Rommel at Regimentstag Stuttgart

 

"Regimentstag" in Stuttgart, 1934. From left to right: Major Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur III.Bataillon [Jäger] / Infanterie-Regiment 17), Char. Generalmajor Alois Ritter von Molo (Leiter Wehrbezirkskommando II Stuttgart), Rudolf Weckler (a sergeant in Rommel's battalion in the First World War and his friend of many years), Oberst a.D. Schniger, and General der Infanterie a.D. Franz Freiherr von Soden (head of 125th Infantry Regiment's Association of Retired Officers).

Source :
"Discovering The Rommel Murder: The Life And Death Of The Desert Fox" by Charles F. Marshall
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2440625#p2440625
http://prussianmachine.com/akb/soden.htm

Rommel Flanked with Two Italian Officers in Tripoili

Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps) in Tripoli soon after his arrival in northern Africa. Before being appointed as Afrikakorps commander, he had commanded the 7. Panzer-Division. In 1940 he crossed the fortifications in southern Belgium across the Ardennes and then he fought in France.

Source :
NARA - 242-EAPC
"Deutsche Afrikakorps (1941-1943)" by Ricardo Recio Cardona

Rommel Sitting with His Officer in France 1940

Generalmajor Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur 7. Panzer-Division) in France 1940. This picture is one of 854 photographs from the Rommel Photograph Collection located in the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).  The photographs depict military activities in the French campaign and were taken by various German photographers and copies provided to General Rommel as a courtesy.  There are photos of equipment and troops in action, landscape scenes, as well as photos of Rommel and a few other German leaders.  The collection contains scanned jpeg images of every photograph of the French campaign in the NARA collection (except for the duplicates).  Includes images of 12 Heinrich Hoffman photographs of Rommel’s visit with Hitler.  Each photo was scanned at 600 dpi and if captioned, the reverse was scanned at 150 dpi.  Since most photographs in the collection are not captioned, the scans are not cataloged, although they are organized by photograph type and, when possible, grouped by subject.  Some of the photographs are dated and captioned in German.

Source :
http://www.digitalhistoryarchive.com/wwii-photographs.html

Rommel Wearing Stahlhelm

Generalmajor Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur 7. Panzer-Division) at the "Hoth Tag" event held in front of the Place des Quinconces, Bordeaux, France, 29 June 1940 (other versions mention 1 July 1940 as the date). To the right is his aide, Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Schraepler. On 24 June 1940, 7. Panzer-Division arrived in Bordeaux. Five days later, the division held a victory parade in the streets of the city in northern France under the direct leadership of the Divisionskommandeur Rommel. Until the spring of 1941, 7. Panzer-Division spent a period of rest and refitting at the "Camp de Sougè", located in Martignas-sur-Jalle. All of this information comes from a letter sent by Rommel to his beloved wife, Lucie, dated 6 January 1941. The position of his own division was as a reserve force of the Wehrmacht, prepared for Unternehmen Seelöwe (Operation Sea Lion, the planned German invasion of England). The invasion was later called off after the Luftwaffe was battered in the Battle of Britain. BTW, I believe this is the only picture showing Rommel wearing stahlhelm (steel helmet)!

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2012/03/album-foto-erwin-rommel-sebagai_10.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1970-076-43,_Paris,_Erwin_Rommel_bei_Siegesparade.jpg

Rommel and Hitler Welcomed by Volksdeutsche in Poland

Adolf Hitler (Führer und Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht) was warmly welcomed by the Volksdeutsche (Germans living abroad) upon arriving at Maslow airfield, Poland, 10 September 1939. Facing the camera in the middle is Generalmajor Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur Führer-Begleit-Bataillon) who was responsible for the security of the Führer during his visits to Poland (4-26 September 1939 and 5 October 1939). On 10 September 1939 Hitler visited Opole/Oppeln, Końskie and Kielce, while on 11 September he was in Tomaszów and Illnau.

