|
 Erwin Rommel Jr. was born a Swabian. The duchy of Swabia had long
been absorbed by the Kingdom of Wurttemberg, and Schwaben was a territorial
rather than political expression. Erwin Rommel Jr. is the Erwin Rommel
that we have all heard of. He never smoked and drank wine sparingly.
He was extremely chivalrous and treated captives with respect and candour.
He always lived and ate exactly as his subordinates and soldiers did.
He was one of the most respected German Generals throughout the war,
and even his suicide after the attempted assassination of Hitler commands
respect from those who knew who Hitler really was.
His father Erwin Rommel Sr. was a schoolmaster in Heidenheim in Wurttemberg. His mother, Helene von Luz (lived until 1940) was a daughter of the local Regierungs-Prasident. Erwin Sr. had been an artillery officer. The Baby Empire: Germany Most people do not realized that, before WWI, Germany had only begun to be a country 43 years earlier. The German Empire was declared in 1871 in the victorious aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War. All kings, dukes, etc. combined in allegiance to the king of Prussia, now the German Emperor. The troops of the kingdom of Wurttemberg formed the XIII Army Corps of the Imperial German Army regulated by an Imperial General Staff whose ancestors were the great Prussians of the war for independence, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and whose most distinguished chief-the Moltke-, all recognized the Kaiser as Supreme Commander. Nobility was not gauranteed, but it could definitely help one's status in getting a commission or better treatment and privileges. In this day and age, German civilians were expected to give way on the pavements to German military officers in uniform. The army was central in German life especially because of hostilities between Germany its neighbors: Russia and France. The army was the only thing protecting Germany from these invaders, and the people respected, admired, and loved their army. Every one stood behind the army before, during, and after attacks by and against these nations, and the Army stood behind the Schleiffen Plan, a coordinated, well-thought out plan proposed by brilliant strategist von Schleiffen. Erwin Rommel: The early years Erwin Rommel Jr. was born on November 15, 1891. As a child, he was even tempered and was unremarkable academically and athletically. During adolescence, he became very adept at mathematics (His father and grandfather were both distinguished mathematicians.) Jr. always preferred practical books to works of imagination. When the airplane was first built, Rommel's imagination went wild and he spent many days studying the airplane. After high school, Rommel Jr. was thinking of applying to the Zeppelin works at Friederichshafen, but his father, the ex-artillery officer, advised him to go to the army. In July, 1910, Rommel became a cadet with the 124th Wurttemberg Infantry Regiment in the 26th Infantry Division of the German Imperial Infantry. He was going to go in March, but a hernia operation set him back four months. Erwin Rommel: The cadet He served as cadet in the Army until March 1911. Then he attended the prestigous military academy Konigliche Kriegsschule in Danzig. The course lasted eight months, until the end of November, 1911. During that course he rose to Leiutenant: Corporal in October and Sergeant at the end of the year. That is not all he acquired during his stay. He also met the love of his life, Lucy Mollin whom he would write to everyday during both World Wars. His final reports showed him competent in all subjects, but not overimpressive, the report was actually quite brief. In Jan. 1912, the dapper young Lieutenant Erwin Rommel rejoined the 124th. In summer 1914, he served as artillery attachment in drilling practices near Ulm. On July 28, 1914, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand occured. One month later, Rommel would have his first combat tests; WWI was underway. World War I: Declarations and Plans On July 30th, Russia mobilized, and Germany, consequently, declared war on them August 1st. On August 1st, because of a treaty between Russia and France, France mobilized, and Germany declared war on them on August 3rd. Germany began marching against France through neutral Belgium on August 4th, and consequently, Britain declared war on Germany that day. The Britain entrance could not have been avoided by the Schleiffen plan, but because of negligence to the plan, Germany was stopped almost as soon as it started. The French 1st and 2nd armies were repulsed by the German 6th army at Sarrebourg and Morhange. This successful defensive prompted Prince Rupprecht to counterattack and also forced the dilution of the powerful right wing in order to help the Crown Prince. This spelled disaster for Germany for it weakened the one thing that Germany's plan counted on: the right wing. In fact, Schleiffen's last words were "Keep the right wing strong." Ironic, but those were his last words. The encirclement could now never be acheived because none of the German forces were strong enough to deliver a crippling blow. Erwin Rommel: First Actions of World War I Rommel's first engagement was at Longwy after he had been marching and riding for 24 hours. Rommel always had to be at the front, because he knew that in order to successfully deploy his troops, he needed to view the terrain and the enemy. So on August 21, the rest day for his regiment, he and his aides went on reconnaissance. Thus during the engagement, Rommel had been marching or riding for 24 hours straight. On August 22, in the town of Bleid, Rommel first showed his courage and intellect. A group of 15 to 20 French soldiers were spotted by he and his reconnaissance of three other men. Rommel opened fire and dropped 10 of the group with regular rifles. His second encounter was 800 yards northeast of Bleid, at freshly dug French trenches. He charged and repulsed all French with only parts of his regiment (Rommel was never one to wait for his whole regiment.) Then Rommel with two other men drove off a whole French column. After this, Rommel passed out from lack of sleep. When he awakened, a confused firefight had begun. He immediately rallied his men and repulsed the French attack. The battle of Longwy resulted in a loss of 15% of Rommel's men and 25% of his officers. After the battle, medical doctors informed Rommel that he was suffering from food poisoning, but Rommel would not leave the field. After a brilliant and devestating French bombardment, Rommel and 12 men from his regiment were displaced from the rest. He and his men found themselved in a German-French crossfire, and Rommel was reported dead that day. After returning, alive and well, Rommel was appointed Battalion Adjutant. In his first action as Battalion Adjutant, Rommel and a group of 13 men repulsed a charge of 2 French companies and dropped 30 French, capturing 12. Then on September 9, his outfit was ordered to begin digging trenches. On September 10, they were ordered to charge. Rommel lost 4 officers and 40 men dead, 4 officers and 160 men wounded, and 8 missing. On September 22, Rommel was again ordered to attack, but this time he consulted his commander with better plans. The result was 50 Frenchmen, 7 machine guns, 10 ammunition limbers, and a full kitchen captured, with only 4 killed and 11 wounded. Then Rommel reorganized another confused company, and started to return to his own unit. On the way, 5 French soldiers appeared ahead of him. Rommel opened fire and dropped two of them, only to run out of ammunition. Rommel quickly fixed his bayonet and charged only to be wounded with a fist sized exit wound and to be rewarded with an Iron Cross, Second Class for bravery. When he returned to the field, prematurely from completely healing the wound, the stalemate had set in. However, on the 29th of January, 1915, two other companies were ordered to charge and Rommel was requested to join them. Rommel grinningly agreed. Rommel's company advanced two miles, half a mile more than his compatriots into a formidable breastwork: hundreds of yards of wire, a five foot wide frozen moat, and overlooked by blockhouses every 60 yards. Rommel crawled through the wire alone, and screamed for assistance. He then told his inferior officers to come or be shot. The company soon followed. After penetrating the defenses, Rommel captured 4 blockhouses. He was then surrounded on three sides, and troops were massing to his right for an attack. His rightmost blockhouse fell, and Rommel made up his mind to concentrically attack this blockhouse and hope to overwhelm this larger force by surprise. It worked wonderfully, making the French actually run from this minute force. He then withdrew his men through the breastwork to a defensive position half a mile in the rear. After the bold action, Rommel was awarded the Iron Cross, Class 1. He was the first lieutenant to be honored with this. In September, he was appointed Overleutenant, and sadly recommissioned (Rommel was sad to leave the only comrades he had known since commission) to a new organization, the Konigliche Wurttemberg Gebirgsbatallion: a mountain battalion due to move to the Arlberg in Austria for ski training. Erwin Rommel: The Gebirgsbatallion The battalion was composed of 6 rifle companies, and six machine gun platoons. On December 30, 1915, the battalion left for a southern sector of the Western Front. It was responsible for 6 miles of front, and the warfare was completely different. No trenches, only all-round defense strong points, the kind of conditions ripe for raids. On October 4, Rommel raided the enemy and captured 11 prisoners with only himself and a sergeant. On October 16, the battalion moved to a town called Uricani in Rumania. In November, Rommel attacked, and Bucharest fell easily in December. Actually, the hardest part was the climbing and maneuvering. On January 4, 1917, Rommel stormed the village of Gagesti and captured 330 Rumanians with 0 casualties. Then, they were shipped to the trench-ridden Western Front, and on August 7, shipped back to Rumania- this time to take Mount Cosna. Erwin Rommel: Mt. Cosna Rommel was very lucky during the first part of the attack. A reconnaisance party came across 75 sleeping Rumanians and 5 heavy machine guns with no fight. The attack was fast and furious from here on. Rommel probed and maneuvered all the way to a front position known to his company as "Headquarters Knoll", the scene of a huge Rommel victory later. Under Rommel's brilliant leadership they captured Mount Cosna, only to receive a great shock; the Russians had counterattacked North of Rommel and were surrounding Rommel. Rommel took up