Erwin Rommel

Introduction
Early life and career
Commander of Afrika Korps
Normandy and conspiracy

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Images

Erwin Rommel in military uniform, seen from behind, stands with other soldiers reviewing a battlefield with wrecked vehicles and debris near Tobruk, Libya, around 1941.

At a Glance

Germany invades Poland, September 1, 1939, using 45 German divisions and aerial attack. By September 20, only Warsaw held out, but final surrender came on September 29.

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Quizzes

U.S. marines raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, in February 1945

World War II Quiz

Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)

World Wars

Related Questions

How close did Erwin Rommel’s army get to Alexandria in 1942?
How did Adolf Hitler respond when Erwin Rommel’s contacts with the July Plot conspirators became known?
How did Adolf Hitler’s orders affect Erwin Rommel’s defense at the Second Battle of El-Alamein?
How did Allied air power shape Erwin Rommel’s plans for the Normandy coast?
How did Bernard Montgomery defeat Erwin Rommel at the Second Battle of El-Alamein?
How did Erwin Rommel begin his military career in 1910?
How did Erwin Rommel disagree with Gerd von Rundstedt about defending Normandy?
How did Erwin Rommel retake Cyrenaica from British forces in 1941?
How did Erwin Rommel strengthen German coastal defenses before the Normandy invasion?
How did Erwin Rommel’s World War I experience influence his military teaching?
How did Erwin Rommel’s surprise attacks affect the North Africa campaign?
How did Hitler’s order to hold El-Alamein delay Erwin Rommel’s retreat?
How did fuel shortages limit Erwin Rommel’s operations in North Africa?
How did the Nazi government conceal the circumstances of Erwin Rommel’s death?
How did the Qattara Depression help British forces defend El-Alamein?
How was Erwin Rommel injured in July 1944?
What responsibility did Erwin Rommel receive for defending the French Channel coast in 1944?
What role did Erwin Rommel play in the Battle of Kasserine Pass?
What was the Gazala–Bir Hakeim line during the North Africa campaign?
When did Erwin Rommel capture Tobruk in World War II?
Where did Erwin Rommel retreat after the Axis defeat at El-Alamein?
Where did Erwin Rommel serve during World War I?
Why did Erwin Rommel advance beyond his initial orders in Libya in 1941?
Why did Erwin Rommel believe Germany should seek peace with the western Allies?
Why did Erwin Rommel order his army to retreat after the Second Battle of El-Alamein?
Why did Erwin Rommel take poison on October 14, 1944?
Why did Erwin Rommel want German tank reserves placed near the Normandy beaches?
Why did Erwin Rommel’s attack at Alam el Halfa fail in August 1942?
Why did Erwin Rommel’s forces take up a defensive position called the Cauldron in 1942?
Why did Germany send Erwin Rommel to Libya in February 1941?
Why did the defenders of Tobruk resist Erwin Rommel’s forces for months in 1941?
Why was Erwin Rommel given a military funeral after his death?
Why was Erwin Rommel known as the Desert Fox?
Why was Erwin Rommel recalled from North Africa in 1943?
Why was Erwin Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division called the Ghost Division?
Why was the fall of Tobruk considered a major disaster for Britain?
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What was Albert Speer’s early career like?
What happened to Albert Speer after World War II?
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How did Joseph Goebbels affect the Nazi movement?
How did Heinrich Himmler die?
What happened to Adolf Eichmann after the end of World War II?
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How did Dwight D. Eisenhower become famous?

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External Websites

Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Biography of Erwin Rommel
Imperial War Museums - How Erwin Rommel became The Desert Fox
National Army Museum - General Erwin Rommel with Afrika Korps officers, 1942
World War II Database - Erwin Rommel
World History Encyclopedia - Erwin Rommel
Jewish Virtual Library - Erwin Rommel

Britannica Websites

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Erwin Rommel - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Erwin Rommel

German field marshal

Also known as: Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel, der Wüstenfuchs, the Desert Fox(Show More)

Written by

Walter Otto Julius Görlitz

Journalist; Editorial Staff, Die Welt, Hamburg. Author of History of the German General Staff, 1657–1945.

Walter Otto Julius Görlitz

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 11, 2026 •History

Erwin Rommel (born November 15, 1891, Heidenheim, Germany—died October 14, 1944, Herrlingen, near Ulm) was a German field marshal who became the most popular general at home and gained the open respect of his enemies with his spectacular victories as commander of the Afrika Korps in World War II. Rommel’s father was a teacher, as his grandfather had been, and his mother was the daughter of a senior official. A career as an army officer...

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