Rommel and Erwin Menny

General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps) directs the movements of his force with Oberst Erwin Menny (Kommandeur 15.Schützen-Brigade / 15.Panzer-Division) in North Africa. The picture was taken before Menny received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (26 December 1941).

Source :
Jim Haley photo collection
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6821659/Deadly-Panzer-tanks-heavy-weaponry-Rommel-used-against-Allies-WWII.html

Rommel in a Map Discussion with His Two Afrikakorps Officers

Erwin Rommel conferred with his two officers in the North African desert. As usual, the Desert Fox is wearing his daughter's scarf and British captured goggle. No exact information about when or where this pic was taken.

Source :
Jim Haley photo collection

Rommel Chats with Ugo Cavallero

From left to right: Maresciallo d'Italia Ugo Cavallero (chief of the Italian High Command), Generalmajor Alfred Gause (Chef des Generalstabes Panzerarmee "Afrika"), and Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee "Afrika"). No information about date or place, but surely in North Africa after June 1942. Cavallero had a rather conflicting relationship with Rommel, whose advance into Egypt after his success at the Battle of Gazala he opposed, advocating instead the planned invasion of Malta; his opinion, shared by Kesselring and Rintelen, was however discounted by Hitler and Mussolini.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugo_Cavallero
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2469114#p2469114

Rommel and Afrikakorps (Jim Haley Photo Collection)

 

Source:
Jim Haley photo collection

Rommel Posing in His Staff Car

This picture was taken by war correspondent Ernst Alexander Zwilling of Kriegsberichter-Kompanie Luftwaffe 7 on 24 November 1941, and it shows a tired and dispirited General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Panzergruppe "Afrika") who stands in the front seat of his Kfz. 15 Horch 901 (Typ 40) staff car, with elements of 15. Panzer-Division between Tobruk and Sidi Omar during the retreat after his momentary defeat by the British during the Crusader offensive. Sitting in the back seat at right is Rommel's Chief of Staff, Generalmajor Alfred Gause, while the driver's name is Leutnant der Reserve Hellmut von Leipzig, the future Ritterkreuzträger (Knight's Cross holder). The vehicle in the background is an Sd.Kfz.260 armoured radio vehicle from the HQ signals unit. After Operation Battleaxe failed to relieve the siege of Tobruk in June 1941, British General Archibald Wavell was replaced as Commander-in-Chief Middle East by General Claude Auchinleck. Lieutenant General Cunningham, fresh from victory in East Africa, was given command of the new 8th Army, comprising 13th Corps, supplemented by a New Zealand division, and 30th Corps, incorporating South African troops. The Australian division garrisoning Tobruk was replaced by 70th Division, incorporating Polish troops. Rommel now headed the expanded Panzergruppe Afrika, incorporating the Deutsches Afrika Korps; he also had operational control over three Italian divisions. On 18 November, 30th Corps advanced through the southern desert, aiming to engage and destroy enemy tanks before turning north west to rendezvous with a breakout at Tobruk. By 21 November, both 30th Corps and 70th Division were pinned down by the artillery of Rommel's 90th Light Division. The situation was saved by the advance of 13th Corps, which began engaging enemy positions along the coast on 22 November; by 26 November 13th Corps' New Zealand Division had cleared a corridor between Tobruk and 30th Corps. Auchinleck now replaced Cunningham with Ritchie. The Deutsches Afrika Korps withdrew on 6 December, creating a new front line at Gazala, west of Tobruk. In December further skirmishes in western Cyrenaica, with heavy British losses, were followed by German withdrawal to Tripolitania. However, this apparently favourable British position was undermined by inadequate forward defences and an unrealistic assessment of Rommel's intentions. A massive and apparently unexpected counter attack in January destroyed British positions in the south and west, bringing Rommel back to Gazala. The gains of Operation Crusader had proved to be painfully limited.

Source :
"Deutsche Afrikakorps (1941-1943)" by Ricardo Recio Cardona
"Gazala 1942: Rommel's Greatest Victories" by Ken Ford
"Rommel's Afrika Korps: Tobruk To ElAlamein" by Pier Paolo Battistelli
http://ww2images.blogspot.com/2013/04/rommel-with-15-panzer-division-between.html

Rommel Interviewed After the Capture of Tobruk

Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee "Afrika") chattered away while being interviewed by Kriegsberichter Lutz Koch, who held a Beyer M 19b microphone close to his mouth, while the bildberichter behind them was busy recording moving images with an Arriflex 35mm camera. Behind Rommel can be seen a radio operator busy working using the AEG magnetophone "Tonschreiber d (Dora)" - which is the world's first portable magnetophone (magnetic recorder) - in a Horch Typ 40 mittlerer geländegängiger Personenkraftwagen (m.gl.Pkw) Kfz 15 vehicle. This photo was taken on June 22, 1942 when German troops had just captured Tobruk from the Allies. This coastal city in Libya has a very strategic role in the battles of North Africa, and its control makes the German people lulled in euphoria: the occupation of Egypt is only a matter of time, and after that is the unification of German troops from Russia and Africa in the Caucasus! This interview was broadcast live to Germany, and was heard by many, including Adolf Hitler and his associates. That same day the Führer - overwhelmed with joy - decided to give his favorite general an extraordinary promotion, from Generaloberst (Colonel-General) to Generalfeldmarschall (Fieldmarshal), a five-star rank with no official retirement!

