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Erwin Rommel
Person page: Erwin Rommel →
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(56)
1940
May
20
The Germans reach the English Channel
On 20 May 1940 Guderian's tanks took Abbeville and that evening reached the sea at Noyelles. The Allied armies in Belgium and Flanders were cut off.
June
12
The surrender at Saint-Valery-en-Caux
On 12 June 1940 the British 51st Highland Division and French IX Corps, trapped by Rommel's panzers, surrendered at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Fog foiled evacuation.
1941
February
14
Key event
Rommel in Tripoli
Hitler sent General Erwin Rommel to Libya. He flew into Tripoli on 12 February 1941, and on 14 February the first combat units of the Afrika Korps landed there.
20
The first clash with the Afrika Korps
On 20 February 1941 a British patrol near El Agheila exchanged fire with German armoured cars. Four days later the Germans laid their first ambush.
March
24
Rommel retakes El Agheila
On 24 March 1941 a German reconnaissance battalion took El Agheila, its fort and wells – the first attack by Rommel, now reinforced with 5th Panzer Regiment.
31
Rommel takes Mersa Brega
On 31 March 1941 the German 5th Light Division attacked at Mersa Brega. By evening it had broken through; the weak 2nd Armoured Division withdrew that night.
April
03
Rommel takes Benghazi
On the night of 3–4 April 1941 the Germans entered abandoned Benghazi. Defying Gariboldi, Rommel pushed on and by 8 April had taken Derna and Mechili.
10
The siege of Tobruk begins
On 10–11 April 1941 Rommel’s forces encircled Tobruk. Morshead’s Australians repelled assaults on 14, 16–17 and 30 April, and a long siege began.
25
Rommel takes the Halfaya Pass
On 25–26 April 1941 Colonel von Herff's group drove the British from Sollum and the Halfaya Pass. Axis forces stood in Egypt but went no further.
May
16
Operation Brevity
On 15–16 May 1941 Brigadier Gott’s British retook Halfaya Pass and Fort Capuzzo, but fell back after a German counter-attack. On 27 May they lost the pass too.
June
15
Operation Battleaxe
On 15–17 June 1941 the British attacked on the Egyptian–Libyan border to relieve Tobruk. Rommel threw back the attack and forced them to retreat.
August
11
Malta in August 1941
In August 1941 no convoy reached Malta. Supplied in July, the island struck from the air and from under the sea at ships carrying supplies for Rommel.
October
21
Before Operation Crusader
In autumn 1941 the British readied the Eighth Army in Egypt to relieve Tobruk. New Zealanders trained in the desert; Fort Capuzzo was still held by the Axis.
November
09
The Battle of the Duisburg convoy
On the night of 8–9 November 1941 Force K from Malta sank all seven ships of the Duisburg convoy and the destroyer Fulmine without losing a ship.
18
Key event
Operation Crusader begins
On 18 November 1941 the British Eighth Army crossed into Libya to destroy Rommel’s armour and lift the siege of Tobruk. A downpour helped it achieve surprise.
22
The Battle of Sidi Rezegh
On 22 and 23 November 1941 the Afrika Korps retook Sidi Rezegh airfield, shattered British armoured brigades and destroyed the 5th South African Brigade.
24
Rommel’s dash to the wire
On 24 November 1941 Rommel drove his tanks to the Egyptian frontier, spreading panic behind the Eighth Army. Meanwhile the New Zealanders reached Tobruk.
December
16
Rommel withdraws from Gazala
On 16 December 1941 Rommel, facing encirclement at Gazala, began retreating across Cyrenaica against Italian wishes. On 24 December the British took Benghazi.
1942
January
21
Rommel's second offensive
On 21 January 1942, without informing Rome or Berlin, Rommel struck from Mersa Brega, took Agedabia, routed the British 1st Armoured Division and reached Msus.
29
Rommel retakes Benghazi
On 29 January 1942 Rommel, feinting towards Mechili, took Benghazi. By 6 February Eighth Army was back at Gazala, where the front stood for four months.
February
01
The front at Gazala
In early February 1942 Eighth Army stood on the Gazala–Bir Hakeim line, 60 km west of Tobruk. Rommel, out of fuel, halted near Timimi and Mechili.
May
10
Churchill's ultimatum to Auchinleck
On 10 May 1942 Churchill, for the War Cabinet, ordered Auchinleck to fight in Libya no later than the time of the June convoy to Malta.
26
The Battle of Gazala begins
On 26 May 1942 Rommel struck the Gazala Line. At night his panzer divisions swung round Bir Hakeim and on 27 May smashed 3rd Indian Brigade and 7th Armoured HQ.
31
The Cauldron at Gazala
At the end of May 1942 Rommel, cut off from supplies, dug in in “the Cauldron” at Gazala, forced gaps through the minefields and on 31 May struck 150th Brigade.
June
01
The destruction of the 150th Brigade
On 1 June 1942 Rommel took the British 150th Brigade's box at Sidi Muftah. Brigadier Haydon was killed; Rommel won a supply route through the minefields.
05
Operation Aberdeen
On 5–6 June 1942 the Eighth Army attacked the Cauldron at Gazala. The attack broke down under gunfire; Rommel's riposte shattered HQs and Indian brigades.
10
The defence of Bir Hakeim
On the night of 10–11 June 1942, after two weeks defending Bir Hakeim, General Koenig's 1st Free French Brigade broke out of encirclement to the British lines.
13
Black Saturday at Gazala
On 12–13 June 1942 Rommel smashed the British armoured brigades at Knightsbridge and El Adem. On the night of 13–14 June the Guards abandoned Knightsbridge.
