The Formative Years

The man who would become Germany's most respected general, at least in the eyes of the Western Allies, was born on November 12, 1891, in Heidenheim, near Ulm, in the state of Württemberg in southern Germany. Erwin Rommel's father was a schoolteacher, and the family was of modest means. Germany in the late nineteenth century had been united as one country under the king of Prussia for twenty years, although its states continued to enjoy varying degrees of autonomy. On the international scene, Germany was a major power, especially after it defeated France in 1870 and allied itself with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Erwin Rommel was an unremarkable boy and was not considered academic, although he did in his teens develop a deep interest in mathematics, a subject in which both his father and grandfather were able. He also became keen on outdoor pursuits, especially bicycling and skiing. Like many others of his generation he was enthusiastic about the idea of flight and seriously considered applying for a job at Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's airship works at Friedrichshafen, on Lake Constance, within the Württemberg kingdom. His father, however, had other plans for him. Rommel Senior had been an artillery officer and urged his son to become a professional soldier.

By the time Rommel was seventeen and of military age, the generally accepted way of gaining a commission in the German army was to enlist as an officer candidate. He would then serve in the ranks and, if recommended by his officers, would attend an officer training school. Rommel wanted to follow his father and become an artilleryman, but this arm of the service was second only to the cavalry in terms of social prestige and the Rommel family lacked the connections necessary for entry. Erwin then tried the engineers, again without success, and so applied to the infantry. He was accepted by a local regiment, the 124th Infantry (6th Württemberg), and joined it in July 1910. Rommel soon impressed his superiors, and before the year was out, he had been promoted to sergeant. Furnished with the necessary recommendations, he entered the Royal War School at Danzig (today Gdansk in Poland) the following March. The course there lasted for eight months, and in January 1912 Lieutenant Erwin Rommel rejoined the 124th Infantry.

As war clouds gathered over Europe, Rommel worked hard to become a competent junior officer. His service included an attachment to the artillery in order to broaden his military education. He was still on detachment when war erupted in August 1914 but was posted back to his regiment, which was mobilized as an element of the German Fifth Army, one of seven earmarked for the invasion of France and Belgium. The plan was for the northern armies to advance through Belgium and Luxembourg. The right wing was then supposed to swing west of Paris so as to envelop it, outflanking the Allied armies.

The Fifth Army and its southern neighbor, the Sixth, were intended to remain on the defensive and be prepared to receive an expected French counterattack to regain Alsace and Lorraine, territories that had been lost to the Germans in 1870. The French duly attacked and were bloodily repulsed in what became known as the Battle of the Frontiers. Helmuth von Moltke, in overall command in the West, was persuaded to allow the Fifth and Sixth Armies to follow up this victory and take to the offensive. It meant, however, that he would now be unable to reinforce his right wing, which had the decisive role of enveloping Paris.

Rommel's regiment had spent the intervening time training near the border, during which he suffered an upset stomach. He blamed the greasy food and freshly baked bread that they had been eating, but it was to plague him on and off for the next few weeks. He would not allow his gastric discomfort to interfere with his duties, however. On August 18 the armies began their advance, crossing the border into Luxembourg. The next day Rommel heard guns fired in anger for the first time as his regiment passed close to the French fortress of Longwy. He then found himself largely involved in carrying out reconnaissances and as a bearer of messages, which left him very short of sleep. Finally, on August 22, Rommel saw his first combat when he led his platoon in an attack against the village of Bleid in the extreme southeastern corner of Belgium. It took place in fog, and his platoon was soon separated from the rest of the battalion. Undeterred, Rommel pressed on and captured the village. His personal courage and eagerness to seize the initiative were amply demonstrated. He knew what his mission was and had not allowed himself to be diverted from it even when he found himself on his own.

The 27th Division, of which Rommel's regiment formed a part, now crossed the River Meuse and began to press the French back westward. In further clashes Rommel gained a respect for the French artillery, especially the 75mm field gun with its very rapid rate of fire, and quickly recognized the importance of digging in every time his men came to a halt in close proximity to the enemy. In early September he was appointed battalion adjutant, making him his commanding officer's right-hand man. This post gave Rommel more scope to use his initiative. When not carrying out reconnaissances or acting as a liaison officer, he was usually to be found with the forward companies. Much of the fighting during the next few weeks was in the woods, and Rommel quickly learned how difficult command and control were in that environment. Indeed, it was during one of these fights, near Varennes, some fifteen miles northwest of Verdun, on September 24 that Rommel's luck finally ran out. He had taken command of two squads totaling some twenty men—the largest unit which he believed could be controlled in this type of fighting—and was attempting to press forward under heavy French fire. At one stage he found himself on his own with five Frenchmen facing him some twenty yards away. He fired his rifle and downed two of them, but then discovered that his magazine was empty. With no time to reload he charged the remainder, only to be struck by a bullet in the upper leg. He managed to roll behind an oak tree and, after a short time, his men succeeded in rescuing him.

Rommel was evacuated back to Germany and was informed that he had been awarded the Iron Cross Second Class. He was discharged from the hospital, just before Christmas 1914, with his wound still not healed. He should have been posted to a replacement battalion, which was responsible for training recruits and looking after soldiers convalescing from wounds and sickness prior to being sent back to the front. This prospect did not appeal to Rommel, the man of action, and so January 1915 found him back with his regiment, now in the hilly and wooded Argonne region of France.

The conditions there were very different from the open warfare that Rommel had previously experienced. Both sides were now dug in, and the...