defense at "Headquarters Knoll", which gave impressive sight distance to Rommel and was shielded from Rumanian artillery fire by Mount Cosna itself. On August 13, the Russian/Rumanian attack commenced. By August 19, Rommel had not only repulsed the massive attack, but he had switched to the offensive. On that same day, he recaptured Mount Cosna. Erwin Rommel: Italy If Rommel ever truly shined during World War I, it was in Italy. After a short leave, Rommels battalion moved to the Italian front in October, 1917. On Octover 24, 1000 artillery guns opened up on the Italians. After a huge advance, Rommel was stopped by a Bavarian superior and told to stay behind him and join the Bavarians. Rommel exchanged a few words and left him. On October 25, Rommel decided to deviate the attack plan and outflank his opponent. He did so, and in effect, captured Mt. Matajur, and Kolovrat Ridge. Rommel took several hundred prisoners at Kolovrat Ridge with no shots fired. Then Rommel surprised an Italian offensive from behind and captured 12 officers and 500 men, bringing the total to 1200 prisoners. He was now facing troops in front and rear. In face of this, he embarked on the boldest feat in his career. He rushed his battalion 2 miles behind the enemy front lines and cut off their supply line. Then Rommel confronted an entire brigade- 50 officers and 2000 men, with only 150 men. The brigade surrendered thinking this was a much larger force. Then Rommel doubled back and captured the town of Jevszek and was rewarded with 1000 more prisoners-5000 now. Then Rommel approached the crown of the Mrzli Mountain. After some thinking Rommel decided to do something very bold. He walked up to the Italians with a white hankerchief in his hand and shouted for their surrender. At 150 yards away the 1500 defenders layed down their weapons, lifted Rommel to their shoulders and cried "Evviva Germania!" 6,500 prisoners were now captured by Rommel's 2000 soldier battalion! Erwin Rommel: Mount Matajur and the missed Pour le Merite Then, with his major objective, Mount Matajur, still ahead, Rommel's commanding officer, Major Sprosser, ordered Rommel to withdraw, thinking that his major objective had already been taken. This came to Rommel's men before it came to Rommel, and Rommel was left with 100 men and 6 machine guns. He decided that, because of Major Sprosser's ignorance of the correct orders, he would disobey these orders and go to the summit. He ordered the 6 machine guns to fire at the Italian positions at the base of the mountain, and shortly thereafter, Rommel approached with a white hankerchief. 1200 men immediately dropped their weapons and Rommel continued to the summit. At the summit position, Rommel again fired his machine guns, and once again approached with a white hankerchief. The remaining 120 Italians surrendered and at 11:40 a.m., October 26, Rommel signaled the Commanders that he had captured Mount Matajur. Rommel's campaign resulted in 9,000 prisoners to Rommel's 6 dead and 30 wounded. Rommel later learned that another officer, Schorner, was credited with the capture of Matajur, and consequently, Schorner received the highest military award for bravery, the Pour le Merite. Rommel was extremely displeased. He could be lenient with prisoners, and even to enemy soldiers who weren't captive, but he was a proud man, and he was reasonably mad about this award being given to someone else. Rommel did not always win. On November 7th, Rommel was ordered to clear the enemy from mountain passes on the Axis road to Belluno. His machine guns and infantry were not well coordinated because of the infantry's belief that Rommel was going to lead their charge. The result was a charge into a machinegun forwarned enemy and a loss. Rommel took full credit and his superiors took no heed to this blemish in an extraordinary career. This was not going to be a sign of his last loss, but it was definitely not the start of a failing career. Erwin Rommel: The road to the Pour le Merite Rommel formed the hammer on what was "The German Schwerpunkt" to the Allies. Italy was on the run, and Rommel was right on their heels. The Italians were chased throughout northern Italy, all the way across the Piave River to the city of Longarone. Rommel crossed the River and captured thousands of prisoners immediately, but thousands more were inside of the city. Rommel decided to attack with only 1 rifle company and 3 machine guns but was broken up by bad coordination. Then, Rommel was almost captured by a spirited group of one thousand Italian soldiers that he thought were surrendering. However, he jumped over a hedge and avoided capture. This group of 1000 was stopped by a firm Rommel and his thin line of soldiers at the town of Fae, one mile from Longarone. After reinforcements of Rommel's own men arrived, Rommel pushed this group of under 300 back to Longarone. There were still at least 1000 other soldiers in Longarone. Then, Rommel was surprised to see a captured German Lieutenant on a donkey riding towards him. Behind the captured Lieutenant, a long procession of civilians bearing white hankerchiefs signalled the towns surrender on November 10, 1917. The German "Schwerpunkt" would soon be halted by the arrival of 5 British and French Divisions that landed shortly after Longarone capitulated. The attackers were soon the attacked, but not until Rommel had went on leave in January after he received the Pour le Merite on December 18, 1917. Before the war ended, Rommel was sent back to his native 124th Wurttemberg Regiment. He would not go back to battle for another 20 years. Erwin Rommel: The Reichswehr: post war Germany
Rommel's son, Manfred, had been born in December 1928, on Christmas Eve (This was quite possibly Rommel Jr.'s greatest Christmas present.) Erwin Rommel continued to learn and apply mathematics (By 1927, he had learned the logarithm table), which would come in handy when he became the notorious Panzer General extraordinaire. In October 1933, Rommel was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and given battalion command-3rd Jager Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, at Goslar in the Harz Mountains. In September 1934, Rommel first met Hitler. Rommel was devoted to Hitler because of Hitler's acceptance of the army over the SA. Rommel thought Hitler was a good man, and he was swept up in the patriotic pride that now ran rampant throughout Germany. Hitler was just as impressed with Rommel, and Rommel's character soon gained him the position of Major-General of Hitler's Special Guard, a very prestigous honor. Erwin Rommel: Hitler's Pre-War Moves In March 1936, German troops marched into the Rhineland, a part of Germany demilitarized under the provisions of Versailles, and a place of obvious and symbolic significance. On February 4, 1938, Hitler announced his new position of Supreme Commander of All German Armed Forces. In March 1938, Hitler "annexed" Austria by intimidation. In September 1938, Britain's Neville Chamberlain negotiated the gift of over half of Czech-Slovakia to Germany. During this occupation of the Sudetenland, Rommel actually commanded Hitler's escort battalion. In late August, 1939, Hitler came to a mutual understanding with the Soviet Union, today known as a nonaggression pact, that said that both countries would not attack each other, but instead joint attack Poland. Germany would get most of Poland including the important port of Danzig, and the Soviets would get a troublesome monkey off of their backs. The Stage was set for war. Erwin Rommel: World War II begins On September 4, 1939, Rommel crossed the Polish border with the elements of the Fuhrer's special field headquarters. During these opening operations, Rommel viewed the success and advantages of Panzer columns on open ground. He saw countless enemies beaten by these fast, mobile, armor plated monsters. Rommel noted their speed and weaponry, and even noted the things that they lacked. Rommel also became close friends with Hitler, because he accompanied him everyday. On September 10, Rommel and the Hitler envoy were already at Kielce, just South of Warsaw. On September 17, the Soviets began their attack on the eastern border of Poland. Warsaw fell on the 27th of September. The whole Polish affair lasted a little more than three weeks, a humiliating shock to the Allies. Although Rommel played no major role in the destruction of Poland, he did gain valuable information on armoured columns, and most importantly, he learned how the Fuhrer thought and how he made his decisions. Erwin Rommel: The 7th Panzer Division Hitler consulted with Rommel on where Rommel would like to go from there. Rommel told him he would like to lead an armoured division. Rommel apparently had Hitler's favor, for in early February, 1940, Rommel was appointed to command the 7th Panzer Division, now stationed at Bad Godesberg in the west and soon deployed in the nearby balley of the Ahr. He took leave of Hitler and was given an inscribed copy of Mein Kampf as a present. Britain and France had declared war on Germany on September 3rd. Hitler expected France to be rattled, but he did not expect Britain to declare war on him. In fact, Hitler always, even to his last days, hoped for an alliance with Britain. He had nothing against Britain and was reportedly infuriated by their declaration of war. Together, these two superpowers outweighed Germany in divisions, naval power, tanks, aircraft, and well, actually they outnumbered Germany in everything. Hitler knew even before Britain declared war on Germany that he would have to deliver a crippling blow to France. However, now that Britain was in the picture, the blow had to not only be crippling, but fatal. Rommel's 7th Panzer Division was a component of Kluge's Army Group A and consisted of a Panzer regiment (25th regiment) of three tank battalions- a total of 218 tanks- and an armoured reconnaissance battalion (refers to a band of armoured cars): two rifle regiments, each of three battalions; a motorcycle battalion and an engineer battalion; and a divisional artillery with one field regiment (nine batteries, 36 guns) and an anti-tank battalion of seventy-five anti-tank guns. The division had not been armoured until that winter, and was only done so because of top Generals like Guderian and Rommel's insistence on more armoured divisions. Half of Rommel's tanks were the lightly armoured Czech models, and the other half were the excellent PzKw III and IV's. Erwin Rommel: The Opening Objective of the French Campaign: The Meuse
