• Erwin Rommel could be called the most famous and well-known soldier of WW2 and possibly the most admired. He was a man of honesty, morals, and a great Field General who gained the famous name of “The Desert Fox.” Although Erwin Rommel was a well-admired man through out the Panzer army he would not leave this world in a fashionable way, but by the force, wrath, and the suspicion of the Adolf Hitler, but his choice to go by the ideals that his family would be safe, in Rommel’s mind would make his death worth something.
    There was no doubt in any ones mind that Erwin Rommel and his Panzers were a force to be reckoning with. In 1941 and 1942, in Libya Egypt, Rommel battled with and defeated enemies who outnumbered his on divisions in large masses. He was able to keep Mussolini’s Fascist empire afloat and tied down huge numbers of Allied formations that could have been used elsewhere more dangerously. Rommel was able to able to stabilize Hitler’s flank in the south, which kept pressure of his Western flank enabling Hitler to pay more attention to the East.
    In June of 1941 Rommel moved his forces to battle with a large well-equipped British army, but because oh his well planned movements and aggressiveness he captured the goal port of Tobruk on June 21st. Although Rommel captured Tobruk he was suffering from lack of supplies to North Africa that were being used by the German army to the Russian offensive. Also allied Naval ships made it hard to get supplies by sea as well and to make things worst Americans landed to the west of him, opening a second front. Although the enemy was growing and the Italian ally was weakening Rommel’s Panzer forces continued to fight well. Hitler was ether unable or unwilling to reinforce the Afrika Korps, but he still ordered them to fight to the last man. Rommel refused to let his men die in a pointless battle so he surrendered on March 6th.
    Hitler was enraged that Rommel did not follow his order but he knew that he still needed the talented General. With this in mind he immediately ordered Rommel’s evacuation back to Germany. After Rommel was evacuated to Germany he shortly advises Hitler about the defense of Germany. After that Rommel went to France on July 15, 1943 and took care of the battle against the Allied invasion. Rommel Argued that the Panzer should be placed in range so that as soon as the Allied invasion landed they could take them out, but his concern went unseen.
    Fallowing the arguments and unheard voice and opinion of Erwin Rommel it was obvious, even near the beginning of 1943 that Germany’s ability to win the war was shortening as the days went by, as was his faith in Hitler. While Rommel toured Germany he was devastated by the damage down by allied bombing raids and the disappearing of the peoples morals. Also with in the same year Rommel, for the first time learned about death camps, labor camps and the killing of the Jews. This was the first real eye opener for Rommel for what laid ahead for Germany…a shameful defeat.
    On July 17, 1944, British aircraft strafed Rommel's staff car, severely wounding the Field Marshall. He was taken to a hospital and then to his home in Germany to convalesce. After several operations Rommel would make a good recovery from his serious injuries he took on July 17th. Near Ulm in August he continued to recover but was isolated. Both Rommel and Kluge were regarded with suspicion. When Kluge was summoned to Berlin he had committed suicide before he left, this in the Nazi eyes showed that he was guilty of their suspicions of being a traitor.
    Rommel had no contact with the army he controlled and in September he realized he was being watched. In October Rommel was asked to come to Berlin but he said no because he was still not well. But the real reason he did not wish to go is because he knew the Nazi would kill him, this he told his friend Admiral Ruge.
    Three days later after Rommel was out of the hospital an assassin's bomb nearly killed Hitler during a strategy meeting at his headquarters in East Prussia. Some suspected Rommel in the plot. Although he may not have been aware of the attempt on Hitler's life, his "defeatist" attitude was enough to warrant Hitler's wrath. The problem for Hitler was how to eliminate Germany's most popular General without revealing to the German people that he had ordered his death. The solution was to force Rommel to commit suicide and announce that his death was due to his wounds.
    On October 14th two officers by the name General Burgdorf and General Maise came to visit Rommel because of his suspected involvement with the assassination attempt towards Hitler and that his name was found amongst a list of conspirators. With little question Rommel was giving two choices: Rommel could take poison and commit suicide and his family would be promised safety through out the war or he could be stripped of all military status and put in front of a Nazi Court which would also lead to death as an ending, but also adding the insecurity of Rommel family through out the war.
    In the end Rommel would choose to take his own life in order to protect his son and wife. Rommel hoped that Hitler would keep his end of the bargain and that Rommel’s great status as a soldier would still be worth a lot to the Nazi and that is would keep his family safe. Rommel told his family of the decision and that they should not rebel in any sort of way, but to live on in his name and for their own freedom in Germany. After telling him his choice Rommel would be driven off in a staff car with the two Generals. Almost less then a mile away form Rommel’s house the staff car would pull over to the side of the road. At that time Erwin Rommel would taken poison, after wards his body was driven to Ulm where his death was announced to be cause by a brain hemorrhage.
    The end of the desert fox was on October 14th 1944 on year before his country would fall to Russia. The great field commander of the Panzer battalions, The Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel, one of the most well known soldiers would die for both honor and greed. His honor was the sacrifice for his family’s safety. The greed was none other then from the Führer; Adolf Hitler who didn’t want his own name shamed anymore then what it was and force Rommel to kill himself, leaving Hitler’s hand cleaned of any murder. In the end Rommel’s death could be consider the most sad and tragic death of the many in WW2.