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2015/05/foto-wawancara-tokoh-third-reich-dengan.html

Rommel's Visit to Italian Pavia Division

The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Ernst Alexander Zwilling (Propaganda-Kompanie Luftwaffe 7) on 12 February 1942, and it shows Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee "Afrika") with German and Italian officers, during his visit to the headquarters of Italian 17° Divisione Autotrasportabile "Pavia" (17th Motorised Division "Pavia") in El Agheila. In this occasion Rommel took the opportunity to talk to his Italian allies about the upcoming operational plans. This picture is also available in the book "Rommel's Italian Generals in North Africa" by Dr. Libro Di Zinno and Rudy D'Angelo, page 26. There the authors identify the individual as Generale di Brigata Michelangelo Nicolini, commander of the army artillery. He was in several pictures with Rommel. Unfortunately, Nicolini is one general the authors have noted in several other pictures as mis-identified. This greater focus on Nicolini could imply a better level of research, but that is only speculation. Most possible ID is Generale di Brigata Antonio Franceschini, commander of Pavia Division. On the photo it says Falzoni, it could have been a garbled version of Falconi and the officer Enzo Falconi. Only problem is that he was a colonel at the time and commander of the artillery regiment in the Ariete division. It is the only name and rank that comes close with the writing. For the German officers identification (apart from Rommel): fourth from right is Major Friedrich-Wilhelm von Mellenthin (Ic im Generalstab Panzerarmee "Afrika"). On his right is Oberleutnant Diekmann, Rommel's aide.

Source :
"Rommel's Italian Generals in North Africa 1941-1943" by Dr. Libro Di Zinno and Rudy D'Angelo
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1982-0927-503,_Bei_El_Agheila,_Rommel_bei_italienischer_Division.jpg
https://www.ebay.de/itm/165715607163?hash=item26956b7e7b:g:EcEAAOSwroZjQX9O&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAkKGWZ%2FV0JYl6oJJMZZHEYs4HVsIW4FUrvDC0b1A%2Fq451cb593QTvf%2BRp6xl1luCrxyITWryw3J6r8QiaGIIb5pee4uv62X00WEvwfUIG%2BmySmXhV9oEWqLA%2Ff8%2Fh%2BdFAUgYmztz3Jp806dFikqbBiKkcnXSuAhU7sweiWDNEidOzU44PrZ5MHxmQJ7fTO7nsnA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9b7tpv7YA
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2435229#p2435229

Rommel with Unknown Ritterkreuzträger in North Africa

 

General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Befehlshaber Panzergruppe "Afrika") with unknown Ritterkreuzträger in North Africa. Behind Rommel with face barely visible is Generalmajor Alfred Gause (Chef des Generalstabes Panzergruppe "Afrika"). The picture was taken in the period between July 1941 (Rommel promoted from Generalleutnant to General der Panzertruppe) and January 1942 (Rommel promoted to Generaloberst).

Source :
https://www.ebay.de/b/General-in-Militaria-Fotos-1900-1918-1945/15504/bn_7004515776

Rommel Pushing a Car

 

This propaganda photo was taken by Kriegsberichter (War correspondent) Clement Valtingojer, and first published on February 9, 1942. It shows an iconic picture of Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee Afrika) as the "Common Man", helping to free up his Horch 901 Typ 40 Kfz.21 staff car alongside his men. Bundesarchiv identified the man behind Rommel as Oberstleutnant i.G. Siegfried Westphal, Ia a.k.a. Head of Operations of Panzerarmee Afrika. But I'm (Alif) definitely sure that this identification is wrong, because his face is 100% more like Major Friedrich-Wilhelm von Mellenthin, Ic a.k.a  Head of Intelligence of Panzerarmee Afrika. The Bundesarchiv (German National Archives) made a lot of mistakes in the identification of person and the timeline from his collection of photographs. An example is this photo itself, which is said to have been taken in January 1941, even though in that month Rommel had not yet arrived in Africa! Usually, when I see a difference in the date, place or identification of a person in a photo, I trust the caption from the Bayerische Staasbibliothek (Bavarian Archives) rather than the Bundesarchiv, because it is almost always more accurate.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-B20800,_Nordafrika,_Rommel_und_Westphal_schieben_Auto.jpg