Erwin Rommel: The "Impregnable" Maginot Line When Rommel came to the Maginot Line, he came up with an idea. Instead of blowing up or dealing with every fortification in his way, he ordered his tanks to race at full speed past the fortifications while firing at anything that looked hostile. The mechanized rifle companies were to do the same. The French were surprised to say the least. Most of them simply surrendered to the rear guards that came up. The Maginot Line had been breached, and the Engineers were having a field day with the pillboxes and steel anti-tank hedgehogs they found along the way. The demoralized French surrendered at every turn. By the time Rommel had reached Avesnes, he had captured two French Divisions. In the early morning hours of May 17, Rommel and his advance guard had reached Landrecies, a full day ahead of most of the German army. At Le Cateau, Rommel stopped and waited for resupply. By afternoon, the rearguard of the 7th Panzer had accompanied him along with supplies. Rommel then doubled back to deal with a French counter attack on his rear guard near Pommereuil. He then pushed on until he reached Cambrai, a full 175 miles from his starting point. He was then ordered to stop for two days (An order that Rommel "bent" to less than one day of rest.) At this point Rommel had captured 10,000 prisoners, destroyed over 100 tanks, 30 armoured cars and twenty-seven guns, and had lost only 35 men killed, 59 wounded, and one tank rendered useless. Erwin Rommel vs. The British Expeditionary Force On his way to Arras, Rommel's men were counterattacked by a massive armoured column and light infantry near Wailly during the afternoon of May 21st. At the time, Rommel had no tanks with him to face the heavy Matilda tanks that were attacking him. He did however have anti-tank guns, including the feared 88 millimeter anti-air/tank gun. This formidable weapon scored many hits on the armoured column and because of Rommel's determined defense with these pieces, the remaining Matildas turned and fled. However, the enemy attacked near Tilloy and wreaked havoc on Rommel's 6th Rifle Regiment. Rommel ordered the 25th Panzer Regiment to turn around and attack the enemy tanks on their flank. The resulting battle was a classic tank vs. tank contest in which the Matildas destroyed 9 PzKwIII and IV's along with some other Czech models, and only lost 7 Matildas; a clear British "points" victory, but Rommel held the field. This may seem like a very small loss to the British, but actually the British had only seventy-two Matildas in France, of which only 16 had anti-tank weapons. This meant that only 9 tank-killing Matildas were left in France. Rommel also lost 400 men, of which 90 were dead including his aide-de-camp Lieutenant Most- replaced by a wounded Major Schraepler. Although the counter attack was fully repelled by May 21st, it managed to halt the German army until May 26th because of the psychological effects of an armoured counterattack. The Belgian army was pushed back on the 25th, and were pushed even further back on the 26th. On that same day, Rommel was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Erwin Rommel: The Error in Dunkirk During the evening of May 26, elements of Rommel's 7th Rifle Regiment began crossing the La Bassee canal in the area of Cuinchy, and the bridgehead widened to two rifle battalions on the northern bank. With snipers hiding around every corner, Rommel pointed at targets, organized the two battalions, supervised another heavy bridge, and directed tanks, anti-tank guns, and artillery pieces to the other side. Again Hoth saw Rommel's potential and transferred the lead brigade of the 5th Panzer Division, 5th Panzer Brigade, to Rommel's command. To Rommel's North, von Kleist was taking port after port trying to cut off the Allied Forces escape. Meanwhile, Rommel was pushing toward Lille. On May 28th, the entire surrounded Belgian army surrendered. The British were in the meantime, trying to escape. Their only port was Dunkirk, and they scurried as fast as they could. Rommel's entire command was given a six-day reprieve while the enemy retreated, something that Rommel much regretted after the huge victory celebrations had ceased. The result was 337,000 Allied troop evacuations (two thirds British, and one third French) by June 3rd, all of which Rommel and the Germans would see again. Only next time, they would be more seasoned and much more heavily armed. Erwin Rommel: "Gespensterdivision": The Ghost Division Because of Rommel's elusiveness, and his lack of communications with headquarters throughout the French campaign, both the Allies and the Axis powers coined his division "The Ghost Division" or "Gespensterdivision." During this campaign, Rommel had captured just under 7,000 prisoners and over 20 tanks, and destroyed over 300 tanks- including 18 French "heavies", a tank that outgunned and outarmed anything anyone had at this time. Hitler visited Rommel's victorious command on the same day that the last British soldier left Dunkirk and received Rommel's report personally. Adolf Hitler was so impressed that he asked Rommel to accompany him for the rest of the day- the only divisional commander to do so. When they were alone, Hitler remarked "We were all very worried about you!", a remark that showed not only affection, but admiration. Erwin Rommel: France's Last Offensives On May 27th, the 1st Armoured Division was ordered to attack the Germans near Amiens. However, without infantry or artillery support against a well deployed foe, the attack was severely repulsed with 65 busted tanks. Another attack was made with two French Colonial Divisions but met with minimal success. On June 4th, The 51st Division and two French IX Corps' divisions attacked bridgeheads across the Somme and acquired almost all of its objectives. However, by June 7th, General Hoth had penetrated their ranks with Rommel's 7th Panzer Division. The penetration started on June 5th at 4:30 a.m. Rommel was actually the first person across the Somme and led his army on. The French now changed strategies to strongpoints instead of fronts. These strongpoints were built for all-around defense, especially anti-tank defense. One such strongpoint at Hangest riddled Rommel's armoured car with over 20 shells. The effects of the artillery, anti-tank, and infantry fire from these strongpoints lowered German morale, but not enough to turn them around. Rommel personally directed the annahilation of the Quesnoy strongpoint by Rommel's 25th Panzer Regiment. Then, on June 6th, he ordered the 25th Panzer to march in a "Flachenmarsch", literally "area march", on a front of 2000 yards with a depth of 12 miles. This massive rectangular box marched 13 miles on June 6th and 16 miles on June 7th until he reached Menerval, over 40 miles from the Somme. Rommel now tried to obtain the town of Rouen, but the town was heavily fortified and did not capitulate until June 10th. Then Rommel received urgent orders to redirect. The Allies were again trying to evacuate all the soldiers that they could. This time the destination was the port Le Havre. Rommel raced to the sea with his armor and anti-tank guns reaching his objective the same day and cutting off the evacuation. Then Rommel moved South toward St Valery. Rommel rode behind the leading three tanks, until they came to a lone anti-tank gun. The gun took out the leading tank, the commander exited and the two undamaged tanks moved off the road without returning fire. Rommel was left alone in his armoured car, and was shot at seven times without a hit. Rommel dismounted, organized return fire, took out the gun, and scolded the commanders of the tanks for cowardice. Erwin Rommel: The Fall of France Rommel then surrounded St. Valery and its port. He directed fire at the harbor and the outskirts of the town. Transports and ferries were repeatedly turned around and sunk until there were no more. Then Rommel inched into the town on June 12 where he found the Commander of IX Corps, General Ihler who told him that he had ordered General Fortune to surrender days ago, but General Fortune refused to obey. Now, the French had no choice. They were prisoners of war. At this time, Britain still had troops in France. General Brook advised immediate withdrawals to Churchill, and Churchill agreed. The troops would head to Cherbourg. Meanwhile, Rommel's men marched and drove 150 miles on June 17, a remarkable achievement, to the outskirts of Cherbourg. On the 18th, Rommel demanded surrender, but the British refused. Cherbourg could not be evacuated. Early on June 19th Rommel came in contact with a network of forts around Cherbourg. He again demanded their surrender or else he would attack at 1:15 p.m. There was no reply, so dive bombers and artillery devestated the town for hours. The result was an acceptance of unconditional surrender. The war in France was over. Well, at least for the next four years it was. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: Preparation
Erwin Rommel: North Africa: The Race to Tobruk On March 24, Rommel ordered the 3rd Recon Battalion to attack El Agheila. The attack went unmolested, and the airfield and water supply of El Agheila soon fell in Rommel's hands. On March 31st, 5th Light Division advanced on Mersa El Brega. The immediate response was stubborn, but after a north flanking movement by Rommel and his machine gun battalion, the defile fell and a good many vehicles were captured with it. Air recon showed that the British were retreating. On April 2, Rommel attacked with all the forces available to him. General Wavell had told General Neame- the commander of Cyrennica's forces- to withdraw if they were attacked all the way to Benghazi and further if necessary. Thus, after Rommel began attacking, the British began retreating, giving Rommel the impression that they were weak and vulnerable, which wasn't far from the truth. The bulk of the armor had been sent to Greece to fend off the German attack, and the troops were inexperienced and led by less caliber officers. Rommel's army reached Bir Lengedir on April 4th where it met with ellements of the 3rd armoured brigade of 2 Armoured Division. By April 6th, the British were in flight for Tobruk. On April 9th, Mechili had been taken after two days of fighting. Rommel personally deployed 32 tanks of fuel to the troops and set off again. Throughout these operations, three generals-Neame, Gambier-Parry (of 2nd Armoured Div.), and O'Conner, were captured. They also captured a plethura of documents that pinpointed positions, mapped out landscapes, and outlined British methods. On April 10th, 3rd Recon Battalion took El Adem. On April 11th, Tobruk- an important port- was enveloped by Rommel and garrisons were set up East of Tobruk to warn of a British relief force. