for The Grand Army of The Imperium before becoming The First President of The Atlantic Imperium in 1967. He was second to The Emperor in popularity and was a War Hero and Military Genius, but was also a very good politician.

He would die in New York City on November 9th 1977 of Old Age. Massive Rememberance Ceremonies were held across The Imperial Realm and the his body was paraded across the Atlantic Imperium and The Imperium and ended up in Imperia City for The Emperor to personally bury his closest ally.

## Biography

### Early Life

Rommel was born on 15 November 1891, in Heidenheim, in the Kingdom of Württemberg, then part of the German Empire. He was one of five children to Erwin Rommel Sr who was a former Artillery officer. At age 18 Rommel joined the Württemberg Infantry Regiment No. 124 in 1909 with war around The Corner. He was assigned to various regiments before returning to the 124th Infantry at The Outbreak of The Great War. Rommel was a firm believer in the monarchy at this point and was seen as a staunch monarchist within the German Army. Before the Great War, Rommel was promoted to a Battery Commander.

### The Great War

Rommel was primarily in France during the War but also saw action in Romania and Italy. Rommel proved he was a capable and strong leader at Verdun where he and three other soldiers caught a French Garrison off-guard.

For his actions in September 1914 and January 1915, Rommel was awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class and was the promoted to *Oberleutnant* (first lieutenant). In September 1915, he was transferred to the Royal Wurttemberg Mountain Battalion of the *Alpenkorps ,* a newly created unit, as a company commander. Him and his unit saw extensive action in Romania.

The Mountain Battalion was next assigned to the Isonzo front, in a mountainous area in Italy. The offensive, known as the Battle of Caporetto, began on 24 October 1917. Rommel's battalion, consisting of three rifle companies and a machine gun unit, was part of an attempt to take enemy positions on three mountains. From 25 to 27 October, Rommel and his 150 men captured 81 guns and 9,000 men (including 150 officers), at the loss of six dead and 30 wounded.

In January 1918, Rommel was promoted to *Hauptmann* (captain) and assigned to a staff position in the 64th Army Corps, where he served for the remainder of the war.

### Post-Great War

With The War now over and The Monarchy abolished, Rommel stayed in the Army and began to see the flaws of the Weimar Government and the effects of Versailles. Rommel saw first-hand the brutal effects of political violence during Berlin Communist Uprisings in 1922 against The newly formed Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler. Despite opposing ideologies, Rommel came to respect Hitler's skill of manipulation.

With The Nazi Party becoming more likely to seize power, Rommel renounced all political views and focused his true loyalties with the German Army. However in 1932, The Nazis would become in charge of the new German Reich and incorporated the Weimar's Armed Forces into the new Wehrmacht. Hitler had heard of Rommel's Military Successes and promoted him to Colonel and eventually second in charge of Hitler's bodyguard.

### Service to The Reich

The German Reich immediately rearmed the Rhineland in December of 1932 because of the economic collapse of The Allies and their inability to muster a defence against him. Rommel was put in charge of reoccupying the Ruhr Valley , an industrial heartland, and protecting it from Communists and The French.

He did this extremely well and was promoted to General. He was very impressed with the new German Military and Hitler's rearmament of Germany but refused to support Nazism and join the Nazi Party which saw him clash with Heinrich Himmler over. By 1934, Germany had amassed a sizeable army and began to use it for pressuring neighbouring countries such as Austria who would be annexed in late 1934. In 1935, Rommel was deployed to defeat The Chinese Warlord Rebellions with a new Panzer Force under his command and he proves himself capable of being a tank commander. Following the Warlord Rebellion, Rommel is put in charge of the 7th Panzer Division whom he served with in China.

Upon his return, he began to become disillusioned with the new regime and their use of the SS Paramilitary Troops. In September of 1939, The German Reich declares war on Poland following the Gleitwitz incident involving the SS, which would further change Rommel's Views on The Reich.

