1891 - 1944

Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel was a German general and military theorist. He served as field marshal in the Wehrmacht (armed forces) of Nazi Germany during World War II, as well as serving in the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic, and the army of Imperial Germany.

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Rommel was a highly decorated officer in World War I and was awarded the Pour le Mérite for his actions on the Italian Front. In 1937 he published his classic book on military tactics, Infantry Attacks, drawing on his experiences in that war. In World War II, he distinguished himself as the commander of the 7th Panzer Division during the 1940 invasion of France. His leadership of German and Italian forces in the North African campaign established his reputation as one of the ablest tank commanders of the war, and earned him the nickname der Wüstenfuchs, "the Desert Fox".

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Among his British adversaries he had a reputation for chivalry, and his phrase "war without hate" has been used to describe the North African campaign. A number of historians have since rejected the phrase as myth and uncovered numerous examples of war crimes and abuses both towards enemy soldiers and native populations in Africa during the conflict.

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Some historians connect Rommel himself with war crimes, although this is a minority. Others say that there is no clear evidence Rommel was involved or aware of any crimes with some pointing out that the war in the desert, as fought by Rommel and his opponents, came as close to a clean fight as there was in World War II.

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Rommel later commanded the German forces opposing the Allied cross-channel invasion of Normandy in June 1944.