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: The First Battle for Tobruk On the 14th, Rommel sent the Italian General Streich on an attack against Tobruk, and General Streich timidly attacked. Casualties amounted soon due to bombardment, anti-tank fire, and infantry volleys. Field Marshal von Paulus, later to lose an entire Army at Stalingrad, watched the next assault on Tobruk on April 30th. The attack came from the West instead of the South and yielded Ras el Madamer and a good deal of casualties. Despite the gain of Ras el Madamer, von Paulus returned to Berlin and gave a damaging report to OKH headquarters. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: Standstill at Tobruk Meanwhile, the ULTRA decoded German messages had given the British information that the 15th Panzer Div. had not arrived yet and Rommel had been ordered to advance no further. This meant that the time to attack was now, before the tanks arrived. On May 15th, the long awaited British counter-attack began. The first move was by the 7th Armoured and 22nd Guards Brigades. Ironically, that morning Rommel had sent forward all thirteen 88 millimeter anti-tank guns and a good deal of mechanized troops. Thus, when the British attacked, the presence of the longer ranging 88's gave them the impression that the information was false and that the 15th Panzer had indeed arrived. The British consequently withdrew, and actually withdrew past the easily defendable Halfaya Pass that they had gained through heavy costs. A small garrison was left at Halfaya, but there were no tanks or anti-tank guns, thus opening the door to Rommel. Rommel immediately launched a counter-offensive with a three-pronged attack on Halfaya Pass. The defenders were routed after light casualties, and Halfaya was back in German hands. Rommel then replaced the Italian Streich with General von Ravenstein, another Pour le Merite recipient. On June 15th, the British mounted a renewed attack with the newly replenished 7th Armoured Division with 240 new tanks and the XIII Corps. The Germans were in luck. On the first day of the battle, they intercepted British code words and names used during this operation that became of great importance when translating intercepted radio messages during the fighting. However, Capuzza fell to the British that evening with heavy casualties dealt to the British. Halfaya Pass and its 88's terrorized the British, knocking out all but one of the attacking tanks. In fact, the 88's and other anti-tank guns had knocked out 161 of the 200 attacking tanks by the end of the first day's fighting leaving 22 cruisers and 17 infantry tanks. The next day, Rommel ordered 15th Panzer to attack from the south, and 5th Light to attack southward creating a pincer on the British pincer. Then, they were to attack eastwardly in one large armoured thrust. The attack lasted throughout the 16th and 17th, and resulted in the destruction of 91 more British tanks, nearly depleting British reserves, to only 12 lossed German models. Not only was this an overwhelming German victory, but it introduced a brand new type of attack. Rommel invented a scheme of leapfrogging anti-tank guns and tanks in an attacking role. The result was tremendous, and the British attack was effectively repulsed. Rommel hoped this victory would grant him more resources and attention, but he was dead wrong. On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: British Operation "Crusader" In August 1941, Rommel's command was designated "Panzer Gruppe Afrika" and 5th Light Division was redesignated 21st Panzer Division. He also received another Light Division, the 90th Light Division. He also had 2 Italian Corps under him, but only two of the Divisions it contained were mechanized- whether tanks or motorized infantry. All in all, Rommel had three corps of ten divisions. The supply situation was growing worse- 220,000 tons of Axis shipping sunk between June and October. Against Rommel's two Divisions of 380 total tanks, the British had an attack force (not counting reserves) of 600 tanks. They also had a numerical advantage in airplanes. On November 18, the British 8th Army began Operation "Crusader," a two-pronged attack aimed at annahilating "Panzer Gruppe Afrika." The right wing of the attack was the XIII Corps under General Godwin-Austen, and the left wing was the XXX Corps under Norrie which carried the bulk of the armor from 8th Army and constituted the "hammer" of the attack. Discordinated fighting occured around the garrisons to the east of Tobruk. At first, Rommel did not want to believe that he was not going to be able to attack Tobruk, so he hesitated sending the bulk of his armor to check this massive offensive. By November 19th, the Germans had inflicted large casualties on the British, and they began counter-attacking, but after a few days, the German tank force was down to 40 active tanks. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: The First Retreat
Erwin Rommel: North Africa: The Second Major German Offensive At the beginning of 1942, Britain had 150 tanks. Rommel had 117 German tanks and 79 Italian models. On January 21, 1942 Rommel received the Swords to the Oakleaves of the Iron Cross. He would not actually receive this until February 16th along with a month and three day retreat with his family courtesy of a happy Hitler. On Jan. 22, Panzer Gruppe Afrika was elevated to Panzerarmee Afrika. On Jan. 25, he was promoted to Colonel-General. What brought about these prestigous honors? The most brilliant accomplishments of his North African campaign had brought them. During this attack Rommel achieved unusual surprise. The key to his shocking endeavor was that he only issued attack orders verbally thus nullifying ULTRA's effectiveness. The advance started on January 21st at 6:00 p.m. Rommel's army casually entered Agedabin at 11:00 a.m. He then sacked Msus on the 25th, capturing 96 tanks and putting them to good use. He then feinted towards Mechili and the whole British 8th Army retreated out of Cyrenaica. By Feb. 6, they were back on the Gazala position. On February 16th, Rommel flew to Berlin, not to return until March 19th. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: The Second Battle for Tobruk
Rommel then captured 3000 men and 127 guns at the Sidi Muftah Box. On June 10th, after another week's fighting, Bir Hachein and its 1000 men capitulated to Rommel. By June 11th, Rommel had 160 German tanks and seventy Italian models. The next day, Rommel attacked 4th Armoured Brigade and destroyed 120 tanks with minimal casualties. By June 15th, the British were in full retreat. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: The Fall of Tubrok On June 20th, the apple of Rommel's eye was finally in reach. That day he watched the first Stuka bombing of Tobruk at 6:00 a.m. At 7:00 a.m., the infantry entered the town from the Southeast while the artillery and tanks rained down shells from high ground. By 6:00 p.m., 21st Panzer Division was inside of the town. At 6:00 a.m. on June 21st, 32,000 men fell into Rommel's hands along with the vital port of Tobruk. Later that day, Rommel was promoted to Field Marshal. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: First Battle of El Alemein Rommel pushed on to the Egyptian border. When he reached the Egyptian border, he had to attain Italian consent to enter another country, in this case a neutral country. Mussolini himself gave Rommel permission to enter the country. At this time he had only 44 working tanks, but he believed the initiative was his, and that he would lose this initiative if he stopped to rest. On July 1st, Romme's lead columns engaged the enemy South of El Alemein at a railway station. That same day, he staged his first major attack, which was completely repelled and saw a good portion of his already few tanks destroyed. The British were ready for him, and they had heavy artillery and massive airpower to back them up. Another attack was planned for July 10th, but the British ULTRA gave them the knowledge before hand, and forced them to attack first at a weakened northern flank cancelling the attack. Rommel wrote to his wife Lucy on the 11th "No day goes by, without the most appalling crisis. It makes one howl!" On July 15th, he narrowly repelled an attack by the New Zealand Division, counterattacked in the afternoon, but did not gain back all that he had lost. On July 16th and 17th Rommel just managed to check an Australian attack, also in the northern section. On July 17th, Rommel had a meeting with Kesselring, Cavallero, and Bastico. On July 21st and 22nd, another attack was fended off, but this time Rommel's Panzers and infantry inflicted heavy casualties on the British. In fact, the casualties were so heavy that the British could afford no more military attacks whatsoever. The same went for the Germans, and both sides went into a much needed rest. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: Second Battle of El Alemein On August 15th, a new commander was named to head the 8th Army: General Bernard Montgomery. This man was fresh and not yet discouraged and ravaged by the desert environment. Rommel on the other hand, was having high blood pressure, trouble eating, stomach trouble, and various other ailment. Thus when the battle started Rommel was uncharacteristically not "into" the battle like he normally would be. On August 30th, at 8:30 p.m. Rommel led the Second Battle of El Alemein against a well prepared foe with a new commander. Rommel would attack with 470 tanks against of force of just under 700 tanks. The British plan of battle was to let Rommel think he was flanking them in the South while a killing pocket was set up with anti tank guns, artillery, and tanks for his unwitting troops. The attack went exactly as ULTRA had uncovered and Montgomery had wanted. Rommel's tanks were devestated and his troops made slow progress: 20 miles in 3 days. By September 2nd, Rommel reluctantly decided to withdraw. Rommel still had 430 tanks, but had lost over 3,000 men which he could not afford. Throughout this attack, the RAF bombed non-stop and completely devestated morale: seven of Rommel's own staff were killed during a bombing. However, the slow and methodical Montgomery did not follow up on his victory. Rommel had had enough. He needed a vacation, and on September 19th, General Stumme took temporary command of Panzerarmee. Before he left, he personally dictated the new minefields, and formations the Panzerarmee would hold. While Rommel was gone, over 450,000 mines were lain by both sides. Erwin Rommel: Rest Before Utter Destruction Rommel came to Germany with a heroe's welcome. He spoke brave words to the press, and on September 30th, he attended a reception held for him at the Sportspalast in the presence of the highest dignitaries of the Third Reich. He was assured that the supply situation would be greatly improved, and he subsequently wrote what he had heard to General Stumme. On the afternoon of October 24th, Rommel was telephoned by Field Marshal Keitel, Chief of OKW. Would Rommel, Keitel enquired be fit to return to Africa immediately? The British had begun what seemed to be a major offensive on the previous evening, at Alamein, and Stumme was missing. Rommel answered that he was ready. That evening Hitler telephoned persoonally, and telephoned again at midnight. He first expressed anxiety that Rommel should not interrupt his cure unless the situation were serious: but in the second call he said that it was indeed serious. He asked Rommel to fly as soon as possible, to resume his command. Next morning, October 25th, Rommel took off. