Oberleutnant
Erwin Rommel (Kompaniechef in Württembergische Gebirgs-Bataillon) in a
photo taken in December 1917. In that month, on December 10, 1917, he
was awarded the most prestigious military medal of the German Empire,
the Pour le Mérite. During the German offensive in the Italian front
known as the Battle of Caporetto (began on 24 October 1917), Rommel's
battalion, consisting of three rifle companies and a machine gun unit,
was part of an attempt to take enemy positions on three mountains:
Kolovrat, Matajur, and Stol. In two and a half days, from 25 to 27
October, Rommel and his 150 men captured 81 guns and 9,000 men
(including 150 officers), at a loss of six dead and 30 wounded. Rommel
achieved this remarkable success by taking advantage of the terrain to
outflank the Italian forces, attacking from unexpected directions or
behind enemy lines, and taking the initiative to attack when he had
orders to the contrary. In one instance, the Italian forces, taken by
surprise and believing that their lines had collapsed, surrendered after
a brief firefight. In this battle, Rommel helped pioneer infiltration
tactics, a new form of manoeuvre warfare just being adopted by German
armies, and later by foreign armies, and described by some as
"Blitzkrieg without tanks", though he played no role in the early
adoption of Blitzkrieg in World War II. Acting as advance guard in the
capture of Longarone on 9 November, Rommel again decided to attack with a
much smaller force. Convinced that they were surrounded by an entire
German division, the 1st Italian Infantry Division – 10,000 men –
surrendered to Rommel. For this and his actions at Matajur, he received
the order of Pour le Mérite.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Rommel
https://www.leo-bw.de/detail/-/Detail/details/PERSON/kgl_biographien/118602446/Rommel+Erwin+Eugen+Johannes
