“The Desert Fox” commits suicide - Oct 14, 1944 - HISTORY.com “The Desert Fox” commits suicide Share this: “The Desert Fox” commits suicide Author “The Desert Fox” commits suicide URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1944, German Gen. Erwin Rommel, nicknamed “the Desert Fox,” is given the option of facing a public trial for treason, as a co-conspirator in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, or taking cyanide. He chooses the latter. Rommel was born in 1891 in Wurttenberg, Germany, the son of a teacher. Although not descended from military men, the newly unified German empire made it fashionable to choose a military career, which young Rommel did, becoming an officer cadet. During World War I, he showed himself to be a natural leader with unnatural courage, fighting in France, Romania, and Italy. Following the war, he pursued a teaching career in German military academies, writing a textbook, Infantry Attacks, that was well regarded.

At the outbreak of World War II, Rommel was given command of the troops that guarded Hitler’s headquarters, a disappointment for a man used to fighting on the front lines with the infantry. But in early 1940, he was given his chance to put to use his gifts, when he was given command of the 7th Panzer Division. Although a novice as far as mechanized forces were concerned, he soon mastered the advantages and proved his leadership abilities again in the German offensive against the French channel coast in May. In early 1941, Rommel was given control of the troops sent to North Africa to aid Germany’s ailing ally, Italy, in maintaining its position in Libya. It is here, in the deserts of North Africa, that Rommel earned his vaunted reputation, as well as his nickname (he became known for his “fox-like” sneak attacks). Winning significant victories against the British, whom he begrudgingly admired, Rommel nevertheless became weary of this theater of operations; he wanted to go back to Europe. It wasn’t until a second battle to take el-Alamein in Egypt went against him that the “invincible” general was finally called home back to Europe.

Hitler put Rommel back in northern France, to guard against an Allied invasion. Rommel’s suggestions for the precautions necessary to repel an enemy invasion were not heeded, and he began to lose confidence in Hitler and Germany’s ability to win the war. When Rommel was approached by friends to agree to head the German government in the event of Hitler’s overthrow, he agreed-although there was no explicit talk of assassination, which he found abhorrent. D-Day was launched, and Rommel’s prediction of disaster for Germany’s position played itself out. Still, Hitler would not consider negotiations with the Allies. Rommel ended up in the hospital after his car was attacked by British bombers and he was forced off the road. Meanwhile, details of the failed assassination plot had come to Hitler’s attention, including Rommel’s contact with the conspirators. As Rommel was convalescing in his home at Herrlingen, two generals visited and offered him his choice-trial or suicide. Rommel told his wife and son what had transpired, and that he had chosen to take the cyanide capsules the generals had provided. The German government gave Rommel a state funeral. His death was attributed to war wounds.

Related Videos Erwin Rommel Biography (Military Leader/World War II Figure) Best known as: "The Desert Fox" of World War II Name at birth: Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was one of the most celebrated Nazi commanders during World War II, a sly tactician whose exploits in North Africa earned him the nickname "The Desert Fox." Rommel joined the German army in 1910 and served with distinction during World War I, in campaigns in France, Romania and Italy. His courage and daring gave him a reputation among German soldiers that spawned the saying, "Where Rommel is, there is the front." After the war he remained in the German army as an instructor, a role that led to his publishing a book on infantry tactics in 1936. Around this time he caught the attention of Adolf Hitler , who put him in charge of security for the rallies at Nüremberg. In the early part of World War II, Rommel commanded Hitler's personal military escort, but in 1940 he was given command of the 7th Panzer Division for the invasion of France.

In 1941 Rommel was directed to shore up Italian defenses in Libya; instead of merely holding the line, he attacked British forces and soon drove them as far as Egypt. His fearlessness on the battlefield and his skill at deceiving the Allies made him a Hitler favorite and the most talked-about Nazi commander throughout 1941 and 1942. Even his loss to Britain's Bernard "Monty" Montgomery at El Alamein (October of 1942) is considered proof of his tactical skill: Rommel led his army on a rapid 700-mile retreat with minimal losses. In late 1943 Rommel was sent to France to direct the defenses for an expected Allied invasion. In July 1944 a British aircraft fired on Rommel's car, killing his driver and causing a crash that gave Rommel a serious head injury. While recuperating he found out he had been implicated in a plot to assassinate Hitler (an attempt on 20 July 1944 by Claus von Stauffenberg failed). Rather than face trial, Rommel was allowed to take a fatal dose of poison on 14 October 1944.

The public was told he had died of complications from his head wound, and Rommel was given a state funeral. It is generally agreed that Rommel was not involved in the plot against Hitler, and he has gone down in history as an admired military tactician loyal to Hitler and the German army. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved. World War II: New Research Taints Image of Desert Fox Rommel - SPIEGEL ONLINE World War II: New Research Taints Image of Desert Fox Rommel World War II New Research Taints Image of Desert Fox Rommel Gentleman warrior, military genius. The legend of Erwin Rommel, the German Field Marshal who outfoxed the British in North Africa, lives on. But a new TV documentary seeks to correct that image by arguing that his victories nearly brought the Holocaust to the Middle East. Feedback If Erwin Rommel, lauded as a master military tactician even by his enemies, had managed to fight his way through North Africa, he would have sealed the fate of thousands of Jews who had fled to Palestine from the Nazi terror in Europe.

A new documentary broadcast on Germany's ZDF television channel this week seeks to correct Rommel's image as a gentleman warrior whose campaigns in North Africa weren't connected with the murderous wars of destruction Nazi Germany unleashed in Europe. Separately, recently published research by two Stuttgart-based historians, Klaus-Michael Mallmann and Martin Cüppers, claims that Hitler had worked out plans to extend the Holocaust to the Middle East, and that the Nazis had forged an alliance with Arab nationalists who wanted to drive the Jewish refugees out of Palestine -- a murderous version of German-Arab friendship founded on common hatred of Jews. Jews living in the Middle East were petrified by Rommel's victories. After seizing the British fortress of Tobruk in Libya in June 1942 he set his sights on the Suez Canal, on Palestine and the oil fields of the Middle East. "Those fighting Jewry can always rely on the sympathy of the Arab population," the German army general staff wrote in an information booklet to prepare troops for the conquest of Palestine. Arabs Shouted "Heil Rommel" Hitler was celebrated in large parts of the Arab world, and some newspapers even likened him to the Prophet. The Desert Fox was almost as popular as Hitler.

