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Birth
Erwin Rommel was born on Nov. 15, 1891 to Erwin Rommel Sr. and Helene von Luz in Heidenheim, Wuerttemberg. -
Joined the Military
At the urging of his father, Rommel chose to join the 124th Wuerttemberg regiment rather than go to engineering school. -
Graduated
On the fifteenth of November, 1911, Rommel graduated Officer Cadet School. -
Commissioned as Lieutenant
Rommel was commissioned as a lieutenant in the army. -
First Battle, Iron Cross
Rommel saw his first action in the Battle of the Argonne Forest early in 1915. He was awarded the Iron Cross for bravery after the German defeat. -
Marriage
In November of 1916, Rommel married Lucie Mollin, whom he had met in Danzig while at cadet school. -
Promotion to Major General
Rommel's promotion to Major General and Hitler's increasing trust in him made other high-ranking officers uneasy. -
First Command
Rommel commanded troops and tanks for the first time at the Battle of Arras, a German victory. -
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North African Campaign
During this time, Rommel demonstrated his military genius in the German and Italian conquest of North Africa. Driving his army of tanks across the deserts of Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia, Rommel was nicknamed the "Desert Fox." He was the only commander in most battles. -
Hitler will not allow retreat
Rommel's Afrikakorps is badly outnumbered by the Allies and short on supplies, and he wants to retreat. Hitler disagrees and orders him to keep fighting, even though Rommel can see that all hope is lost. -
Sent to Greece
In case the British decided to attack the Greek coastline to get a foothold in continental Europe, Rommel was sent to fortify the coast in Greece. -
Sent to Defend Northern Italy
After Mussolini was overthrown in Italy, the Germans expected an attack on the continent from Italy, so Rommel was sent to northern Italy to defend against such an invasion. -
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Preparation for Normandy Invasion
The Axis long expected an attack on the French coast, so between late 1943 and early 1944, Rommel was involved in the fortification and protection of the French coastline. When the D-Day invasion finally happened at Normandy, the Germans still thought the full attack would happen at Pas-de-Calais. -
Joined the Plot to Overthrow Hitler
Convinced that Hitler was insane and would utterly ruin Germany, Rommel joined a conspiracy that sought to overthrow Hitler and negotiate a surrender with the Allies. -
Badly Wounded in Bomber Attack
While Rommel was returning to the front to oversee the defence of France, a British bomber attacked his car, leaving him with glass shards in his face and three skull fractures. He was sent to Germany to recover in a hospital. -
Hitler Assassination Attempt, Rommel implicated
A bomb went off beneath a table, destroying most of the room but failing to kill Hitler. In the weeks that followed, the conspirators were tracked down and interrogated. Under torture, other members of the plot said Rommel was involved. -
Choice Between Disgrace and Suicide
SS officers arrived at Rommel's home and told him that he was accused of participating in the plot to kill Hitler. They gave him the choice between court-martial, which would mean disgrace and hardship for his family, and secret suicide with military honors. He chose suicide by cyanide pill.