Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in WWII

The 7th Panzer Division in France, May-June 1940

The Admiral of the French Navy, 4 other Admirals, 277 guns and 64 AT guns, 458 tanks and armoured vehicles, 4-5,000 trucks, 1,5-2,000 cars, 1,5-2,000 horse and mule wagons, 300-400 buses, 300-400 motorcycles, 4 divisional commanders and staffs, and finally 97,468 prisoners.

They lost:

3 Pzkw Is, 5 Pzkw IIs, 26 Pzkw IIIs, 8 Pzkw IVs, 682 killed, 1,746 wounded, and 263 missing.

Faliure to the End

On sick leave in 1943, while his 10th Panzer Divison engaged Patton's II Corps, Rommel finally found out about the Jewish persicution. Immediatly Rommel protested to Hitler, but to no avail. After Tunis fell, and the Germans were garrisoning Italy after its capitulation, the Waffen SS began to loot the country. Immediatly Rommel protested to a SS General, who knowing Rommel was a stamp collector gave him an excellent set(Rommel had no knowledge it too was looted).

Rommel's next and last major assignment was the defense of the French coast. This included a network of gun emplacements, pillboxes, obsticles, and mines stretching from the Pas-de-Calais to Normandy ton the Contentin Peninsula. Most of this was located at the Pas-de-Calais( including von Salmuth's 15th Army) because it was only 20 miles from Dover. However, Rommel, being as keen as ever, also recognized (as did General Marcks, commander of the LXXXIV Korps) that Eisenhower might, might try to land at Normandy. That, however, would be totally illogical in many respects as it had the worst waves, worst tides, and, basically, worst of everything. Even while he himself didn't believe that this would be the site, he posted the crack 352. Infanterie Division to what would be later known as Omaha Beach, and other lesser experienced division around it (709 Infanterie at Cherbourg, 91. Infanterie on the Peninesula, and the 116. Infanterie at the British sector, all under the afore mentioned Marcks).

In a field tour on the Defensive area known as Omaha Beach, he remarked to his staff: "Over there, a monster awaits. A coiled mass of men, ships and planes, all waiting to be hurled against us. There [on the beach]is where I shall destoy them, on the waters edge. The first 24 hours will be the most critical, both for us as well as the Allies. It will be the longest day (hence the title of Cornilius Ryan's book).

On June 6, 1944 Rommel was in Ulm, Germany for his wife's, Lucie Maria Rommel, birthday, and it was almost the only leave he ever took during World War II. When he heard about the invasion, he said after he put the phone down, "Normandy.... how stupid of me....how stupid." By the time he got to his HQ, the invasion was unstopable. He knew that Germany was doomed, and openly began to protest Hitler.

As people began to atempt to kill Hitler, and as Rommel questioned him, he was suspected of a murder plot. Another reason was that the actually assassins used his name to gain members, thus leading to Rommel's doom. Rather than be undignified, and risk harm to his wife and son Manfred by being brouht before the Peoples Court, he commited suicide (The poison being graciously supplied by the SS troopers that informned him of his 2 choices). He died via poison on October 13th, 1944 at age 56. He was buried with full military honours. In a letter to Frau Rommel expressing his condolences, Heinrich Himmler said he believed Rommel's personal and political enemies, GeneralOberst Jodl and Field Marshal Albert Keitel played a "higher part" in Rommels death. This was the end of a great man, who defiantly burned Hitler's orders to execute British raiders in Africa.

Here is something for you to think about. WHen People Magazine voted on the 50 best dressed for the 20th Century, Rommel's name came up. However, it was dropped and the man who brought it up was fired because they said "We can't have a Nazi on this list!". My friends, does this sound like a Nazi to you? By the Webmaster.