"Heil Rommel" was a common greeting in Arab countries. Many Arabs thought the Germans would free them from the rule of the old colonial powers France and Britain. Hitler had shown how to burst the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles. After Germany defeated France in 1940, chants against the French and British echoed around the streets of Damascus: "No more Monsieur, no more Mister, Allah's in Heaven and Hitler's on earth." Adolf Hitler assured the exiled Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Muhammad Amin al-Husseini, at a meeting in Berlin in November 1941 that his goal was the "destruction of Jewry living in Arabia." The Führer had racist objections to Arabs as well, though. He declined to shake the Mufti's hand and refused to drink coffee with him. Hitler nevertheless provided the Mufti, who later sponsored Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, with a budget of 750,000 Reichsmark per month to foment Jihad in Palestine. In an example of ideological flexibility, the SS even recruited Muslim volunteers and declared that the Muslims living in the Balkans belonged to the "racially valuable" peoples of Europe.

SS Unit Created to Kill Jews in North Africa Behind the front line of Rommel's Afrikakorps, a special unit was created in July 1942 to to plan the murder of Jews in the region. It was led by SS Obersturmbannführer, or Lieutenant Colonel, Walther Rauff, an experienced mass murderer who helped develop the mobile gassing vehicles the Germans used to murder Jewish people in their campaign in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Rauff and his men were empowered to "take executive measures against the civilian population", Nazi jargon for robbery, murder and enslavement. The Jews of Palestine were spared that fate. In October 1942 the Allies halted the German advance at the Egyptian town of El Alamein and thereby destroyed the myth of Rommel's invincibility. The Desert Fox had to evacuate his beaten army to Tunisia, back where his African campaign began. The SS had established a network of labor camps in Tunisia. More than 2,500 Tunisian Jews died in six months of German rule, and the regular army was also involved in executions. Rauff's men seized silver, jewellery and sacred objects.

On the Tunisian island of Djerba alone, 43 kilograms of gold was taken from the local Jewish population. The SS later deposited the treasure in the sea off the island of Corsica. Ever since, the undiscovered "Rommel's Treasure" has attracted generations of treasure hunters. Rommel's reputation was spared only because his strategy failed. He was later dispatched to Italy and then to France, where his contact with the plotters who tried to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944, cost him his life. He committed suicide after Hitler ordered that he be given the choice between killing himself and being tried in court. The notion that the North African war was a clean one was a "legend", said Jörg Müllner, who made the TV documentary together with Jean-Christoph Caron. Rommel himself was no racial fanaticist, but he "paved the way for ther machinery of destruction with his victories." Consumed by ambition, he only thought of his own glory, and ignored the consequences of his campaign. Article... Erwin Rommel - History Learning Site Erwin Rommel Citation: C N Trueman "Erwin Rommel" historylearningsite.co.uk.

The History Learning Site, 20 Apr 2015. 16 Aug 2016. Erwin Rommel was one of Germany’s most respected military leaders in World War Two. Rommel played a part in two very significant battles during the war – at El Alamein in North Africa and at D-Day. Rommel’s nickname was the ‘Desert Fox’ – a title given to him by the British. Rommel studying maps during the battle at El Alamein Rommel was born in 1891 in Heidenheim. During World War One, he distinguished himself in the German Third Army and he was decorated for his bravery and leadership. After the war, Rommel remained as an infantry officer and instructor. His chance for real military power came when Hitler, appointed chancellor in 1933, recognised his ability. By 1938, Rommel was a senior military figure in the Wehrmacht. His success in the campaigns of 1939 and especially the successful attack on Western Europe in 1940, lead to Hitler appointing him commander of the Afrika Corps in 1941.

It was in the deserts of North Africa that Rommel found real success. The nickname ‘Desert Fox’ was well deserved. Rommel was highly respected even by the British. Auchinleck, Rommel’s opposite until his sacking by Churchill, sent a memo to his senior commanders in North Africa, to state that it was their responsibility to ensure that their men thought less of Rommel as a ‘super military leader’ and more of him as a normal German commander. “…(you must) dispel by all possible means the idea that Rommel represents anything other than the ordinary German general……….PS, I’m not jealous of Rommel.” Auchinleck Rommel’s fame in the desert rests on his success as a leader and also his uncompromising belief that all prisoners of war should be well looked after and not abused. One story told at the time was that Italian troops took from British POWs’ their watches and other valuables. When Rommel found out, he ordered that they be returned to their owners immediately. To many British ‘Desert Rats’, Rommel epitomised a gentleman’s approach to a deadly issue – war.

Rommel knew that his options at the vital battles at El Alamein were limited. Montgomery, who succeeded the dismissed Auchinleck, had the advantage of Bletchley Park feeding him the battle plan Rommel was going to use. Rommel was also seriously starved of the fuel he needed for his attack on Montgomery’s ‘Desert Rats’. The second battle at El Alamein was a very fluid battle but the sheer weight of supplies that Montgomery had access to (amongst other equipment were 300 new Sherman tanks) meant defeat for Rommel. The defeat of the Afrika Corps was the first major setback for Hitler and the Wehrmacht. Hitler ordered Rommel to fight to the last man and the last bullet. Rommel had far too much respect for his men to obey this command and retreated. The Germans left North Africa in May 1943. Despite this refusal to obey Hitler’s command, Rommel did not lose favour with Hitler. In February 1944, Rommel was appointed by Hitler to be commander of the defences of the Atlantic Wall. Rommel’s brief was to ensure that Western Europe was impregnable.

He took full responsibility for the Northern French coastline. The beaches at Normandy were littered with his anti-tank traps which were invisible at full-tide. As it was, the planning at D-Day meant that Rommel’s defences were of little problem to the vast Allied attack. At the time of D-Day, Rommel commanded the important Army Group B. On July 17th 1944, Rommel was wounded in an attack on his car by Allied fighter planes. The attack took place near St. Lo. Rommel was implicated in the July 1944 Bomb Plot against Hitler and the Gestapo was keen to interview this famous military commander. Hitler was keen to avoid the public show trial of his most famous general and it seems that a ‘deal’ was done. Rommel died ‘of his wounds’ on October 14th 1944. He was given a state funeral. But it seems that he committed suicide to a) save himself from a humiliating show trial and b) it seems that Hitler promised that his family would not be punished for Rommel’s indiscretions if he died ‘of his wounds’.

What impact Rommel would have had on the Allies drive to Germany after D-Day is difficult to speculate. However, the sheer odds against the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe post-June 1944 were such that this famous commander would have been unable to hinder the Allies progress. “He was a daring and much-admired general, his personality and his fate creating an enduring legend denied to many orthodox, and ultimately more successful, commanders.” Alan Palmer Erwin Rommel Erwin Rommel The Desert Fox / Der Wustenfuchs (November 15, 1891 – October 14, 1944) Erwin Rommel 1891-1933 Erwin Rommel was born on November 15th of 1891 in Heidenheim an der Brentz near Ulm in the state of Wurttemberg. His father was a schoolteacher and his mother was a daughter of a former president of the government of Wurttemberg.

