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Rommel's retreat took him the length of North Africa and ended in Tunisia, where the last stand of Axis Forces on the African continent took place at the start of 1943. American and British forces that landed in [[Operation Torch]] in 1942 advanced from the West, whilst British forces under General Montgomery advanced from the South-East, trapping the Axis forces.  He was ordered to fly out of Tunisia by [[Adolf Hitler]] after Rommel expressed pessimism about the chances of a successful defence of North Africa.  He arrived back in Germany on March 9th.

Rommel's retreat took him the length of North Africa and ended in Tunisia, where the last stand of Axis Forces on the African continent took place at the start of 1943. American and British forces that landed in [[Operation Torch]] in 1942 advanced from the West, whilst British forces under General Montgomery advanced from the South-East, trapping the Axis forces.  He was ordered to fly out of Tunisia by [[Adolf Hitler]] after Rommel expressed pessimism about the chances of a successful defence of North Africa.  He arrived back in Germany on March 9th.

 

Rommel was dispatched to Greece in July 1943 to command Army Group E.  The Germans, due to faulty intelligence,  suspected a British invasion of the Greek coast.  Only two days after he arrived,  he was was recalled to Germany because of the overthrowing and subsequent arrest of [[Benito Mussolini]].  

Rommel was dispatched to Greece in July 1943 to command Army Group E.  The Germans, due to faulty intelligence,  suspected a British invasion of the Greek coast.  Only two days after he arrived,  he was was recalled to Germany because of the overthrowing and subsequent arrest of [[Benito Mussolini]].  

 

He took command of Army Group B in Italy on August 16.  He had powerful divisions under his command,  including the infamous SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.  He disagreed with Field Marshall Kesselring over strategy regarding the defense of Italy around Rome,  and Hitler chose Kesselring to take overall command of the Italian theater,  moving Rommel and Army Group B to Normandy in France.  Rommel was then tasked with inspecting the Atlantic Wall and preparing for an expected Allied invasion of the coast.

He took command of Army Group B in Italy on August 16.  He had powerful divisions under his command,  including the infamous SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.  He disagreed with Field Marshall Kesselring over strategy regarding the defense of Italy around Rome,  and Hitler chose Kesselring to take overall command of the Italian theater,  moving Rommel and Army Group B to Normandy in France.  Rommel was then tasked with inspecting the Atlantic Wall and preparing for an expected Allied invasion of the coast.

 

He was in charge of Army Group B in Normandy when the [[D-Day]] operation began, but was not present when the invasion itself began.  He valiantly attempted to hold off Allied forces,  but Hitler's insistence on fruitless counterattacks wore Army Group B thin.  While returning from the HQ of I. SS Panzer Korps,  Rommel's staff car was strafed by a spitfire from the Royal Canadian Air Force. Rommel was violently thrown from the car,  and suffered three fractures to his skull along with injuries to the left side of his face.  He was implicated in the July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler.  Given a choice between reprisals against his family or quietly committing suicide, he chose suicide.  He died October 14th,  1944,  after swallowing a cyanide capsule.  He was 52.

He was in charge of Army Group B in Normandy when the [[D-Day]] operation began, but was not present when the invasion itself began.  He valiantly attempted to hold off Allied forces,  but Hitler's insistence on fruitless counterattacks wore Army Group B thin.  While returning from the HQ of I. SS Panzer Korps,  Rommel's staff car was strafed by a spitfire from the Royal Canadian Air Force. Rommel was violently thrown from the car,  and suffered three fractures to his skull along with injuries to the left side of his face.  He was implicated in the July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler.  Given a choice between reprisals against his family or quietly committing suicide, he chose suicide.  He died October 14th,  1944,  after swallowing a cyanide capsule.  He was 52.

 

Rommel is often held in high regard due to how he treated his enemies.  He ignored numerous orders from Berlin to kill captured commandos and deport Jews from his area of operations.  He was well loved by his men and spoke with them often.  His brilliant successes on the battlefield and his well renowned chivalry made him one of the most popular generals in Germany, and garnered a great deal of respect from his enemies, with many of them praising him and British Field Marshal Montgomery even naming his dog after him.  His allegiance was to Germany, not Hitler, a choice that lead to many of their disagreements and his eventual affiliation with the plot against Hitler.

Rommel is often held in high regard due to how he treated his enemies.  He ignored numerous orders from Berlin to kill captured commandos and deport Jews from his area of operations.  He was well loved by his men and spoke with them often.  His brilliant successes on the battlefield and his well renowned chivalry made him one of the most popular generals in Germany, and garnered a great deal of respect from his enemies, with many of them praising him and British Field Marshal Montgomery even naming his dog after him.  His allegiance was to Germany, not Hitler, a choice that lead to many of their disagreements and his eventual affiliation with the plot against Hitler.