After the Fall of Poland, Hitler sends Rommel to Africa to take charge of the failing Italian Forces and build up the DAK. He succeeds in French Africa and proves himself as a capable general gaining the nickname "The Desert Fox", but Hitler recalls him for a planned invasion of Belgium. On his return to Germany, he is placed under the command of Field Marshall Walter Model. Along with Rundstedt, Guderian, and Reinhard Heydrich they were tasked with invading The Benelux and invading Northern France.

Model however had been influenced by The Emperor , A new and mysterious figure who used the idea of Imperiumism which sought to unite mankind under one agenda , his Will and Orders. Rommel, Guderian and Heydrich liked this new philosophy and supported The Emperor who sought to unify society and make the Human Race United and Strong, but to also prevent a far worse fate under the Nazis.

### Rise in The Imperium

Rommel and Model both were key players in the Imperiumist Uprising. Their 15 Wehrmacht Units would form the Core of the New Imperial Army to oppose The Nazi Loyalists. The 4 Men defied Hitler's Orders and refused to attack. Heydrich sided with Model and stayed on the border whilst Rommel, Guderian and Model linked up with Pro-Imperiumist Forces and The Emperor. Rundstedt attempted to alert the SS of the coup but was killed by Heydrich's Forces who had now sided with the New Imperial Army.

Adolf Hitler learns of his General's Betrayal and orders Heydrich and Himmler to destroy the Wehrmacht Revolt. However, Model and Rommel had linked up with The Emperor and began a march on Berlin with The 15 Infantry Divisions and 5 Panzer Divisions under their command. Upon reaching Berlin, The Emperor ordered the surrender of The Waffen-SS Garrison who had kicked the Wehrmacht out. The New Imperial Army began to attack Berlin in The Siege of Berlin. The Siege of Berlin was a bloody fight and took many attempts to kick the SS garrison out. The Siege finally ends and Hitler is killed with Nazi High Command either dead or in hiding.

After this, Rommel was promoted to Field Marshall by the Emperor. He was then ordered to finish the war by invading the Benelux and France. The New Imperial Army under Model, Steiner and Rommel, invade Belgium and The Allies push into Belgium to meet them. However Rommel and Guderian's Tank Divisions sweep through Allied Lines during the 30 Day Offensive (10th May - 9th June) where Imperium Forces manage to completely overrun The Allied Defences in Belgium and trap The Main British and French Armies in Dunkirk.

This leads to an American Entry into the war as The USA becomes heavily Anti-Imperiumist. With The Belgian, British and French Northern Armies gone, The Imperium began the drive to Paris but was stopped by The US Divisions who arrived in France. Rommel is stationary for the majority of the Battle of France until the Grand Offensive in 1941 where he took Paris on the 21st of March which would be a key factor ending the war. Field Marshall Montgomery of The British Army surrendered to Rommel on the 1st of June and Rommel is awarded the rank of High Field Marshall which is the highest Rank in the Imperial Army.

#### Post-War of Liberation

With the War over, Rommel was now the most senior officer in the Imperium under The Emperor himself. He stayed away from the Invasion of The USSR which he delegated to Field Marshalls Model and Steiner. He would lead the Imperial Forces in Italy and in the Nazi Insurrections where he would create his infamous Search and Destroy Tactic which assisted The Imperial Forces in clearing Nazis from Occupied Cities. He began to stop getting involved in Field Command Service and stayed as a more Governmental and High Command figure.

Rommel began to change the Imperial Army and was the Key Individual in creating The Imperial Army into the fighting force it is and was. He was designated as The Emperor's Second in Command and Successor during The Battle of Imperia City in the Nazi Insurrections. He began forming Conservative Views during the 50s and even headed an Pro-Imperial Conservative Party.

In 1950, The War of The Pacific broke out and Rommel was one of the more vocal supporters of assisting the Free Atlantic States. In 1963 upon the outbreak of The Last Great War, he would return to Active Field Command and would take charge of an Army Group in Russia before being transferred to The Pacific with The Imperial Army Pacific Command and cooperating with the Atlantean Army. He would be in New York during JFK's Assassination in 1965. With the political fallout threatening the war effort, Rommel was ordered by The Emperor to secure the Capital of the FAS and organise a new government in order to keep the Atlantic States in the War.