Rommel planned to be an engineer but joined the army in July of 1910.He enlisted with his local infantry regiment, the 124th (6th Wurttemberg) Infantry Regiment as an officer cadet. After three months, Erwin Rommel was promoted to the rank of Corporal and after six to Sergeant. In March of 1911, he went to the officers’ military school in Danzig (Gdansk). In January of 1912,Rommel was commissioned and returned to his regiment in Weingarten. While he was in Danzig, Erwin Rommel met and fell in love with Lucie Maria Mollin and they became formally engaged in 1915 and both were married in 1916. On Christmas Eve of 1928, their only child, Manfred was born. Since 1912, until the outbreak of World War I, Erwin Rommel served as regimental officer in charge of recruiting at Weingarten. On August 2nd of 1914, Rommel’s regiment marched out to war and Rommel joined them few days later because he had to stay behind in Weingarten.

Since the beginning of his military career, Erwin Rommel showed signs of bravery while attacking the enemy against the odds. In September of 1914, Rommel was wounded in the leg when, he charged three Frenchmen with a bayonet because he run out of ammunition. After returning to the frontlines in the Argonne area, in January of 1915, Erwin Rommel received his first decoration for bravery – Iron Cross Class I. In September/October of 1915, Rommel was transferred to the mountain unit for training. In late 1916, Erwin Rommel was posted to the Eastern (Carpathian) Front, in the area of Siebenburgen, where he was to fight with Rumanians. In May of 1917, Erwin Rommel was transferred to the Western Front, in the area of Hilsen Ridge, and in August back to Carpathian Front, where he took part in the assaults on Mount Cosna and Caporetto. For his outstanding action at Caporetto, Erwin Rommel was awarded the "Pour le Merite" and was promoted to the rank of Captain.

Rommel was one of few junior officers awarded the "Pour le Merite", which was reserved for generals. Shortly after, Erwin Rommel was posted away to a junior staff appointment, where he remained to the end of the war. In mid December of 1918, Captain Erwin Rommel was reposted to his old regiment at Weingarten. In the summer of 1919, Rommel was sent to Friedrichshafen to command internal security company and in January of 1921, to Stuttgart where he commanded and infantry regiment. Erwin Rommel remained in Stuttgart until October of 1929, when he was posted as an instructor to the infantry school in Dresden. At the time, Rommel wrote and published his book "Infantry Attacks" ("Infanterie greift an"), which was based on his experiences during World War I. 1933-1940 In October of 1933, Erwin Rommel was promoted to the rank of Major and was sent to Goslar, where he commanded a mountain battalion.

In October of 1935, Rommel was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and received the position of the teacher in War Academy in Potsdam. In November of 1938, Erwin Rommel received the command of War Academy in Wiener Neustadt, which left shortly before the outbreak of World War II. In September of 1939, Erwin Rommel was promoted to the rank of Major General and received the command of Adolf Hitler’s Bodyguard for the duration of the Polish Campaign. At the same time, Rommel realized the full potential of Panzer Divisions and tactics of Blitzkrieg. After the Polish Campaign, Hitler allowed Rommel to choose what he would like to command and Erwin Rommel asked for a Panzer Division.On February 15th of 1940, Rommel received the command of 7th Panzer Division, although he had no practical experience in Panzer warfare. In preparations for German Invasion of Low Countries and France, codenamed Fall Gelb, Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division became the part of 15th Panzer Corps, which was positioned, in the central sector.

The 15th Panzer Corps was under the command of General Hoth. On May 10th of 1940, Germany invaded the Western Europe. On May 12th, 7th Panzer Division reached Dinant and on May 13th, after heavy fighting crossed the River Meuse. On May 15th, Rommel virtually unopposed reached Philipiville and continued his advance westwards, passing Avesnes, Le Cateau and reaching Arleux on May 20th. Rommel’s plan was to by-pass Arras to the southand then turn northwards in the direction of Lille. On May 21st, Rommel reached the area of Arras, where his forward units where counter-attacked by two British Tank Regiments (70 tanks). After inflicting heavy losses among German infantry and anti-tank gun crews, British tanks advanced and were stopped by few 88mm Flak (anti-aircraft) guns deployed in the rear. It was the first time ever, that 88mm Flak guns were used against ground targets and soon became well known and feared "tank killers".

In preparations for the attack into central France, which was to take place on June 5th of 1940, Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division was positioned close to the coast near Abbeville. On June 8th, Rommel reached the outskirts of Rouen and on 10th, 7th Panzer Division reached the English Channel west of Dieppe. On June 17th, Erwin Rommel reached the southern outskirts of Cherbourg and on 19th, city’s garrison surrendered to Erwin Rommel. On June 25th, fighting in France came to an end. During the Battle of France, 7th Panzer Division earned a title of the "Ghost/Phantom Division", because no one knew were it was, including the German High Command and Rommel’s staff. 7th Panzer Division’s success in France was based on the speed and total distance covered by it. As commander of 7th Panzer Division, Erwin Rommel presented himself as an unconventional military leader with unique methods of command. Also, Rommel commanded his units from the frontline, since he felt it was important for the commander to always be near his troops.

Erwin Rommel was always with the reconnaissance troops and sometimes he cut the communication with the High Command, because he didn’t want to be disturbed. Rommel realized that the High Command didn’t know about tank warfare, so he simply cut the communication and explained everything later. His staff criticized Rommel for his behavior and they were often unable to find out where Rommel was. In his letters to his wife Lucie, Erwin Rommel wrote that the French Campaign was a "lighting tour of France". Erwin Rommel after the Fall of France. 1940-1943 After the fall of France, Erwin Rommel worked on his war diary, which described the events of May and June of 1940. In January of 1941, Rommel was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and in early February was called to Berlin. In Berlin, Erwin Rommel received the command of Deutsches Afrika Korps (German Africa Corps) and was ordered to leave for Tripoli on February 12th. Deutsches Afrika Korps was to consist of two divisions and was destined for North Africa (Western Desert) to aid Germany’s Italian ally in their struggle against the British.

From December of 1940 to January of 1941, British pushed Italians from Egyptian frontier back to El Agheila in Libya. On February 14th of 1941, leading elements 5th Leichte (Panzer) Division along with their commander Erwin Rommel landed in Tripoli and was joined in early May by 15th Panzer Division. Since his arrival, Rommel found Italians to be demoralized by the defeats inflicted upon them by British, and his relations with Italian commanders left much to be desired. In view of the tenseness of the situation, and the sluggishness of the Italian command, I decided to ignore my orders and to take command at the front with my own hands as soon as possible – at the very latest after the arrival of the first German units. – Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel – The Rommel Papers. On February 24th, Afrika Korps had its first combat engagement with British forces at El Agheila and on March 31st launched a successful attack on British positions at Mersa Brega.

