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Erwin Rommel was born in 1891 and, as a young man, had a gift of practical things - at one point, he and his friends built a glider. His father was an authoritarian schoolmaster who offered him a choice of careers: schoolteacher of soldier. Young Rommel chose the army. Since the beginning of his military career, Erwin Rommel showed signs of bravery while attacking the enemy against the odds. Displaying the initiative and cunning for which he later became famous, he pioneered ways of overcoming the tactical stalemate imposed by trench warfare, leading assault teams through weak spots in the front line, causing chaos inside Allied territory. His courage earned him the Iron Cross, Germany's highest decoration. But, after the was ended in defeat and disgrace for Germany in 1918, Rommel lived in obscurity until the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1933. In 1937, Rommel published this book based on his war experiences. It appealed to Hitler and Rommel was put in charge of his bodyguard. In February 1941, after the successful campaign against France, Rommel was sent to northern Africa, and led the Afrika Korps against the British forces defending Egypt and the strategically important Suez Canal. With immense flair and imagination, plus a practical understanding of detail, Rommel led his troops to a series of outstanding victories. In October 1942, while Rommel was on holiday with his family, the British 8th Army attacked El Alamein, and shattered the myth of the invincible Afrika Korps. Despite failure in Africa, Rommel was still immensely popular. In 1943, Hitler give him command over the sea defences of occupied France. He used his talent for invention, designing many of the anti-invasion obstacles on the beaches. In June 04, 1944, when Rommel was away in Germany, the Allied invasion of France began. Once gain, though he rushed back, Rommel was overcome by superior forces. Wounded in an air attack, he returned home to convalesce. On July 20, 1944, a group of senior officers tried unsuccessfully to assassinate Hitler. In the hysteria that followed, Rommel was also suspected of being involved in the plot. On October 14, 1944, he was persuaded to commit suicide rather than face trial. He agreed, and died believing he had failed Hitler and his country.