Rommel
Erwin Rommel (1891–1944) was a German military commander in World War II, most famous for leading Axis forces in North Africa, where his tactical skill earned him the nickname "the Desert Fox." His name sometimes appears as shorthand for cunning military strategy: He thinks he's Rommel, but he's just reckless.
Implicated in a plot against Hitler, Rommel was forced to take poison rather than face trial.
German expeditionary force, Libya
- PanzerGerman armored fighting vehicle
- WehrmachtNazi Germany's armed forces
- field marshalSupreme army commander rank
- North AfricaContinent's Mediterranean coastal region
infantry · armor · division · corps · battalion · brigade · commander · officer
Libyan coastal city
- MontgomeryAlabama's seat of government
- AxisWartime fascist alliance
- AlliesWWII's victorious coalition
- TripoliLibyan seat of government
Libya · Egypt · Churchill · Normandy · Atlantic Wall · D-Day · assassination attempt · desert warfare
Knightly code of honor
- honorHigh regard, moral dignity
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
brilliance · charisma · propaganda · mystique · controversial legacy · rehabilitation
Deliberate tactical movement
- encirclementSurrounding enemy forces completely
- flankingAt the sides of
- mobile warfareCombat emphasizing movement over position
- offensiveCausing displeasure or attack-oriented
logistics · reconnaissance · combined arms · surprise attack · tactical genius · audacity · improvisation · deception
Afrika Korps
German expeditionary force, Libya
- PanzerGerman armored fighting vehicle
- WehrmachtNazi Germany's armed forces
- field marshalSupreme army commander rank
North Africa · infantry · armor · division · corps · battalion · brigade · commander · officer · Iron Cross
Tobruk
Libyan coastal city
- MontgomeryAlabama's seat of government
- AxisWartime fascist alliance
- AlliesWWII's victorious coalition
Tripoli · Libya · Egypt · Churchill · Normandy · Atlantic Wall · D-Day · assassination attempt · desert warfare · 1942
chivalry
Knightly code of honor
cunning · brilliance · charisma · propaganda · mystique · controversial legacy · rehabilitation
maneuver
Deliberate tactical movement
- encirclementSurrounding enemy forces completely
- flankingAt the sides of
- mobile warfareCombat emphasizing movement over position
offensive · logistics · reconnaissance · combined arms · surprise attack · tactical genius · audacity · improvisation · deception · speed
Sahara
Largest hot desert
scorching · sandstorm · oasis · mirage · camel · dehydration · heatwave · sunstroke · caravan · nomad
- Field MarshalsMontgomery, Kitchener, Wellington, Alexander, Brooke
- German GeneralsHindenburg, Moltke, Model, Beck, Hoth
- WWII MediterraneanAfrika Korps, Montgomery, Tobruk, Tunisia, North Africa
- German WarfareOperation Barbarossa, Eastern Front, Western Front, Battle of Stalingrad, Afrika Korps
- WWIID-Day, Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Hiroshima, Holocaust
- generalsgeneral, four-star general, brigadier general, three-star general, major general
RommelMontgomery
Alabama's seat of government
Patton · Eisenhower · Alexander · Bradley · O'Connor
- Erwin RommelGerman WWII field marshal