Why did Erwin Rommel believe Germany should seek peace with the western Allies?

By 1944, Erwin Rommel had become increasingly doubtful of Germany’s prospects for victory in World War II. His belief that Germany should seek peace with the western Allies was rooted in his assessment that the war was effectively lost and his recognition that Adolf Hitler was incapable of facing this reality.1

Following the Allied invasion of Normandy, Rommel attempted on several occasions to convince Hitler that the military situation was untenable and that the regime needed to come to terms with the western powers to avoid total destruction. While Rommel was aware of and sympathetic to the goals of clandestine opposition groups who sought to remove Hitler from power to end the war, he remained opposed to political assassination. Ultimately, his efforts to advocate for a negotiated peace were unsuccessful, and his association with those who plotted against the regime led to his forced suicide in October 1944.12