Who was Erwin Rommel?
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel (November 15, 1891 October 14, 1944) was one of the most distinguished German Field Marshals and commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps in World War II. He is also known by his nickname, The Desert Fox (Wstenfuchs). – Early Life and Career – Rommel was born in Heidenheim, approximately 50 km from Ulm, in the state of Wrttemberg. The second son of a Protestant Headmaster of the secondary school at Aalen, Erwin Rommel the elder and Helene von Luz, a daughter of a prominent local dignitary. The couple also had three more children, two sons, Karl and Gerhard, and a daughter, Helene. Later recalling his childhood, Rommel wrote that “my early years passed very happily”. At the age of 14 Rommel, with a friend, built a full-scale glider that flew, although not far. Young Erwin considered becoming an engineer, but on his father’s insistence joined the local 124th Wrttemberg Infantry Regiment as an officer cadet in 1910, and was soon sent to the Officer Cadet School