Erwin Rommel, utilized the tactics of Blitzkrieg, which worked so well in France and took British completely by a suprise. Afrika Korps continued pursuing retreating British, advanced eastwards from Tripolitania through Libya to Cyrenaica and captured Benghazi. On April 13th, Erwin Rommel captured Bardia and Salum and on April 15th, reached Egyptian (western) border. Rommel’s offensive forced British and its allies to retreat to the safety of static defenses around Tobruk. Rommel’s first attempt to break the Tobruk’s defenses made on April 11th lasted until April 13th but failed. It was followed by a second unsuccessful attempt on April 30 that lasted until May 2nd of 1941. At that time, Erwin Rommel was nicknamed the Desert Fox by both his friends and enemies, because he constantly improvised and used tricks in order to outsmart his enemies. Also at the same time, Rommel was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. Rommel the youngest German Field Marshal ever, since he received the promotion at the age of 50.

From mid April to mid June, British launched small scale offensives but were forced to retreat to defensive positions by 88mm Flak (anti-aircraft) guns deployed as anti-tank guns. "The 88 Ambush" 88mm Flak gun Erwin Rommel deployed and dug in his 88mm Flak guns in the U-shaped formation.They were dug in so deep, that the barrel looked only 30 to 60cm over the ground level.They were dug in, because they had no wheelsand stood very high on large pods and had a high profile. Then a low tent was erected over the position of every gun and evenwith field glasses it was impossible to distinguish them from sanddunes. Since the British saw a lot of sanddunes, they were not disturbed by them as well as that they didn’t know of any German weapon with the profile as low as the small sanddunes. Then Rommel sent his light tanks to fake an attack on British positions. The British Crusaders saw an easy prey and followed Panzers to attacked, while Panzers withdraw in the U-shape.

At point-blank range, sometimes requiringnerves of steel for the 88mm Flak gun crews, the trap sprang and they opened fire. In June of 1941, both Allies and Axis, seized any offensive activities and strengthened their defensive positions. At the time, Erwin Rommel became very popular in Arab world and was regarded as a "liberator" from the British rule. In Germany, the Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels used Rommel’s popularity among soldiers and civilians as well, to create an image of an invincible Volksmarschall – People’s Marshal.In mid August of 1941, Afrika Korps (now designated Panzer Group Africa) was re-organized and in reality Erwin Rommel became the commander of all Axis (Africa Corps and five Italian divisions) troops in North Africa. At the same time, 5th Leichte (Panzer) Division was redesignated as 21st Panzer Division and additional 90th Light Division was transferred to Afrika Korps. Erwin Rommel constantly requested equipment and supplies but received small portions of what he asked for.

In October, Rommel started planning for the new offensive and further reorganization and strengthening of defensive positions took place until November of 1941. In the night of November 17th, British Commando unit was sent to penetrate Rommel’s Headquarters and assassinate him but was unsuccessful since Rommel was not even there. Panzer III in the Desert On November 18th, British started their offensive codenamed "Crusader". British attacked at the Halfaya Pass to relieve the encircled city of Tobruk. After British attacks on November 22nd and 23rd were stopped, Rommel counterattacked and drove into the British rear, relieving Axis forces at the Halfaya Pass. At the same time, British reached the vicinity of Tobruk and on November 29th, broke through to Tobruk. By December 7th, Afrika Korps was forced to withdraw across Cyrenaica and on January 6th reached El Agheila in Libya. From January 2nd to 17th, Axis forces were defeated at Halfaya Pass, Bardia and Sollum.

In mid January, Erwin Rommel consolidated his forces and positions and decided to launch a new offensive when his force would be properly supplied and equipped. "The Desert Fox in action" Rommel ordered to attach bundles of wood and bushes on long ropes to all the supplytrucks and some Italian light tanks. The Italian light tanks drove in thefirst line, one after the other, behind them all the supply trucks. The attached bundles of wood and bushes made an immense clouds of dust. For the British, it looked like the real full-scale attack. They not only withdraw, but turned their delaying forces in the wrong direction. At the same time, Rommel attacked from the otherdirection with his German Panzer Division. The British were completely outwitted and defeated. In late January, Rommel launched his new offensive, recaptured Benghazi and forced British to retreat to the safety of Gazala line. In early February, both sides took defensive positions to consolidate their strength. On May 26th of 1942, launched the next stage of his new offensive and after heavy fighting breakthrough the Gazala line and threatened the city of Tobruk.

On June 21st, Rommel captured Tobruk and decided to continue advancing eastwards into Egypt and by June 30th reached the British defenses at Marsa Matruh. Pursuing retreating British, Rommel reached the defensive system at El Alamein, 96km west of Alexandria and 240km west of Cairo. At this point, Axis forces were completely exhausted with only 50 tanks and relied on captured supplies and equipment. From early July to late August, British concentrated their efforts on destroying the remains of Afrika Corps but with little success. Erwin Rommel continued requesting equipment and supplies but the main focus of German war machine was on the Eastern Front and very limited supplies reached North Africa.On August 30th, Rommel launched another offensive directed in forcing the British to withdraw from their positions at El Alamein.He attacked the British rear at the ridge at Alam Halfa, but quickly run out of supplies and Allied superiority forced him to withdraw to his previous defensive positions. From September to October of 1942, there was another period of when both Allies and Axis, seized any offensive activities and strengthened their defensive positions.

In November, sick and in the need of convalescence, Erwin Rommel left for Germany. On October 23rd, British launched their offensive directed in recapturing lost land and destroying the Axis forces in North Africa.Right after the start of the British offensive, Rommel was recalled to Africa and reached his headquarters on October 25th. British with total superiority quickly defeated Axis forces at El Alamein and pushed the outnumbered Axis forces and on November 12th, recaptured Tobruk. To worsen the situation, on November 8th, an Anglo-American Invasion of North-West Africa, codenamed "Torch" began. British continued their offensive and recaptured Benghazi on November 19th, followed by the recapture of El Agheila on December 17th. Erwin Rommel was unable to establish defensive positions nor to launch an offensive due to the lack of equipment and supplies and decided to retreat to the German bridgehead at Tunis. British continued their pursuit of the Desert Fox and on January 23rd of 1943, captured the city of Tripoli. On February 19th, Rommel launched his last offensive in North Africa.

On February 20th, he recaptured the Kasserine Pass but on February 22nd, his attack was stopped by the superiority of Allied forces. On the same day, he received the command of newly formed Army Group Africa, which was made up of all Axis troops in North Africa, but he refused to take the command. Captured British Matilda On February 23rd, Rommel was forced to take the command of the Army Group Africa. Soon after, Rommel handed over the command of the Army Group Africa to General von Arnim.On March 6th of 1943, Erwin Rommel flew back to Germany, to persuade Adolf Hitler about the hopelessness of the Axis situation in Africa. In reality, Rommel was recalled back to Germany, he then was ordered to take the sick leave and all his pleas to return to Africa where turned down. On March 11th of 1943, Erwin Rommel was awarded by Hitler, the Knights Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. At the time, Erwin Rommel was physically and morally shaken and was a shadow of his past glory.