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: The British Counter-stroke The British attack was sounded by a heavy barrage of 456 artillery pieces, and headed by 1000 British and American tanks (the Germans had 500; 200 of which were German models.) On October 24th, the British attack was still well contained, and no breakthroughs were as of yet happening. The Panzerarmee commander Stumme had actually died of a heart attack while walking behind the mindfields during an air attack. At 11:30 p.m. on October 25th, Rommel's non-stop trip found him at the Panzerarmee headquarters. He immediately messaged "I have taken command of the army again. Rommel." Rommel was still very sick. Rommel learned from intelligence that the defensive area of Hill 28, or Kidney Ridge, was being held by a weakened 15th Panzer (31 tanks left out of 119.) He immediately ordered 90th Light Division to march south-east to help the Littorio and 15th Panzer Divisions. By October 28th, Rommel had stopped all British westward movement, but Montgomery had already changed his thrustline; he would now drive north. Meanwhile, tanker after tanker was being sunk by the RAF and Royal Navy thanks to ULTRA. Rommel had no hope of reinforcements. Also during the 28th, an order- known as the notorious "Commando Order"- was seen by Rommel stating that the British would not give any Italian or German soldiers captured any P.O.W. rights, and would instead execute them on the spot. Rommel immediately burned the order in disbelief, because he could not understand it. He had always treated their P.O.W.'s with the utmost respect and this was indeed a slap in the face. The British order was by no means extraordinary for the Soviets and Germans were doing the same thing on the Eastern Front. The British attacked northward on October 29th and overran elemants of the 164th German Division and an Italian Bersaglieri battalion. Another extensive barrage heralded the event and the aerial bombardment went on nonstop. Rommel began plans for withdrawal, even though this would be very costly if the enemy commander was aggressive. At 11:00 p.m. the disappointing news that the 2nd of two relief tankers (the Proserina and the Louisiana) had been sunk reached Rommel. By October 31st, the British were attacking with the mass of their tanks on the coastal roads. Rommel personally led the counter-attack, and inflicted many casualties. However, Rommel now had 230 tanks left, of which 90 were German, and Montgomery had 800. On November 2nd, the British again began attacking from Hill 28 in a westward probe. That day, the British bombed a dressing station with prominently marked red crosses on it stressing Rommel's chivalrous and soldierly attitude. By the end of the day, Rommel would have 35 tanks. On November 3rd, 1942, Rommel decided to withdraw or lose the entire Panzerarmee in maybe three days of more fighting. Rommel immediately received a message from Hitler which Montgomery read as well. It said "Not a step is to be yielded. As to your troops, you can show them no other road than that to victory or death." General Bernard Montgomery is said to have laughed out loud, but Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was not laughing, not even smiling. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: Betrayal Rommel felt that he had been betrayed by Hitler. Up until now, Hitler had trusted every word that Rommel had said, and openly, Hitler had admired Rommel's bravery. Now, however, Hitler seemed to distrust him, and ultimately, due to the "Commando Order", Hitler was sentencing, like the 6th Army in Stalingrad, an entire army to its death. Rommel was appalled. Rommel spent 24 hours in indecision, fretting over whether to withdraw or obey his commander. He walked alone in the desert for hours, until General Westphal sent a staff officer to accompany him. Rommel talked to the officer without constraint or discretion. He said that if the Panzerarmee remained where it was it would be totally destroyed in three days. Hitler, Rommel said frankly, was a lunatic, determined from wheer obstinacy on a course which would lead to the loss of the last German soldier, and, one day, to the total destruction of Germany. The next morning, Kesselring met with Rommel and told him to defy the Fuhrer. Rommel was relieved, but not as relieved as when he heard that a force of 200 enemy tanks had been checked by 20 of Rommel's tanks. Rommel still was heard saying "The Fuhrer must be a complete lunatic" by all of his staff members. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: British Victory at El Alemein On November 4th, the British broke through the defensive lines of Rommel's armies. The battle was effectively over and the Germans and Italians were either dead or fleeing. This was not the only bad news. The day of the defeat, a huge Allied convoy had been spotted off Gibraltar. This convoy would land on November 8th, and would signal the end of the Panzerarmee. The British and Americans had landed in North Africa at Algiers. By November 6th, Rommel was left with 7500 men, 21 tanks, 35 anti-tank guns, 65 artillery pieces, and 24 anti-aircraft guns. The British had been brought down to 200 tanks, but still held tremendous amounts of infantry, aircraft (Rommel had no airsupport), and artillery. Rommel stopped momentarily at Tobruk to refuel, but was out of town by the 12th. The following day saw him at Mersa El Brega. Hitler ordered Rommel to stop and hold off the enemy here. Rommel saw that Hitler was either not well informed or a complete idiot. His confidence in the Fuhrer was waning. Meanwhile, another relief army was being built up in Tunisia to fight the Anglo-American forces in the western desert. On November 20th, Hitler again messaged Rommel "The Mersa El Brega position is to be held at all costs." On that day, Rommel showed his first anti-Hitler outbursts to his soldiers- the entire reconnaissance battalion of the 21st Panzer Division. "The war is lost, and Germany must seek an armistice. Hitler must abdicate his power, Germany must change the policies toward the persecution of the Jews, and refrain from the absence of concessions to the churches of Europe." This speech has been summarized, but holds all the points of his speech. The battalion was stunned, but surprisingly agreed, at least to Rommel's face. He again referred to the Fuhrer as "living in an unreality." However, Rommel did not believe that it was entirely Hitler's fault. He believed that Hitler was receiving horrendous advice from his counselors and especially the Duce in Italy. On the 24th, Bastico, Kesselring, and Cavallero visited Rommel at Mersa El Brega. There they viewed the terrain, assessed the situation, and heard Rommel's account of everything that was and is wrong. After a short deliberation, they unanimously agreed that the Panzerarmee could not sustain any offensive at Mersa El Brega. All agreed to a retreat to Tunisia; Kesselring and Cavallero both agreed that a holding action should be attempted at Tripolitania, but Rommel thought only of retreating to Tunisia, and then to Europe to strengthen the mainland forces. Erwin Rommel: North Africa: A meeting with the Devil On November 28th, 1942, Rommel flew to see Hitler at Rastenburg, the Fuhrer's headquarters in east Prussia, landing there at twenty past three in the afternoon. For the first time, at first hand, Rommel experienced a different and alarming side of Hitler. Hitler reprimanded Rommel viciously and snided remarks like "How dare you disobey my orders? Because of my 'Hold your ground at all costs' on the Eastern Front, the Wehrmacht has stopped the enemy cold." He would then break into long silences, and not once did Rommel finish a thought, or a sentence. Rommel later said that Hitler appeared beyond rational thinking. Hitler then sent him with Goering on Goering's private train to Mussolini's resort, and Rommel tried to convince Goering of the Luftwaffe's losses in Africa. However, Goering was more interested in his art purchases than in anything that Rommel said, and when Rommel got off of the train with his wife Lucy, he recognized Goering as one of the enemy. During the meeting with the Duce, Goering, and Kesselring, ideas flew out of every mouth, and finally Mussolini gave his orders. Rommel could construct a rearward position at Buerat, east of Tripoli, but Rommel should also plan an ATTACK eastward from Mersa El Brega. Rommel was very perturbed when he flew back to Africa on December 2nd. Any talk about Hitler still being sane would have not existed if anyone would have heard the conversation between Hitler and Field Marshal von Manstein on the night of November 29th. "Living in an unreality" At his point, the 6th Army under von Paulus at Stalingrad was completely cutoff from supply or reinforcement and the same was coming true of the Army Group A, deep in the Caucasus. Field Marshal von Manstein had protested to Hitler about the dangerous situation threatening this latter Army Group (not under his command) as well as the peril of the 6th Army, whose surrender would complicate if not render impossible, a retreat from the Caucasus. "'Field Marshal,' Hitler said, concluding the conversation, 'I must remind you of something I have already told you repeatedly. We shall march over the Caucasus next spring ... You will then join up in Palestine with Field Marshal Rommel's army, which will come to meet you from Egypt. Then we shall march with our assembled forces to India where we shall seal our final victory over England." Rommel's armies were almost 1000 miles from Palestine and in retreat, the Caucasus were being held by a stubborn Soviet army, no one was threatening India, and the Commander-in-Chief of Germany was insane. Exit "The Fox" On January 15, 1943, the British attacked Buerat and lost a considerable amount of tanks. Then, Rommel slipped away to a new position covering