14
The retreat from the Gazala Line
On 14 June 1942 the Eighth Army began to abandon the Gazala Line. Churchill presumed Tobruk would not be given up; Auchinleck said he had no such intention.
21
Key event
The fall of Tobruk
On 21 June 1942 General Klopper surrendered Tobruk to Rommel after a day’s assault. Some 33,000 soldiers were captured and Rommel was made a field marshal.
28
The Battle of Mersa Matruh
On 26–29 June 1942 Rommel routed the badly co-ordinated Eighth Army at Mersa Matruh. The New Zealanders broke out, and the port fell on the morning of 29 June.
July
01
The First Battle of El Alamein begins
On 1 July 1942 Rommel attacked the El Alamein position. An Indian brigade at Deir el Shein fell but bought time, and by 4 July the Axis attack had stalled.
11
The fighting for Tel el Eisa and Ruweisat Ridge
10–16 July 1942: Auchinleck seized the initiative at El Alamein. Australians routed the Italians at Tel el Eisa; New Zealanders bled on Ruweisat Ridge.
26
The end of the First Battle of El Alamein
On 26–27 July 1942 Auchinleck's last attack at Miteiriya collapsed. On 31 July the Eighth Army went over to the defensive – Rommel was stopped, but not beaten.
August
30
The Battle of Alam el Halfa begins
On the night of 30–31 August 1942 Rommel struck the southern flank of the El Alamein front. His panzer divisions were halted before Alam el Halfa ridge.
September
23
Rommel leaves Africa
On 23 September 1942 a sick Field Marshal Rommel flew out of Africa for treatment. General Georg Stumme took over Panzer Army Africa at El Alamein.
October
23
Key event
The Second Battle of El Alamein begins
At 9.40 p.m. on 23 October 1942 almost 900 Eighth Army guns opened fire at El Alamein. The infantry of four divisions advanced into the Axis minefields.
24
The crisis at El Alamein
On 24 and 25 October 1942 British tanks stuck in the minefield corridors at El Alamein. Montgomery ordered them to keep attacking despite the losses.
25
Rommel returns to Africa
After Stumme's death Hitler recalled Rommel from sick leave. On 25 October 1942 he was back in command at El Alamein, with fuel for only a few days.
31
The fighting for Thompson's Post at El Alamein
On the night of 30/31 October 1942 the Australians reached the coast road at El Alamein. Beating off counter-attacks, they drew Rommel's reserves north.
November
01
Operation Supercharge
On the night of 1/2 November 1942 the Eighth Army struck at Tel el Aqqaqir. The charge of the 9th Armoured Brigade and a tank battle broke the Afrika Korps.
03
Key event
Rommel's retreat from El Alamein
On 3 November 1942 Hitler forbade Rommel to retreat from El Alamein. A day later the front broke and the Axis army fled west, abandoning the Italian infantry.
13
The Eighth Army retakes Tobruk
On 13 November 1942 the Eighth Army entered Tobruk for the third time. Two days later the pursuit of Rommel took Derna and the Martuba airfields Malta needed.
20
The capture of Benghazi
On 20 November 1942 the Eighth Army entered Benghazi for the third and last time. Rommel, against Hitler's and Mussolini's demands, fell back to El Agheila.
December
12
Rommel leaves El Agheila
On 12 December 1942 Rommel began pulling his last units out of El Agheila. A New Zealand outflanking move failed to cut off his army on its way west.
1943
January
15
The offensive on Tripoli
On 15 January 1943 the Eighth Army attacked Rommel’s position at Buerat. Montgomery gave himself ten days to take Tripoli, some 320 km away.
February
02
Rommel on the Mareth Line
In early February 1943 Rommel's army fell back from Libya behind the old French Mareth Line in Tunisia. The Eighth Army entered Tunisia on 4 February.
13
The Battle of Sidi Bou Zid
On 14 February 1943 Arnim's panzer divisions routed the Americans at Sidi Bou Zid, and Rommel took abandoned Gafsa. US II Corps fell back to the Western Dorsal.
19
The fighting at the Kasserine Pass
On 19–22 February 1943 Rommel broke through the Kasserine Pass and routed the Americans, but was stopped at Thala and Djebel Hamra. The Axis withdrew.
March
06
The Battle of Medenine
On 6 March 1943 three German panzer divisions attacked the Eighth Army at Medenine and lost dozens of tanks in a single day. Rommel’s last battle in Africa.
August
06
The Germans move into Italy
From late July 1943 one Wehrmacht division after another crossed the Alps into Italy. At Tarvisio on 6 August both allies pledged loyalty – and both lied.
December
12
Rommel and the Atlantic Wall
In mid-December 1943 Rommel, appointed by Hitler to inspect the coastal defences, finished touring Denmark and began inspecting the Atlantic Wall in France.
1944
June
04
The invasion postponed
On 4 June 1944 a stormy forecast led Eisenhower to postpone the Normandy invasion by a day. The convoys turned back; the final decision came on 5 June.
26
The liberation of Cherbourg
On 26 June 1944 General von Schlieben surrendered at Cherbourg. The Allies took the port, wrecked by the Germans, after three weeks of fighting on the Cotentin.
July
17
Rommel wounded
On 17 July 1944 Allied fighters strafed Field Marshal Rommel's car in Normandy. With a fractured skull he was taken to hospital and never returned to the front.
October
14
Rommel's suicide
On 14 October 1944 Field Marshal Rommel, accused of complicity in the 20 July plot, was forced to take poison. The regime said he had died of his wounds.