### Leader of The Atlantic Imperium

With his Imperial 13th and 14th Armies, Rommel captured New York and seized control of the FAS Assembly building. He then ordered the establishment of a Provisional Government headed by himself. As Rommel was a known conservative, many Atlanteans agreed to cooperate with Rommel but many Extreme Patriots of The ADP refused to cooperate and staged rebellions across America. Rommel ordered local Atlantean Army and Police groups to subdue the rebellions which they did and by November 1965, the ADP-P had been subdued.

As Provisional Leader, Rommel would introduce much needed reforms to the Atlantic States , many of which having Imperiumist ideals. He slowly converted the Atlantic States into an Imperiumist Nation. He gave better representation to the British and Irish. On the War Front, with Rommel in command of the Atlantean Army, the Free Atlantic States encountered very little resistance and the Atlantean Army became a very powerful force.

In 1967, with the end of The Last Great War, Rommel announced the establishment of the Atlantic Imperium in his *'An Imperium of The New World'* speech on July 5th. The ADP-P which had been subuded rose up again in the September Uprising which were crushed by the new Army of The Atlantic Imperium. Rommel was then innaugurated as Imperial President. He created the title as an Elected but Life-Long Position but a position that could be changed pre-emptively in a set of protocols such as if the Leader was deemed incapable of leading by the Governing Body of The Atlantic Imperium - The Atlantic Council of Imperium , which was 5 Key Members of the AI which included Head of High Command (Most Senior Officer), Defence and Security, Economics, Chief of the Atlantic Imperium Bureau of Investigation and The Vice Imperial President. New Imperial Presidents are selected through these 5 Individuals by an Election involving The Public, however The Vice Imperial President is designated as the Immediate Successor.

During Rommel's Presidency, he was beloved as Father of The Nation and many Atlanteans held him higher than the Emperor. As such, The Atlantic Imperium worked as less of an Imperial Puppet but more as an Allied Nation. Rommel was still loyal to The Emperor though. He would notably intervene in the Fourth Latin War alongside The Imperium on the side of The Brazilians in order to prevent an Argentine Nazi State. Rommel would rapidly industrialise and improve the economy and introduced Laws which created a sense of equality in the Nation. Many believe this was the only time True Imperiumism has been achieved. Rommel would support Josef Behrmann's Succession as Imperial Successor in 1971.

### Death

In 1977, The now ageing Rommel declared his successor as it became likely he wouldn't see the New Year. He named Clarence M. Kelley ,Chief of A.I.B.I, as his successor to give his thanks for assisting him in quelling the ADP-P across the country in the Early Years of his Presidency. His Last Act as Imperial President in October 1977 was to request that the country stay united in his death and to trust in his faith in Kelley.

He would die in New York City on November 9th 1977 of Old Age. Massive Rememberance Ceremonies were held across The Imperial Realm and the his body was paraded across the Atlantic Imperium and The Imperium and ended up in Imperia City for The Emperor to personally bury his closest ally.

## Legacy

Erwin Rommel was considered second only to The Emperor. However, he was far more well loved than the Emperor, especially in The Atlantic Imperium , and is still seen in The Greater American Reich as the Man who gave America Liberation. Rommel's Tactics which he designed from 1914 and continued to test and adapt throughout his Military Career would be textbook standard for Officers across The World to this day.

Statues of Rommel were built in Heidenheim (Renamed to Rommelia), Imperia City and New York. The Emperor showed great respect for Rommel and organised and funded his funeral himself. Much like with King George I of Greece, The Emperor pledged to allow The Atlantic Imperium to operate on their own accord as long as they ultimately stayed loyal.

He was The Emperor's Right Hand Man and the most Famous and successful Military Officer in History.