This German field marshal commanded the African Korps during World War II. After he was implicated in a plot to kill Hitler in 1944, he took his life. He was nicknamed the "desert fox." Who was he?

Known for his brilliant and audacious tactics in North Africa, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel earned the nickname the "Desert Fox" from his British adversaries. He took command of the German Afrika Korps in February 1941, leading his troops in a series of dramatic victories against Allied forces across Libya and Egypt. Rommel was celebrated for his leadership from the front, often moving so quickly that even his own superiors were unaware of his position. His successes in the desert campaign made him one of the most recognized German generals of the Second World War, respected by both his own troops and his enemies.

Despite his military successes and popularity, Rommel's fate was sealed by his connection to the 20th of July Plot, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944. While the extent of his involvement is debated by historians, he was aware of the conspiracy. After the plot failed, Hitler, aware that a public trial of a national hero would be a disaster, offered Rommel a choice: face a humiliating public trial and execution, with repercussions for his family, or take his own life quietly. On October 14, 1944, Rommel committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule. The Nazi regime then announced that the celebrated "Desert Fox" had died from wounds (Review) sustained in an earlier air attack and gave him a state funeral, hiding the true circumstances of his death.