Tripoli. This position was attacked on January 19th with a revived 8th Army. However, Rommel said that their method of attack was far from admirable, and if he had just a few more tanks and supplies (ie fuel), he could have dealt them a critical blow. He was ordered to stand firm, and Rommel found himself in another dilemma. He would be relieved by a visit from Cavallero on January 20th. Mussolini and the rest of the Italian Command were beginning to see the true peril to their troops that existed in North Africa. The Italian divisions were not mechanized, and they were marching just as far as the Germans were riding, only slower. The Italians were surrendering in hordes. Thus in this situation, Cavallero told Rommel to preserve the Italian armies and gain as much time as possible. Rommel abandoned Tripoli on January 22 and saved 95 percent of the stores there. He began moving the non-mechanized Italians back to a fortified line at Mareth, south of Gabes; a line that could not be held without serious reinforcements. At a Fuhrer conference at Rastenburg on December 20th 1942, Hitler declared North Africa to be vital not only to "Plan Orient", but also the morale of the public. By January 19th, Rommel's health was indeed failing. He suffered from fainting fits, bad headaches and insomnia, low blood pressure, and other various ailments. On January 31st, Bastico left his command, and Rommel was indeed sad at his departure. He was not sad, however, when he heard of Cavallero's dismissal. To cap it all off, Field Marshal von Paulus' 6th Army and its 90,000 starving men surrendered on February 3rd. On February 12th, Rommel was ordered to relinquish command to an Italian General. They said he was replaced because of his health, but Rommel was quite ready to leave even though he loved his Panzerarmee. Rommel threw a party with 20 of his longest serving Africa veterans, and all of them chipped in on a map of Africa signed by each of them. However, Rommel would stay in Africa for a little bit longer, but Panzerarmee was also no more. The Italians changed its name to 1st Army. Erwin Rommel: A Rommel out of form During his retreat from El Alemein, Rommel displayed extreme cases of indecision, a trait wholy uncharacteristic of him. This lack of decisiveness was mostly due to his bad health. In fact, by today's standards, he would have been out of the war months before his retreat from El Alemein. However, before he left, Rommel displayed his military prowess one last time in the African theater. Erwin Rommel: Prelude to the Last African Victory The 21st Panzer Division was re-equipped and was now the most experienced unit in Fifth Army. On February 1st, the division attacked and seized the Faid pass, an east-west pass through the mountains known as the Eastern Dorsale which ran from north to south parallel to the coast and some seventy miles inland, in central Tunisia. If the Anglo-American force was to cut von Arnim and Rommel's forces in half, it would have to be done by crossing this mountain range. On February 9th, the German-Italian forces agreed to attack from this launching point. The actual attack began five days later by the 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions. 44 American tanks, 26 guns, and nearly 100 other types of vehicles were either captures or destroyed in the first hours of the campaign. Rommel's divisions would be the left pincer of the attack: Operation Morgenlust, and von Arnim's would constitute the right pincer: Operation Fruhlingswind. Erwin Rommel: Operation Morgenlust For the first time in months, Rommel believed that this plan could work, in giving his divisions time to evacuate from Africa. He pushed onward hoping to disrupt and conquer as he did during his previous two marches. On February 15th, 70 of Rommel's tanks entered Gasfa. When Rommel arrived that day, he found that the Americans had evacuated the town hastily and blown up an entire ammunition dump, killing many civilians (two sources estimate up to 100 casualties. It was probably much less.) When Rommel entered the town, there were shouts of "Hitler!" and "Rommel!" On February 17th, Rommel's troops entered Feriana and moved to the nearby airfield at Thelepte actually capturing American planes on the ground! Rommel immediately wired a telegram to Kesselring in Rome. It said "If all three Panzer divisions- 10th, 15th, and 21st- assembled in the region of Feriana under my command, I will advance on Tebessa with a view to overrunning the Anglo-American rear areas, and invading Algeria." Kesselring agreed. Rommel was so happy that he ordered champagne, something he never did. However, von Arnim had different plans. He only wanted to attack in the Tunis sector, and indeed, did not want to overextend his supply lines. Rommel, wanting only to protect his troops, compromised with von Arnim on an assualt with only two divisions- 10th and 21st- to Le Kef. The main Shwerpunkt of his assualt would be through Kasserine Pass. The battle of Kasserine pass was Rommel's last victory in Africa. Erwin Rommel: The Battle of Kasserine Pass Rommel's advance on the left and right flanks went slow, so he pushed the center forward, the front that took Kasserine Pass. The Americans had lain many mines on the pass and just south of the pass. Their main defense lay north of the pass, thus impeding the flow of the right wing with the 3 united, but weak , French, British, and American armies. The pass was staunchly defended, but Rommel's troops persevered. By evening of the 21st, Rommel had entered Thala. Erwin Rommel: Erwin Rommel vs. von Arnim However, Rommel analyzed the situtation and ordered a stop. Kesselring arrived on the 22nd and tried to budge Rommel, but Kesselring acheived nothing. Rommel was impressed with both the equipment and staunch resistance that the inexperienced Americans were confronting him with. The weather was also turning the tide. It had been cloudy, but now the superior numbers and quality of the British air power would take full effect. Besides that, Rommel was also deterred by the command structure. Von Arnim had held back valuable Tiger tanks during the Battle of Kasserine Pass, and he would not be reprimanded. He and Rommel were under separate commands. Even though Rommel was officially promoted to command of Army Group Africa, but von Arnim was still not under his control. In fact, on February 26th, von Arnim launched an attack towards Beja and Medjez-El-Bab, an operation that Rommel did not know about until the 24th. The attack was called off after three days and Arnim returned with only 5 tanks, thus crippling Rommel's planned offensive against the British at Medenine. The codename for this attack was Capri, and it was a complete failure, no thanks to von Arnim. Rommel did not believe in this battle, and he gave full control of it to the Italian General Messe during its first and only day of fighting. Erwin Rommel: Operation Capri The British were fully prepared for the attack. ULTRA came through as always and gave Montgomery every detail about Rommel's attack. Not only did he have full details, but he had numerical superiority in equipment. The mostly Italian infantry composed infantry was no match for 400 tanks, 500 anti-tank guns, and an equivalent number of artillery pieces. By the end of the day, the Afrika Korps had lost a third of its tank strength. On March 9th, Rommel handed over command to von Arnim and flew to Rome. He would never see Africa again. Erwin Rommel: Hitler and His Post-Stalingrad Depression On March 10th, Rommel flew to report to Hitler at his headquarters in the Ukraine. He found Hitler quite depressed over the recent loss of the entire 6th Army at Stalingrad. He talked with Hitler over the next three days about almost everything in the war- he had no idea abou the concentration camps. Hitler spoke to Rommel about leading an expedition against Casablanca when his health was restored- an idea so preposterous that Rommel could hardly believe his ears. Hitler also told Rommel that there was a chance of shortening the front by moving it to Enfideville, bnd that the position, like all others, should be held at all costs. Rommel relayed this to von Arnim, and both men felt a little better. However, the Enfideville concession lasted only a short time, and in two months the British and American armies took the same path that von Arnim and Rommel had feared. On May 12th, Arnim and 238,000 prisoners (100, 000 Germans, more than Stalingrad) fell into Allied hands. Meanwhile, on March 11th, Rommel was decorated by Hitler with the highest and rarest order of the Iron Cross - the Swords and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross. Even then, it was clear to Rommel that he would never go back to Africa, and after two long years of fighting, the Afrika Korps would be no more. Erwin Rommel: The Imperfect General Rommel is, even to this day, heavily criticized about his desert campaigns, and Rommel's self-made supply crisis. They argue that, if Rommel had thought out his plan that he should have forseen the supply limitations and attacked accordingly. However, I think Rommel said it best to his son Manfred. "The best plan is the one one makes when the battle is over!" Erwin Rommel: The Position of the Reich in 1943 Rommel's first task after his return to the Reich was to recover his health. During these long weeks, he occupied himself at Wiener Neustadt in writing his own record and lessons from the campaign. The situation in the East remained ominous. In January of 1943, the Germans had only 500 tanks on the whole front- less than half the number of tanks that Montgomery had on a 30 mile front. By summer this number was up to 2700, but the situation was no better. Medium counterattacks brought limited success, but the armies of von Manstein and von Kluge were poised to attack the Kursk salient in an operation known as "Citadel", a bold attack from north and south that might result in the destruction of a force much larger than the surrendered 6th Army. Before the attack, Manstein, Kluge, Hitler, and colleagues-including Rommel- were to meet at Rastenburg in July 1943 after over 3 months procrastination. Before the meeting Manstein met Rommel quite informally while Manstein was swimming naked in a lake. He waded ashore to the laughter of Rommel, Kluge, and the others waiting for the meeting. The Kursk salient would be attacked in 1943. The Western Allies' bombers were continually demolishing whole cities in North Germany, and the Soviets were building up at phenomenal pace. The Germans were temporarily winning the U-boat war in early 1943, but after the British broke the U-boat code, their luck was up too. Erwin Rommel: An appointment for the Field