Rommel Visiting the Sollum Front

 

 

Together with his staff officers, on 2 July 1941 General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (left, Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps) made a visit to the headquarters of I.Bataillon / Schützen-Regiment 104 / 15.Panzer-Division in the Sollum front, which is on the border Libya-Egypt. During this visit, in particular "Der Wüstenfuchs" (The Desert Fox) congratulated the commander of the battalion, Hauptmann der Reserve Wilhelm Bech (walking at the forefront with Rommel), who in the battle a month earlier managed to withstand the British tank forces who were trying to break through the Halfaya Pass in order to free their comrades who were besieged in Tobruk, in a mass attack codenamed Operation Battleaxe (15-17 June 1941). For three full days Bach and his men endured wave after wave of enemy tank attacks, with only a platoon of Flak 88 cannons as their main weapon. Although Rommel himself had ordered the Bataillonskommandeur to retreat to a more adequate defensive location "if possible", Bach interpreted his commander's last words in the opposite direction: a counterattack that succeeded in repelling the British troops! For this phenomenal achievement, Bach - who is a former priest (!) - was awarded the prestigious Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on July 9, 1941, just a week after this photo was taken. The Flak 88 itself was originally an anti-aircraft gun, but it can be just as good when it comes to hitting tank targets on the ground. BTW, in April 1941 - which was only one month after Rommel arrived in North Africa - German forces managed to defeat the invading British army and driven it out of Libya, except for one stubborn ANZAC garrison which remained in the port city of Tobruk (despite being besieged by a combined force of Italian and German Afrikakorps). Over the next year, the re-capture of Tobruk became Rommel's biggest obsession, because without it all German efforts to conquer Egypt would be vulnerable. When the port city was finally occupied in June 1942, a grateful Hitler rewarded Rommel with an extraordinary promotion to Generalfeldmarschall.

Source :
https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/search?filter_group=all&filter_region=GBR&filter_text=Erwin%20Rommel

Rommel and Luftwaffe Ace Joachim Müncheberg

 

 

 

The meeting between Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg (Staffelkapitän 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 26) and the "Desert Fox" General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps) in North Africa, June-July 1941. Behind them parked a Heinkel He 111 H4 VG+ES (WNr 4085) medium bomber which served as the "Kurierstaffel vbz Africa" ​​(Rommel's private transport plane). Here Rommel seems to be or has already made an air trip, which can be seen from the schwimmweste (life jacket) he is wearing. Meanwhile, not visible from this angle is the bandage on Müncheberg's left knee that he received after he got injured in a sport competition in Erfurt in May 1941 (he fell during a 110-meter hurdles race!). Oberleutnant Müncheberg and his leading Staffel are the only elements of the Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) operating in North Africa, and that too only during June and July. During his brief existence, 7. Staffel was recorded to have shot down eight British aircraft, with five of them being recorded by the Staffelkapitän! This photo was taken by Kriegsberichter Opper of KB-Kp. Lw. 7 (Kriegsberichter-Kompanie Luftwaffe 7). Notice the field-modified sandals from the shoes worn by Joachim Müncheberg!

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_M%C3%BCncheberg

Rommel Posing While His Car Stuck

General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Befehlshaber Panzergruppe "Afrika") posing while his command car is stuck to its axles in the Libyan mud. He is wearing the scarf made by his daughter. The picture was taken between July 1941 - January 1942.

Source :
ECPAD Archive (courtesy of Blanluet Christophe)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158282744703308&set=p.10158282744703308&type=1&theater

Rommel Awarded the German Medal for His Italian Allies

On 9 February 1942, Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (left, Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee "Afrika") awarded the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse to two of his allied Italian generals, Generale di Corpo d'Armata Gastone Gambara (center, Italian XIX Corps Commander) and Generale d'Armata Ettore Bastico (right, Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Army in North Africa). Latter, Bastico would also receive a higher-ranking German medal - Deutsches Kreuz in Gold - on 5 December 1942. Behind Rommel is stood Generale di Brigata Giorgio Calvi di Bergolo (Chief of Staff of the Italian liaison officer with Panzerarmee "Afrika"). Photo by Kriegsberichter Ernst Alexander Zwilling.

Source :
https://audiovis.nac.gov.pl/obraz/1226/12b23fe47a8541af41ec3c8e9adc4e97/

Rommel with Stefan Fröhlich and Alfred Gause

From left to right: Generalmajor (Luftwaffe) Stefan Fröhlich (Fliegerführer Afrika), unidentified Italian officer (does someone know his name?), Generalmajor Alfred Gause (Chef des Generalstabes Panzergruppe Afrika), and General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Panzergruppe Afrika). The picture was taken between September-November 1941.

Source :
NARA Archive via Thomas E. Nutter
http://ritterkreuztraeger.blogspot.com/2016/03/frohlich-cruwell-and-rommel.html