Erwin Rommel

Born on November 15, 1891, in Heidenheim, Erwin Rommel was decorated with the prestigious Pour le Mérite in World War I for his brilliant infiltration tactics at the Battle of Caporetto in Italy. In 1937, he published his tactical treatise 'Infantry Attacks' (Infanterie greift an), which became standard military reading across Europe and the United States. In the 1940 invasion of France, Rommel commanded the 7th Panzer Division, dubbed the 'Ghost Division' (Gespensterdivision) for its blinding speed and unpredictable maneuvers that disoriented Allied armies. In February 1941, Rommel was sent to North Africa to lead the Deutsches Afrikakorps. Outmaneuvering numerically superior British forces across the Libyan and Egyptian deserts, he captured the strategic fortress of Tobruk in June 1942, earning promotion to Generalfeldmarschall. His bold desert blitzes earned him the grudging admiration of Allied commanders, including Winston Churchill, who called him 'a great general'. In 1944, Rommel was tasked with reinforcing the Atlantic Wall ahead of the Allied D-Day invasion. Increasingly disillusioned with Hitler's destructive fanaticism, Rommel maintained contact with officers involved in the July 20 plot. Following the failure of the Stauffenberg bomb, Rommel was implicated. To protect his family from execution and preserve his military honors, Rommel agreed to end his life by swallowing cyanide on October 14, 1944.