Erwin Rommel

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-018-13A, Erwin Rommel.jpg|thumb|165px|right|Rommel]]{{Nazism|1}}
'''Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel''' {{lived|5 November 1891|14 October 1944}}, nicknamed the "Desert Fox", (more realistically the Desert Failure) was one of the more interesting [[Nazis]] – maybe sorta kinda. A [[Nazi Germany|German]] Field Marshal in [[World War II]], he commanded Panzer divisions in the North [[Africa]]n Campaign (the ''Afrika Korps''), along with the defense of the Atlantic wall. He managed to become well-respected by his adversaries,<ref group=note>For example, [http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,818519,00.html this quote] by [[Winston Churchill]] almost led to a censure vote in the House of Commons.</ref> for reasons explained below.

==The anti-Nazi... Nazi?==
Early records showed that Rommel had a close working relationship with [[Adolf Hitler]], but he eventually reached the same conclusion that [[psychopath|the rest of the world had]]. On some occasions,{{fact}} he refused orders to engage in [[war crimes]];{{fact}} [[ironic]]ally, Hitler couldn't touch Rommel himself because he was responsible for turning the general into a [[Chuck Norris]]-esque [[meme]] in [[Joseph Goebbels|Nazi propaganda]].<ref>[http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/1900s/p/rommel.htm Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]</ref> Rommel also held negative opinions toward his [[Mussolini|Italian allies]], and his rebellious nature left him with many critics in the German military.{{fact}}

In 2011, there was considerable controversy over a German biopic that portrayed him as… just a usual Nazi. [[David Irving]] enjoyed it.<ref>Ed Meza, [https://archive.is/QdvtX Rommel TV biopic stirs controversy]. Archived from ''Variety'', 12 November 2011.</ref><ref group=note>Although now more famous as a [[Holocaust denial|Holocaust denier]], David Irving was also one of the first historians to suggest that {{wpl|Rommel myth|this Nazi general might have been a Nazi|.}}</ref>
===Attempt to overthrow Hitler===
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The [[Nuremberg Trials]] revealed that Rommel was complicit in the attempt to assassinate Hitler in the [[Conspiracy#Real conspiracies|July 20 plot]] (although Rommel seemed to have favored arresting him instead). He could choose to be [[Kangaroo court|put on trial]] and have both him and his family killed or commit suicide to allow his family to survive. He picked the latter. His committing suicide was preferable for the regime, as they could hush it up easier than a high-ranking general whom the Nazis themselves had made into a myth turning against Hitler and getting sentenced to death.{{cn}}

==Modern honors==
For the members of the 10th Panzer Division whom Rommel commanded and the Field Marshal, the West German "Bundeswehr" named an armored unit 10 "Panzerdivision." Another Bundeswehr Panzerdivision, the 1st Panzer Division, also shared a designation with a Wehrmacht equivalent.<ref>{{wpa|1st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)}}</ref> The army group's headquarters was at Graf Stauffenberg Kaserne (Count Stauffenberg Barracks), referencing the July 20 plot to kill Hitler.<ref group=note>Claus Graf von Stauffenberg acted as the hatchetman on 20 July 1944.</ref>

There are also three army bases named after Rommel. This fact, like many of the lines of unbroken tradition between the Wehrmacht and the Bundeswehr, is, of course, controversial among the German left and people with more than a passing knowledge of German history.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/was-desert-fox-honest-soldier-or-just-another-nazi-6272076.html Was the Desert Fox an honest soldier or just another Nazi?], ''The Independent''</ref>

==The offspring==
His only son, {{wpl|Manfred Rommel|Manfred|,}} was the post-war mayor of Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg for over 20 years (as a member of the [[Political parties of Germany#Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]) and was an advocate of minorities' [[civil rights]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/world/europe/manfred-rommel-son-of-german-field-marshal-dies-at-84.html Manfred Rommel, Son of German Field Marshal, Dies at 84], ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> The fact that Rommel Jr. was moderately competent as a mayor and that Stuttgart is a prosperous multicultural city with a low crime rate, even by the crime standards of Germany, and other problems may have helped preserve Rommel Sr.'s positive reputation after the war when more Germans questioned whether a "good Nazi" ever existed, as can be seen by the re-evaluation of figures like {{wpl|Wernher von Braun}}<ref group=note>von Braun used slave labor to build his rockets and personally visited the camps. While historians opined that von Braun converted to Christianity as an atonement for his past atrocities, he remains a highly polarising figure to this day; a concentration camp survivor named David Salz gave a speech in Friedberg, calling out to the public to "Do everything to make this name disappear from this school!"</ref> or Albert Speer.<ref group=note>Speer was almost solely responsible for the war industry in the last two years of the war and hence for many of the abuses against forced laborers.</ref> Rommel personally prevented his kid from joining the [[Waffen-SS|SS]].<ref>[https://padresteve.com/2018/06/09/a-cautionary-tale-of-soldierly-obedience-the-fate-of-the-desert-fox/ A Cautionary Tale of Soldierly Obedience: The Fate of the Desert Fox]</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:Antisemites]]
[[Category:Holocaust perpetrators]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Nazis]]
[[Category:European history]]

Categories: Antisemites, Holocaust perpetrators, Military, Nazis, European history