Erwin Rommel

In 1911, Rommel was engaged to be married to Lucia Maria Mollin a.k.a Lucie. Lucie studied in Danzig at the time.

In the year 1913, Rommel met Walburga Stemmer, a twenty-year-old fruit seller in Weingarten, where he was stationed to train army recruits. Walburga had a child from this relationship.

On December 8, 1913, Walburga gave birth to Rommel’s daughter Gertrud. Rommel had deep affection for his newborn daughter and referred to her as his ‘little mouse’ in a number of letters. He wanted to start a family with Walburga and Gertrud.

Erwin Rommel was born Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel on November 15, 1891 in Heideheim, German Empire. His parents were Erwin Rommel Sr., a schoolmaster and Helene von Lutz, who’s father was a local government official.

Rommel was the third of five siblings. He had an older brother, Manfred, who died in infancy, an older sister who was an art teacher and Rommel’s favorite sibling. His two younger brothers went on to become a dentist and an opera singer respectively.

Rommel was described as a gentle child by his sister. He initially wanted to be an engineer, having developed interest in mathematics and technology. His father urged him to join the military and that’s what he did, serving in both the World Wars.

He joined the 124th Württemberg Infantry Regiment and started studying in Officer Cadet School in 1910. He graduated in 1911.

Right after his graduation, Rommel was posted as battery commander to the 46th Field Artillery Regiment. He fought in France, making skillful use of military tactics to launch attacks against the French garrison without having massive casualties.

He was promoted to first lieutenant and continued to achieve remarkable success, earning a number of honors. He had a knack for attacking the enemy when they least expected it. This earned him another promotion and he became a Captain.

At the start of the Second World War, Rommel was promoted to the position of General Major. He began commanding the 7th Panzer Division of the German Army in 1940. During the invasion of France, Rommel personally carried out his commands, helping his soldiers defeat the French II Army Corps. His disappearance during that time worried Hitler, as Rommel was one of the prized commanders in Hitler’s forces.

In 1941, he commanded the 21st Panzer Division of the Deutsches Afrika Korps, defeating the British Commonwealth Forces with his exceptional command. The surprise and strategic attack launched under his command earned him the name ‘The Desert Fox.’

In the subsequent years, Rommel was seen carrying out his duties with utmost precision. Though he served Hitler, he had a few problems with the Nazi ideologies. He refused to let anyone label him as a Nazi and has written in several letters about his political apathy.

Rommel earned quite a reputation for himself in the army, quickly establishing himself as an able officer. His courage in the battlefield enabled him win the iron cross of the 1st and 2nd order at a very young age, just at the beginning of his career.

He saw a quick rise in his career due to his skills. In a few years, he went from working as an officer to being one of the most accomplished Generals in Hitler’s army. He was also congratulated personally by Hitler on more than one occasion.

Apart from his splendid display of skills on the battlefield, Rommel was also quite talented at writing. While training recruits at Dresden Infantry School, he wrote manuals for young officers. His second book on Infantry Attacks has also been published. He had started writing a third book which he couldn’t complete.