Two months later, on May 13th of 1943, the surrender of all Axis forces (200.000 men) in North Africa, took place. Erwin Rommel in Africa Erwin Rommel as a commander of Africa Corps. 1943-1944 From March to July of 1943, Erwin Rommel was enjoying his badly needed sick leave, spending time with his wife and occasionally with his son. On July 10th, Rommel was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief in Greece, but was quickly recalled back to Germany. In early November, Rommel became the Commander-in-Chief in Italy, but was quickly replaced by General Albert Kesselring. In late November of 1943, Rommel was transferred to France and on December 31st, received the command of Army Group B under Field Marshal von Runstedt. He was responsible for the area stretching from Holland to Bordeaux and was to organize coastal defenses against the expected Allied invasion. He was also appointed as Inspector General and was put in charge of the defenses on the Atlantic Wall.

When preparing the Western Europe for the invasion, Rommel designed special paratroop and aircraft landing barrier, called "Rommel-Spargel" (Rommel’s Asparagus), along with many other obstacles. Once the landing in June of 1944, had succeeded, Erwin Rommel realized that the war was hopelessly lost and that to condone Hitler’s senseless continuation of it would be irresponsible. Injured in a strafing air attack on July 17th of 1944, Rommel could not personally participate in the attempt to overthrow Hitler three days later (July 20, 1944), but he was gravely implicated. (Rommel’s role in the overthrow of Hitler is still not clear and highly disputed by the historians.) Rommel’s opposition to Adolf Hitler was kept secret, because of his popularity. On August 8th, Erwin Rommel was transported from the French Hospital to Herrlingen, where he was placed under house arrest. Erwin Rommel was given the choice of suicide, to be reported as death from his wounds, as an alternative to execution as a traitor, which would have placed his family and close associates in grave danger.

On October 14, 1944, Rommel was taken to the hospital at Ulm, where he died by his own hand taking the poison. On October 18th, Erwin Rommel was buried with full military honors and it was a day of national mourning ordered by Adolf Hitler himself. Overall, Erwin Rommel was an outstanding and an unconventional military leader with unique methods of command. Erwin Rommel is one of the few commanders, who was not involved in any war crimes. Rommel was highly respected by his enemies and was considered to be the last of the knights. During the North African Campaign, Rommel often cut the water rations of his troop, so that the prisoners of war could survive. His personal papers and notes, all put together by Lucie-Maria Rommel and Fritz Bayerlein, titled "Rommel Papers" ("Krieg ohne Hass"), were published for the first time in 1950 and described all of Rommel’s combat and personal experiences. In post-war years, Erwin Rommel’s son Manfred became Mayor of the city of Stuttgart.

Erwin Rommel | Jewish Virtual Library Tweet His sense of valor and chivalry were the stuff of King Arthur's knights, but it was his "boldness, use of surprise, readiness to accept risks" and above all his "intuitive sense of the battlefield" that made Rommel one of the greatest generals in military history. "Brilliantly successful in attack, and remarkably resourceful in defense," the "Desert Fox" raced his armies through France in 1940 and then repeatedly outwitted the British in North Africa. (Blumenson, 293). Only a few months into World War I, Rommel won the Iron Cross Second Class for bravery in the field when he was injured in the leg after running out of ammunition and then attacked three French soldiers in the woods. But his first great strategic triumph is the disastrous defeat he helps inflict on the Italian Army at Caporetto in which he captures 150 Italian officers, 9,000 soldiers, and 81 guns. Captain Rommel is awarded the decoration pour le merite - a medal reserved only for senior generals.

He is promoted to Major in 1933 and later to Colonel in 1937 while teaching at the War College. Throughout the 1930s, Rommel develops a close working relationship with Hitler , whom he initially comes to admire for progressively thwarting the Versailles Treaty and restoring Germany's strength. He is seen more and more by Hitler side. He accompanies Hitler into the Sudetenland in October 1938 and then into Prague in March 1939. But Rommel is anything but a Nazi . In fact, early on he starts to harbor "serious reservations" about the Nazi regime. (Blumenson, 297). During World War II Like Germany's other legendary battle front commander of World War II, Field Marshal Heinz Guderian, Rommel is obsessed with mobility and insists on leading his troops at the front. The speed with which Rommel's force speaheads the 1940 German invasion of France causes it to be nicknamed the Ghost Division and himself as the knight of the Apocalypse. At one point, Rommel's army covers 150 miles in one day setting a world record.

During the six week campaign, Rommel's force alone captures nearly 100,000 French prisoners and 450 enemy tanks losing in the process less than 42 tanks. He returns to Germany acclaimed by Hitler and the population and promoted to lieutenant general. In North Africa, Rommel's "brilliant quick-thinking, opportunism, and leadership" on the battlefield outwits the "slow, ponderous, and remote" British chain of command despite logistical inferiority. (Blumenson, 303). In June 1942, Rommel defeats the British 8th Army at Tobruk destroying more than 260 tanks and bagging 30,000 prisoners of war. At 49, he attains the rank of Field Marshal - the youngest in the Wehrmacht. But as Germany's fortunes wane, Rommel repeatedly pleads Hitler for permission to evacuate his Afrika Korps from North Africa while there is still time and to use this force to beef up fortress Europe. In the face of Hitler's constant refusals, Rommel confides increasingly to his wife about his loss of faith in Hitler's sanity.

Prevented from evacuating the Afrika Korps, Rommel leads his army on a masterful 1,400 mile retreat while his arch-nemesis in the field, General Montgomery, is unable to pin him down. In his first encounter with U.S. forces that land in North Africa, Rommel inflicts losses of 6,000 men, 183 tanks, and 200 artillery pieces at a cost to his force of 1,000 men and only 20 tanks. But as the combined Anglo-American enemy grows ever more powerful in numbers and logistics while the supplies of the Afrika Korps dwindle, Rommel sees disaster fast approaching. Locked in a no-retreat posture, Hitler continues to ignore Rommel's pleas to save the 250,000-man Afrika Korps from annihilation. Following the inevitable disaster, Hitler sends Rommel to France to inspect the coastal defenses against the long-anticipated Anglo-American landing on the continent. Throughout the first half of 1944, Rommel devotes himself full-time to improving the coastal defenses and reviving the morale of the Normandy garrisons.

Following D-Day, both he and Field Marshal Gerd von Runstedt repeatedly try to impress upon Hitler that the battle for France will be lost unless the Wehrmacht withdraws to a stabler and shorter front line. In the face of Hitler's angry refusals to accept this strategic reality, Rommel is now convinced that Hitler harbors a death wish intends to drag Germany down with him. In late June both von Rundstedt and Rommel go to see Hitler only to be rebuffed yet again and return empty handed. Runstedt is sacked as Commander-in-Chief-West and replaced with the compliant Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge. "His devotion to the profession of arms was in the best tradition of the gentleman. In a total war fought savagely and brutally, he inspired admiration for his treatment of prisoners. He was not tainted by Nazism....With his troops he enjoyed a deep rapport. He cared for them, and although he demanded their best and more, he never squandered them.