Marshal? Rommel soon got wind that he might be appointed to command the entire European coastline On May 9th, Rommel was in Hitler's presence. Most of Germany did not know about the surrender of von Arnim until May 10th, so Rommel was still seen as a victorious German hero to the common folk. On this day, Hitler reassumed Rommel's respect. Hitler wanted to talk about he Mediterranean. "I should have listened to you before," he told Rommel. He also wanted to reassure Romel about his prominent position in Hitler's eyes. During the next two months Rommel was constantly in Hitler' company. He often had lunch or dinner with the Fuhrer. Whenever Hitler went to Bavaria, Berlin, Rastenburg, or even his Berchtesgaden mountain retreat, Rommel was with him. By this time, Rommel had heard about the concentration camps, but he believed that it was not the work of Hitler. He, like anyone else who had heard, thought it was the work of unprincipled subordinates lke Himmler or Bormann. During Hitler and Rommel's frequent talks, Rommel told Hitler of his thoughts on the war as a whole. He told Hitler that the only way to end the war against an enemy with such resources at its disposal was a peace proposal. "Nobody will make peace with me," Hitler responded with extreme melancholly. Rommel thought that Hitler knew the war was over, but he had no idea about the scope of Hitler's crimes. Hitler was right. Nobody would make peace with him. Rommel continually lost faith in his leader. In July, Rommel confided to Lucy that Hitler was no longer "quite normal." This came after Hitler referred to the actual possibility of defeat and said that if the German people lost the war the survivors could rot: a great people, he said, "must die heroically." Rommel, for obvious reasons, was appalled. Erwin Rommel: What to do about the Italians? After the surrender of the Afrika Korps, two plans were drawn up for possible defences for the two most likely Allied operations in the Mediterranean. The first plan, assigned "Alaric", was to involve the trickling of 20 + German divisions into Italy if Italy was invaded. The second, assigned "Achse", was to be carried out if the Italians defected to the Allies before, during, or after an allied landing. The plan involved disarming the Italians and crushing or capturing all opposition. Because of its implications, this plan was especially top secret, and both plans were under Rommel's authority. Rommel immediately assembled a small staff of former Afrikaneers to help him. On June 27th, Operation Citadel began, and gained some head way. On July 10th, there came the news that all had been waiting for, but which all hoped would occur after Citadel's success. British and American forces had landed in Sicily in an operation codenamed "Husky". The invasion of Southern Europe was on. Erwin Rommel: A Conversation with von Manstein Hitler summoned von Manstein and Kluge to his headquarters and told them to cease the attack and return to their original positions. The result, Manstein and Kluge realized, would be the collapse of the entire Eastern front. "Manstein," Kluge said, "the end will be bad. I am prepared to serve under you." He then left Manstein with Rommel. Rommel told him that when the Allies landed, the fortress Europe would collapse like a "house of cards." Manstein suggested that they should ask the Fuhrer to give up the command to obtain more favourable peace terms, but both of them knew this was out of the question. "Like Kluge," Rommel said, "I also am prepared to serve under you." Erwin Rommel: Operation Aleric Meanwhile, the battle for Sicily ground on, and the Soviets launched a major counter-attack with rumors of an overwhelming breakthrough which turned out to be exaggerated. Hitler sent Rommel to Greece to see about defense preparations against an allied invasion only to be urgently called back the next day. In Rome, the Fascist Grand Council had met - a body which for years had done little but act as a rubber stamp for the Duce's policies. They had voted Mussolini out of power with a vote of 18 to 10 and placed him under arrest. Operation Aleric immediately began. On August 1st, Rommel was given permission to launch Operation Achse if the situation presented itself. By August 16th, all of the German soldiers and stores were out of Sicily. Almost as soon as German troops began marching through central Italy, Italy began formal talks with General Eisenhower. Erwin Rommel: Operation Achse On August 23rd, the first large scale air raid took place in Berlin causing moderate destruction, and on the 25th, Rommel's hometown of Wiener Neustadt was bombed because of its aircraft industry. On September 3rd, Anglo-American forces started landing in southern Italy, at Reggio, opposite Messina. On September 8th, the announcement of an armistice between Italy and the Allies was made over Rome radio, and that same day, Operation Achse was begun. On September 9th, the Allies began to land forces in the bay of Lerno, south of Naples. In northern Italy Rommel had eight divisions in Army Group B. His plans for Achse had been laid thoroughly and were soon swinging into action. Within two days, the Italians were found to be fighting on the Allied side. By September 19th, the Germans had captured 82 Italian generals, 13, 000 officers, and 402,600 soldiers and sent them to concentration camps under the Achse plan. The plan was a complete success. Six German divisions made every attempt to push the Allies into the sea, but the Salerno beachhead proved stout and survived the assaults. By September 16th, the Germans were retreating to more desirable positions. In mid-September, Rommel developed appendicitis and went through a successful operation. Hitler decided to fight South of Rome despite Rommel's protests. Meanwhile, partisan activity increased in both Italy and the Balkans. The Balkan Tito was incredibly elusive and escaped every attack imposed on him. During these uprisings, Rommel, for the first time, witnessed the ruthless SS at work. A large scale drowning was ordered in Lake Garda in which many Jews were victim. Partisans were dealt with harshly, and the SS were at work on the Italian black market, buying and selling items that they had "confiscated." Erwin Rommel: Coastal Defenses On November 21st, with Allied attack impending and Kesselring the supreme commander of the defense of Italy, Rommel was ordered to France. Lucy and Manfred Rommel had moved from Wiener Neustadt to a house near Ulm, only to move again to Herrlingen the following year. The house was once the property of an "emigrated" Jew. Before leaving Italy, Rommel confided to the staff members that the "war is as good as over." Starting November 22nd, Rommel enjoyed a week's vacation. After his vacation, he was to take command of the coastal defences of the Reich, an objective he found most disheartening. Rommel had always felt that the west coast should be thoroughly defended because Germany could not fight a two-front war. If, Rommel conceived, Germany could check a westcoast invasion, the Allies would need another year and a half to build up sufficient forces to try again. Meanwhile the Germans could concentrate all, or most of their divisions against the barbaric Soviets. Thus, the Germans would gain favorable peace terms, since the Allies did not yet know of the horrible concentration camps and their deadly devices. Erwin Rommel: Improving the Coastal Defenses Rommel set out to improve the coastal defenses and improve he did. Rommel laid up to 5 miles of mines from coast inland, and set up underwater obstacles for low tide, half tide, and high tide. He constructed dummy fortifications, machine guns, artillery posts, and even dummy staffs to confuse the enemy. He erected large stakes in the middle of coastal and inland fields to destroy landing gliders. From January 2nd to 5th, Rommel was on the Dutch and Belgian coast. From January 16th to the 20th, he was at Troubille, Honfleur, Fecamp, Le Havre, the mouth of the Seine: scenes from his Ghost Division's past. The end of January saw him at the beaches of Normandy and Brittany. In early February, he was in the Pas de Calais. Wherever he went, he preached of the importance of a battle at the beaches. If the enemy got onto the beach, he must be pushed back into the sea. 32 divisions participated in the coastal defenses of Army Group B. These divisions were usually quite weak with little to no transportation and were composed of East Front wounded or depleted divisions. The SS divisions, on the other hand, were given the newest equipment and ample reserves of transportation. Rommel immediately increased the number of troops and vehicles due to frequent talks with Hitler. Rommel was able to get 2000 anti-tank, tanks, and assault guns by mid-summer. The attitude and morale of the coastal divisions witnessed a complete 180 degree turn with the arrival and influence of Rommel. Erwin Rommel: Counter Measures However, despite Rommel's preparations, the beaches would still be penetrated, and Rommel knew he would have to have a sufficient armoured counterattack force. The leader of this counterattack force woud be General von Schweppenburg, another Wurttemberger. Although both he and Rommel agreed that the only chance of success lie in an immediate counterattack by armour, he only excercised this tactic when he thought he (von Schweppenburg) had sufficient strength. Thus, he would only attack if he felt that he had ample power to overwhelm the enemy, a tactic neither he nor Rommel could predict because they did not know the actual strength of the enemy. This would play a deciding factor in the battle of Normandy. Panzer reserves were fought over until and after Normandy Erwin Rommel: Possible Landing Areas The three anticipated areas of invasion were guessed to be either north of the Somme, between the Somme and the Seine, or in Normandy. Von Rundstedt, Guderian, and von Schweppenburg's armour reserve plan would be carried out, and Rommel's infantry would be at th mercy of an unprecedented allied air and sea attack while the armor lie 170 miles away. The focal points, in the German view, of a landing switched constantly between these landing points due to effective deception by Allied airwaves and by such project as the V-weapon launch sites being attacked in the Pas de Calais. Rommel was to have his quarters at the ancient chateau of La Roche Guyon, built on a loop of the Seine. Elaborate tunnels had been blasted out of the cliffs overhanging the north bank of the river giving the staff adequate protection from virtually any non-atomic bombing. He was hardly ever staying there for long though. During the interval of April 23rd and May 3rd, Rommel visited the