Without pretension, modest, he tackled all his tasks with clarity, energy, and common sense." (Blumenson, 315) The Conspiracy Because virtually none of the military conspirators are in command of large armies, they desperately seek to win over a battlefront general who has an army at his disposal to lend the required pivotal support for the coup. But so far the top brass of the Wehrmacht — Brauchitsch , Halder, von Runstedt, Manstein, Guderian, Kluge — have either refused to lend their support or revealed a fence-sitting attitude. Rommel however has long harbored an increasingly rebellious attitude towards Hitler. If the most popular and admired battlefield commander of the war can be won over, the coup might definitely succeed. With this in mind, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (who has taken over from Colonel Henning von Tresckow as leader of the conspiracy in late 1943) gets General Karl-Heinrich von Stuelpnagel (the military governor for Paris and the leader of the conspirators based in France) to invite Rommel to Paris for secret talks aimed at recruiting the desert fox into the plot.

Rommel agrees with Stuelpnagel that Hitler has long since lost touch with reality and must be forced to concede or else be removed from power. But he declares himself morally opposed to assassination. He wants Hitler arrested and tried by a German court for his crimes. Rommel tells Stuelpnagel he will give Hitler one last chance by sending the fuehrer a "blitz" telegram outlining the war in the starkest possible terms and urging Hitler to take immediate action on the diplomatic front or cut Germany's losses and authorize the Werhmacht to evacuate France and fall back to Germany's borders. Rommel however is certain his warning will be ignored, in which case he declares himself prepared to support a coup. He also agrees that Guenther von Kluge may be more of a liability than an asset to the conspirators. He then gives Stuelpnagel his word of honor that even if Kluge refuses to stand up and be counted, he will act "openly and unconditionally" with the conspirators. (Lamb, 406). On July 16, 1944, Rommel wrote his blitz message to Hitler and asked Kluge to have it delivered immediately.

The next day RAF fighters strafed Rommel's motorcade along a French country road, killing his driver. Rommel's car spuns out of control and the field marshal was hurtled into a ditch with severe head injuries. Rommel can be of no help to the conspirators when Stauffenberg plants his bomb three days later at Hitler's headquarters. Kluge meanwhile fails to immediately forward Rommel's blitz telegram, sending it to Hitler two weeks later. His Fate Owing to his close association with the Paris-conspirators, it is only a matter of time before Rommel is implicated. Two different stories describe how this happened. According to the first, Luftwaffe Colonel Caesar von Hofacker (Stauffenberg's cousin) divulged Rommel's name under torture. According to a second story, General von Stuelpnagel, who had tried to commit suicide and had been revived and brought to a German field hospital, was heard crying out Rommel's name repeatedly in delirium. On October 7, 1944, Rommel declines a summons from Hitler to come to Berlin.

On October 14, two generals visit Rommel at his residence in Errlingen and hand him a cyanide capsule and a message from Hitler: commit suicide and be buried with honors, or stand trial for high treason and be hanged, which implied the loss of his family's livelihood. Rommel bid farewell to his wife and son and was driven off in an army car after swallowing the capsule. According to Blumenson, "those who saw his body noted the look of contempt on his face." (Blumenson, 314). Rommel was buried with full-military honors and given a hero's farewell. Bibliography Martin Blumenson, "Field Marshal Erwin Rommel," In Hitler's Generals. Edited by Corell Barnett. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, pp.293-316. World War II: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel Biography By Kennedy Hickman Erwin Rommel - Early Life & Career: Erwin Rommel was born at Heidenheim, Germany on November 15, 1891, to Professor Erwin Rommel and Helene von Luz. Educated locally, he displayed a high degree of technical aptitude at an early age.

Though he considered becoming an engineer, Rommel was encouraged by his father to join 124th Württemberg Infantry Regiment as an officer cadet in 1910. Sent to Officer Cadet School in Danzig, he graduated the following year and was commissioned as a lieutenant on January 27, 1912. While at school, Rommel met his future wife, Lucia Mollin, who he married on November 27, 1916. Erwin Rommel - World War I: With the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Rommel moved to the Western Front with the 6th Württemberg Infantry Regiment. Wounded that September, he was awarded the Iron Cross, First Class. Returning to action, he was transferred to the Württemberg Mountain Battalion of the elite Alpenkorps in the fall of 1915. With this unit, Rommel saw service on both fronts and won the Pour le Mérite for his actions during the Battle of Caporetto in 1917. Promoted to captain, he finished the war in a staff assignment.

After the armistice, he returned to his regiment at Weingarten. Erwin Rommel - The Interwar Years: Though recognized as a gifted officer, Rommel elected to remain with the troops rather than serve in a staff position. Moving through various postings in the Reichswehr, Rommel became an instructor at the Dresden Infantry School in 1929. In this position he wrote several notable training manuals, including Infanterie greift an (Infantry Attack) in 1937. Catching the eye of Adolf Hitler , the work led the German leader to assign Rommel as a liaison between the War Ministry and the Hitler Youth. In this role he provided instructors to the Hitler Youth and launched a failed attempt to make it an army auxiliary. Promoted to colonel in 1937, the following year he was made the commandant of the War Academy at Wiener Neustadt. This posting proved brief as he was soon appointed to lead Hitler's personal bodyguard (FührerBegleitbataillon). As the commander of this unit, Rommel gained frequent access to Hitler and soon became one of his favorite officers.

The position also allowed him to befriend Joseph Goebbels , who became an admirer and later used his propaganda apparatus to chronicle Rommel's battlefield exploits. With the beginning of World War II , Rommel escorted Hitler at the Polish front. Erwin Rommel - In France: Eager for a combat command, Rommel asked Hitler for command of a panzer division despite the fact that the Chief of Army Personnel had rejected his earlier request as he lacked any armor experience. Granting Rommel's request, Hitler assigned him to lead the 7th Panzer Division with the rank of generalmajor. Quickly learning the art of armored, mobile warfare, he prepared for the invasion of the Low Countries and France. Part of General Hermann Hoth's XV Corps, the 7th Panzer Division advanced boldly on May 10, with Rommel ignoring risks to his flanks and relying on shock to carry the day. So rapid were the division's movements that it earned the name the "Ghost Division" due to the surprise it frequently achieved. Though Rommel was achieving victory, issues arose as he preferred to command from the front leading to logistical and staff problems within his headquarters.

Defeating a British counterattack at Arras on May 21, his men pushed on, reaching Lille six days later. Given the 5th Panzer Division for the assault on the town, Rommel learned that he had been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross at Hitler's personal behest. The award annoyed other German officers who resented Hitler's favoritism and Rommel's increasing habit of diverting resources to his division. Taking Lille, he famously reached the coast on June 10, before turning south. After the armistice, Hoth praised Rommel's achievements but expressed concern over his judgment and suitability for higher command. In reward for his performance in France, Rommel was given command of the newly formed Deutsches Afrikakorps which was departing for North Africa to prop up Italian forces in the wake of their defeat during Operation Compass . Erwin Rommel - The Desert Fox: Arriving in Libya in February 1941, Rommel was under orders to hold the line and at most conduct limited offensive operations. Technically under the command of the Italian Comando Supremo, Rommel quickly seized the initiative.

Beginning a small attack on the British at El Agheila on March 24, he advanced with one German and two Italian divisions. Driving the British back, he continued the offensive and re-captured all of Cyrenaica, reaching Gazala on April 8. Pressing on, despite orders from Rome and Berlin ordering him to halt, Rommel laid siege to the port of Tobruk and drove the British back to Egypt ( Map ). In Berlin, an irate German Chief of Staff General Franz Halder commented that Rommel had "gone stark mad" in North Africa. Attacks against Tobruk repeatedly failed and Rommel's men suffered from severe logistical issues due to their long supply lines. After defeating two British attempts to relieve Tobruk, Rommel was elevated to lead Panzer Group Africa which comprised the bulk of Axis forces in North Africa . In November 1941, Rommel was forced to retreat when the British launched Operation Crusader which relieved Tobruk and compelled him to fall all the way back to El Agheila. Quickly re-forming and resupplying, Rommel counterattacked in January 1942, causing the British to prepare defenses at Gazala.

Assaulting this position in classic blitzkrieg fashion on May 26, Rommel shattered the British positions and sent them in headlong retreat back to Egypt. For this he was promoted to field marshal. Pursuing, he captured Tobruk before being halted at the First Battle of El Alamein in July. With his supply lines dangerously long and desperate to take Egypt, he attempted an offensive at Alam Halfa in late August but was halted. Forced on the defensive, Rommel's supply situation continued to deteriorate and his command was shattered during the Second Battle of El Alamein two months later. Retreating to Tunisia, Rommel was caught between the advancing British Eight Army and Anglo-American forces which had landed as part of Operation Torch . Though he bloodied the US II Corps at Kasserine Pass in February 1943, the situation continued to worsen and he finally turned over command and departed Africa for health reasons on March 9. Erwin Rommel - Normandy: Returning to Germany, Rommel briefly moved through commands in Greece and Italy before being posted to lead Army Group B in France. Tasked with defending the beaches from the inevitable Allied landings, he worked diligently to improve the Atlantic Wall.

Though initially believing that Normandy would be the target, he came to agree with most German leaders that the assault would be at Calais. Away on leave when the invasion began on June 6, 1944 , he raced back to Normandy and coordinated German defensive efforts around Caen . Remaining in the area, he was badly wounded on July 17 when his staff car was strafed by Allied aircraft. Erwin Rommel - The July 20 Plot: Early in 1944, several of Rommel's friends approached him regarding a plot to depose Hitler. Agreeing to aid them in February, he wished to see Hitler brought to trial rather than assassinated. In the wake of the failed attempt to kill Hitler on July 20, Rommel's name was betrayed to the Gestapo. Due to Rommel's popularity, Hitler wished to avoid the scandal of revealing his involvement. As a result, Rommel was given the option of committing suicide and his family receiving protection or going before the People's Court and his family persecuted. Electing for the former, he took a cyanide pill on October 14.

Rommel's death was originally reported to the German people as a heart attack and he was given a full state funeral. BBC - History - World Wars: World War Two: The Battle of El Alamein Print this page Introduction Military history, like so much else, is prey to the dictates of fashion. There was a time when El Alamein and the desert war loomed large in British historiography. After all, it had all the classic ingredients of a good story. In the person of Montgomery, we had a charismatic British commander, matched by Rommel, one of the most striking German generals. The theatre of war was both harsh and romantic, the classic tactician's paradise and quartermaster's nightmare. A British rifleman told a chum that it was: 'A different kind of war. There were no civvies mixed up in it. It was clean. When we took prisoners we treated them fine and they treated us fine. We had a go at them, and they had a go at us.

Then one of us f***ed off.' The late Ronald Lewin, both a veteran of the campaign and a distinguished military historian, acknowledged his own compassion when Axis forces eventually surrendered in North Africa in May 1943, for '...this had been a good enemy.' And, of course, there was a famous victory: El Alamein, which encouraged Winston Churchill to declare that we had neither a victory before it nor a defeat after it. Military history, like so much else, is prey to the dictates of fashion. But the tide of fashion ebbed away. Books like Correlli Barnett's The Desert Generals were (generally rightly) critical of the British high command, and as more information on British ULTRA intelligence became available, so repeated failure seemed all the more remarkable. Rommel's own character and performance were critically assessed, and the once-romantic 'Desert Fox' increasingly emerged as ambitious, crabby, and tainted by his association with Hitler.

And as our knowledge of the fighting on the Eastern Front grew, thanks first to the pioneering work of John Erickson and, more recently, as additional Russian archival material has become available, it became all too easy to dismiss the fighting in North Africa as a mere sideshow. I am unrepentantly revisionist as far as the desert war is concerned. Firstly, because there was nowhere else where, after the fall of France in 1940, British and Commonwealth troops could engage the Germans and Italians on land. The humbling of Mussolini was an important objective in its own right, and after the German invasion of Russia in 1941, there was a strong case, military and political, for preventing the Germans from concentrating on the Eastern Front. Next, Egypt sat, like a spider in its web, at the centre of a crucial geo-strategic network that included the Eastern Mediterranean, Abyssina (invaded by the Italians in 1936 and liberated by the British in 1941), the Middle East and the Suez Canal. Advance and retreat British troops in action in 1942 © There was even talk of an Axis offensive through Egypt linking up with a German drive down from Russia.

A German mountain infantryman declared that the objective of the German thrust in south Russia in mid-1942 was simple: 'Down the Caucasus, round the corner, slice the British through the rear, and say to Rommel, "Hello, General, here we are!" ' Even if this was a strategic improbability, the psychological impact of the British loss of Egypt would have been enormous. Lastly, Hitler certainly did not regard North Africa as a sideshow, and his decision to send massive reinforcements to the theatre after El Alamein would eventually result in Axis losses in North Africa being greater than they were at Stalingrad. And to the assertion that Montgomery, with numbers of men and equipment on his side, was bound to win at El Alamein, I respond that there were previous occasions when the British should have won the desert war but had failed to do so. Sometimes politicians were to blame. In 1941, after a British offensive had bundled the Italians from the Egyptian frontier deep into Libya, the troops that might have clinched victory were diverted to Greece at Churchill's behest. However, sometimes the responsibility lay with the generals.