Atlantic, Pyrneean and Mediterranean defenses in the area of General Blaskowitz sectors. Erwin Rommel: Prelude to D-Day Rommel often went on walks with staff and friends, and reportedly told them about how Germany must sue for peace, but the Allies would not talk with Hitler. He often visited the coastline defenses and found them in much improved conditions. During his Normandy visit of May 9-11, he was especially pleased. Meanwhile, the bombing raids on the French coast were stepped up. During the days of May 27th and 28th, 3,000 French civilians died along with only moderate German casualties. On June 3rd, Rommel left the front to congratulate his wife on her fiftieth birthday, and to have an interview with the Fuhrer through his senior adjutant, Schmundt. June 6th was her birthday, and at 6:30 a.m., while Rommel was downstairs in the drawing room arranging her presents, the telephone rang. It was Speidel. There had been extensive and successful enemy airborne operations in Normandy; it was not yet clear whether this was the long-expected invasion itself or not. At 10:00 a.m., Rommel called Speidel to find out that this was the real thing. The invasion had begun. Rommel immediately drove to France. Erwin Rommel: Operation Overlord Rommel had one Panzer division- the 21st Panzer- with its 127 Mark IV tanks at his disposal for counterattack purposes. The division was badly spread out and an effective counterattack was unthinkable. The enemy had three solid beachheads by then and paratroopers had captured key bridges across the Orne. Jodl would not release the Panzer reserves and thus there was no counterattack until Rommel arrived. The two principal areas of concern to Rommel were the sector round Caen, in the east, and the Cherbourg peninsula in the west. During June 7th and 8th, there was heavy fighting both west and east of the Orne River north of Caen. 12th SS Panzer Division had now joined the battle and on the night of June 8th attacked strongly, using Panther tanks towards the sea: Panzer casualties due to aerial bombardment were high. On June 10th, Geyr's headquarters was bombed killing most of his staff. The Tiger tank was doing remarkably well and winning virtually ever tank-vs. -tank or tank-vs-2tank battles it came to; it did not however, win the tank-vs. -airplane battle. On June 11th, the British 7th Armored Division, familiar to Rommel from Africa, began moving west of Caen, and on June 13th, entered Villers-Bocage, fifteen miles south-west of Caen itself; but here one Tiger tank moved from the south into the town, actually checking the British advance. Panzer Lehr Division had destroyed twenty-five of the enemies tanks on the 14th. Erwin Rommel: Hitler's Promises On June 17th, Rommel was called to Hitler's quarters near Soissons in Champagne. The meeting also brought together all of the heads of the Western Front's Armies. The meeting was extremely one-sided with Hitler's decisions not only lone-voiced, but also final. They were to give no ground. Two Panzer divisions would be moved from the Eastern Front to the Western. The port of Cherbourg was to be defended at all costs as well. He also said that the Navy, practically non-existent, was to lay mines behind the enemy to hamper supply lines. The supply lines were impeded, but by a bitter four day storm and not a mine-laying operation. The V-weapons were launched against Britain on June 12th, and everyone was holding the enemy everywhere, but Rommel knew the enemy's capacity and intentions. He knew that with such air superiority, there would soon be no rallied army to command. Erwin Rommel: Serious Doubts On June 27th, Cherbourg surrendered, but not before it was rendered incapable of port capabilities for four weeks. On the 28th, Rommel met with Rundstedt. They talked for quite sometime. Rommel told Rundstedt, "I agree with you. The war must be ended immediately. I shall tell the Fuhrer so, clearly and unequivocally." Rommel knew that no one would negotiate with Hitler. Both knew what this meant. On the drive home, Rommel told Major Wolfram "I feel myself responsible to the German people." Rommel spent that night at home and drove the next morning to Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden. There he talked to both Goebbels and Himmler before speaking with Hitler. Rundstedt, Keitel, Jodl, Goering, Donitz, and Sperrle were attending this conference as well. Hitler asked Rommel to begin the conference with his side of the story. Erwin Rommel: The Last Meeting Rommel began, "The whole world stands arrayed against Germany, and this disproportion of strength-" Hitler immediately interrupted and told him to concern himself with military plans, not politics. Rommel did so until the end of the unrealistic meeting, where Hitler spoke of one thousand newly produced aircraft that Goering would pound the Allies with, and new U-boats to destroy the British fleets. At the end of the meeting, Rommel again tried to speak of the situation, but Hitler declared, "Field Marshal, I think you had better leave the room!" Rommel left Hitler's presence for the last time. Erwin Rommel: A War of Attrition By now, practically every officer, including Geyr, under Rommel's command knew the present situation- Geyr was replaced due to his pessimism and plans to retreat to better defensive ground. On July 7, a great Allied air raid destroyed a great number of civilian lives in Caen. The aerial and ground bombardment continued to take its toll. On July 14th, Rommel found one parachute regiment wherein, of a total of one thousand reinforcements received since battle began, over eight hundred had already fallen. On June 23rd, to make matters worse, the Russians launched a huge offensive ripping a hole in the German center and were marching across Poland. Erwin Rommel: Desperate Measures for Germany During this time, Rommel often talked of suicide, but refused it because he thought of it as desertion- a fact which made his knowledge of the bomb threat and the actions of the SS quite obvious later on. During one conversation with his trusted adjutant Lattmann, Rommel confided to him, "I will try to use my reputation with the Allies to make a truce, against Hitler's wishes." Another adjutant who fought with Rommel in Africa and confided with him heard much of the same talk. Warning opened up the conversation by saying, "Field Marshal, what's really going to happen here? Twelve German divisions are trying to contain the whole front." "I'll tell you something," Rommel replied. "Field Marshal von Kluge and I have sent the Fuhrer an ultimatum. Militarily, the war can't be won and he must make a political decision." Warning probably looked at Rommel with astonished disbelief. "And
what if the Fuhrer refuses?" Rommel spoke to Westphal in this same manner, and to his son Manfred. Erwin Rommel: The Ultimatum and the Caen Offensive Rommel's "ultimatum" would be signed the next day, July 16th. Kluge had now taken von Rundstedt's place and was shocked by Rommel's- who he had known to be quite headstrong during France- pessimism. By now his army had lost 117,000 men-including some 2700 officers since June 6th, with only 10,000 replacements. On July 15th, he had visited the Caen front to see a great mass of enemy armor. "The next major offensive shall be here." He said to his staff. Erwin Rommel: Colonel von Stauffenberg On July 15th, the day before the signing of Rommel's "ultimatum," the chief of staff of the German reserve army, the 'Home Army', Colonel Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, flew from Berlin to Hitler's headquarters at Rastenburg. He arrived at eleven o'clock in the morning and telephoned General Olbricht in Berlin. Olbricht, according to plan, then began issuing orders for the movement of troops into Berlin. This was in fulfillment of an official 'Alert plan', codenamed 'Valkyrie', by which bodies of troops from the various training schools near Berlin would be mobilized and brought into the capital. The plan was meant to check a rebellion by the millions of forced laborers working in Germany, but today it would be used for different purposes. Stauffenberg, in his briefcase, had a bomb. He was due to attend a conference with Hitler and intended to fuse the bomb and time it to detonate during the Fuhrer's conference, killing at least the Fuhrer. This was Stauffenberg's second visit to Rastenburg with a bomb. The first had been on July 11th, when he had returned with it to Berlin because Himmler (thought by some of the conspirators also to be an essential target) was not there. A new pre-planned hierarchy would follow the assassination with von Beck as head of state, von Witzleben as commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, Dr. Goerdeler as Reich Chancellor, and numerous other appointments. The new government would then make peace with the western Allies. However, this attempt had to be called off until the next meeting on the 20th due to Hitler needing to leave the conference early. Erwin Rommel: Previous Attempts Anti-Hitler conspirators had planned to overthrow or kill Hitler ever since he came to office. The first attempt to end Hitler's life was planned for August 1941 when he was visiting Army Group Center on the Eastern Front. Another attempt was prepared for March 1943, involving a bomb in Hitler's aircraft on his return flight to Rastenburg. It failed; the detonator cap of the bomb had not responded to the striker and Hitler landed safely. Other attempts were made to kill Hitler at close quarters -once when visiting an exhibition, once when inspecting new uniforms. Some of the men behind these plots were arrested by the Gestapo- Bonhoeffer in April 1943, Moltke in January 1944, and several others. Among these conspirators were many men close to Rommel including his Chief of Staff- General Hans Speidel. Erwin Rommel: Covert Plans July 16th saw a special covert mission applied for approval to the SAS (Special Air Service) of England. The objective was to drop in a small party of excellent soldiers with the task of killing or capturing Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The operation instruction was signed n July 20th and the signal announcing the drop (scheduled for the night of July 25th-26th) was issued on the twenty-third. The opinion at staff level in the British 21st Army Group in Normandy had moved towards 'killing rather than capturing the gent in question.' :Source was HQ SAS Operation Instruction 32. Copy, with associated signals, EPM 3: They would come close to this from the skies, but not from this elite group. Erwin Rommel: An Attempt on the Field Marshal These excerpts are taken from Fraser 513.
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