In the Gazala battles of mid-1942 the British time and time again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Small wonder that the Army was indeed, as Churchill described it, 'brave but baffled'. So in the overall scheme of things, El Alamein mattered, and among the strengths of that prickly and opinionated general, Bernard Montgomery, was a determination to resist political pressure to attack before he was ready. His insistence on fighting a well-prepared 'teed up' battle was properly understood by his soldiers. Lastly, Hitler certainly did not regard North Africa as a sideshow ... Even today the road that runs along the very edge of North Africa, with the Mediterranean on the one hand and the desert on the other, is not exactly a super-highway. During World War Two, it was a good deal worse. But it was the umbilical cord that linked the armies that fought for Egypt and Libya with their main logistic bases, and the tide of war ebbed and flowed along it. In 1940 the Italians advanced from Libya and crossed the frontier of British-protected Egypt, where they halted and dug in.

There were attacked by Major General Richard O'Connor's Western Desert Force which drove them back to El Agheila, half way to Tripoli. However, with the British weakened by the diversion of troops to Greece, in March 1941 the newly-arrived Rommel counter-attacked and recaptured much of the lost territory, though the important port of Tobruk, garrisoned by Australians, held out. In May a limited British offensive, codenamed Brevity, proved disappointing, and the large-scale Battleaxe, following month, saw the loss of 220 British tanks to only 25 German. In July 1941 Sir Archibald Wavell, C-in-C Middle East, was replaced by General Sir Claude Auchinleck, and in November, the 8th Army at last mounted a successful offensive, Operation Crusader, which relieved Tobruk and pushed on to El Agheila. But Rommel was not slow in striking back, first in an offensive which took him to line just west of Tobruk and then, in a complex, swirling action between Gazala and the desert outpost of Bir Hacheim, in a battle which eventually saw 8th Army in full retreat.

Top Arrival of Montgomery Captured Afrika Korps troops © Tobruk fell - Churchill called the loss 'one of the heaviest blows I can recall during the war' - and the British did not stop until they reached a position covering the 30 miles of desert between the impassable Qattara depression and the coast, where road and railway run through the little village of El Alamein. Rommel had been brought to a halt by what Kenneth Macksey has called 'the logistics equaliser'. However, the British were not to know just how weak he was. In Cairo there was something of a panic on 1 July, which became infamous as Ash Wednesday. The British Embassy and GHQ burnt piles of classified papers, showering the city with ash and charred documents. The sorry episode was followed by the replacement of Auchinleck by General the Hon Sir Harold Alexander. Montgomery became head of the 8th Army. He was actually Churchill's second choice - the first choice, 'Strafer' Gott, had been killed on his way to assume command. There will be no more belly-aching, and no more retreats.

It was entirely characteristic of Montgomery that immediately he took command, he signalled Cairo that he had ordered the destruction of all plans for withdrawal. Furthermore he announced: 'There will be no more belly-aching, and no more retreats.' He also set about improving relations between the army and the Desert Air Force, ensuring that there would henceforth be a unified army-air plan. When Rommel attacked at Alam Halfa at the end of August he was deftly repulsed. Montgomery set about building up the material superiority he needed for his own offensive. Rommel had about 105,000 men and 500 tanks to the 195,000 men and 1,000 tanks of the 8th Army. He knew that an attack was inevitable, and did his best to prepare for it. He sheltered his force behind a deep and complex minefield covered by lightly held forward posts and backed by strong anti-tank gun positions. His seven German and Italian infantry divisions manned the front line, with four armoured divisions behind them and another two in reserve in the north. He went to Germany on sick leave on 23 September, leaving his deputy in command.

Montgomery planned a set-piece attack in two main phases. The first, code-named Operation Lightfoot, would be preceded by a powerful artillery bombardment which was entirely consistent with Montgomery's desire to let metal, not flesh do his business wherever possible. On its heels, the infantry divisions of XXX Corps would attack in the north, and those of XIII Corps in the south. They would open gaps in the minefield through which the armoured divisions of X Corps were to pass. With the armour protecting them, the infantry would widen the minefield gaps and eliminate the infantry positions. This was a process that Montgomery called 'crumbling.' The bombardment began on the night of 23-4 October, and although the sheer depth of the Axis position absorbed much of it, its bowel-loosening ferocity helped inspire the attack and discourage the defence. Rommel's deputy died, probably of a heart attack, while on his way forward. The crumbling process proved more difficult than had been expected. There was very heavy fighting in the heart of the Axis position as 8th Army ground its way forward.

On the night of 1-2 November the second phase of the attack, Operation Supercharge, was launched, with the armoured divisions breaking through the last crust of defence. Even now it was no easy business, and on 3 November 9th Armoured Brigade lost 102 of its 128 tanks. Although the surviving elements of Rommel's mobile forces got away as Montgomery, again characteristically, took no risks in the pursuit. His opponents were also helped by the filthy weather. However, the bulk of the Axis infantry was captured. Top Victory in the Middle East Destroyed German tank © El Alamein was not the end. A large Anglo-American force landed in French North Africa in early November, and thereafter the much-reinforced Axis forces in the theatre were compressed between 8th Army advancing from the east and British and American troops moving in from the west. There were yet more swirls of fortune. In February 1943, the Americans were roughly handled at the Kasserine Pass. However, in May, over 250,000 German and Italian troops laid down their arms. It deserves remembering, and with justifiable pride.

El Alamein had not simply secured Egypt and the Middle East, but it contributed to what was, by any standards, a major Axis defeat in North Africa. It did much to restore British self-confidence and prestige, which had been badly battered by defeat in France in 1940 and by the collapse in the Far East in 1941-2 - which culminated in the loss of Singapore. It also established Montgomery as a shaman whose spells actually worked. As a man who, at least for the moment, could make the current of war flow his way. It deserves remembering, and with justifiable pride. Find out more Books El Alamein by Field Marshal Lord Carver. The author of this was both a participant in the battle and an shrewd commentator on it. His book now shows its age, but it is still a good starting-point. Dilemmas of the Desert War by Field Marshal Lord Carver. Full of wise insights. The Desert Generals by Correlli Barnett. This was deeply controversial when it first appeared, but the passage of time has reinforced many of its judgements. El Alamein: Ultra and the Three Battles by Alexander McKee.

It throws useful light on the contribution made by secret intelligence. Cairo in the War by Artemis Cooper. It is a gem of a book about Cairo, with the war as it's backcloth. The 8.15 to War by Peter Roach. A personal accounts of the fighting, which I especially like. Fire-Power by Shelford Bidwell and Dominick Graham. The authors are experienced artillery officers who subsequently became military historians. They give a penetrating view of the British theory and practice of war during this period. Top About the author Richard Holmes is professor of military and security studies at Cranfield University. His books include The Little Field Marshal: Sir John French and Riding the Retreat, and he is general editor of The Oxford Companion to Military History. He enlisted into the Territorial Army in 1965 and rose to the rank of brigadier. He was the first reservist to hold the post of Director of Reserve Forces and Cadets in the Ministry of Defence, until he retired in 2000.

Question: Which World War Two leader was nicknamed the Desert Fox?
Answer: Rommel