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2012/03/album-foto-erwin-rommel-sebagai.html
https://audiovis.nac.gov.pl/obraz/138/12b23fe47a8541af41ec3c8e9adc4e97/

Rommel with His Panzer Officers in France

Divisionskommandeur Rommel is having a casual discussion with his officers from the Panzer-Regiment 25 / 7.Panzer-Division near the banks of the river Seine (France), mid-June 1940. From left to right: Major Franz von Lindenau (Kommandeur I.Abteilung / Panzer -Regiment 25), Oberst Karl Rothenburg (Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment 25), Major Casimir Kentel (Kommandeur II.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 25), Hauptmann Adelbert Schulz (Chef 1.Kompanie / I.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 25), Generalmajor Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur 7. Panzer-Division), and Major iG Otto Heidkämper (Ia Erster Generalstabsoffizier 7. Panzer-Division). In the Battle of France, 7. Panzer-Division was equipped with outdated Czechoslovakian tanks (some of them are visible in the background). The division, resuming its advance on 5 June, drove for the River Seine to secure the bridges near Rouen. Advancing 100 kilometres (62 mi) in two days, the division reached Rouen to find the bridges destroyed. From here they moved north, blocking the westward route to Le Havre and the Operation Cycle evacuations and forcing over 10,000 men of the 51st (Highland) Division, French 9th Army Corps and other supporting troops to surrender at Saint-Valery-en-Caux on 12 June.

Source :
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1972-045-08
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Panzer_Division_(Wehrmacht)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1972-045-08,_Westfeldzug,_Rommel_bei_Besprechung_mit_Offizieren.jpg

Rommel Studying Maps in France

Generalmajor Erwin Rommel (seated at left, Kommandeur 7. Panzer-Division) studying maps with his officers. This photo was taken during the German invasion of France, May 1940.

 
Source :
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1972-045-02
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1972-045-02,_Frankreich,_Erwin_Rommel_und_Offiziere_mit_Karten.jpg

The First Days of Rommel as a Divisionskommandeur

Generalmajor Erwin Rommel was appointed as a Commander of the 7. The Panzer-Division, replacing Generalleutnant Georg Stumme, in February 1940. At first he made a less-than-promising impression when - on the first day of his arrival - saluted his senior commanders with a Nazi salute instead of a usual military salute! (though Rommel was eventually forced to commit suicide in 1944 for alleged involvement in the anti-Hitler movement, but in 1939 he was Head of Hitler's Bodyguard Battalion and, as such, had become a Nazi fanatic in 1940). The "newbie" Division Commander also offended his officers when he said that most of the 7th Panzer-Division were comes from Thuringia, a region that is considered rarely producing quality soldiers! Not enough, Rommel immediately ordered a general inspection of the entire army the next day – which happened to be a Sunday – which was an unusual thing to do and, therefore, very unpopular with the soldiers. All of this, coupled with the fact that Rommel was seen as a mere “Hitler's consignment” and had no experience in an armored unit at all, made most of the 7th Panzer-Division officers hate him. Rommel realized this too, and he overcame it in one drastic measure: on February 29, 1940 Rommel suddenly fired a battalion commander who was considered a nuisance, and made him leave the division headquarters in just an hour and a half! This ruthless act of tolerance shocked the entire division, and forced them to obey Rommel's further instructions - at first reluctantly, but then done with a full support when they saw that the Divisionskommandeur always at the forefront of every battle, slept in the tent with the grass as a floor, and ate the same rations eaten by the lowest-ranking soldiers in his unit!

Source :
"Rommel's Lieutenants: The Men Who Served the Desert Fox" by Samuel W. Mitcham
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2012/03/album-foto-erwin-rommel-sebagai_10.html

Generalmajor Rommel with 35(t) Tanks

Generalmajor Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur 7. Panzer-Division) with map and binoculars on foot on the way to the Scarpe section, while Panzer 35(t)s is waiting on the left. The picture was taken around the end of May or beginning of June 1940 at Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.

Source :
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1998-043-20A

Eichenlaub Award Ceremony for Rommel

 

Award ceremony in Reichskanzlei, Berlin, 25 March 1941: Adolf Hitler (Führer und Reichskanzler) decorates Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur 7. Panzer-Division) with Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #10 (Knight's Cross with the Iron Crosses Nr.10). The man in the picture is Hitler's clossest ally, Benito Mussolini.

Source :
https://audiovis.nac.gov.pl/obraz/35529/16681a180a83d321351d3a71c29af66e/

Rommel and Sepp Dietrich in Normandy

From left to right: Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe B) and SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (Kommandierender General I. SS-Panzerkorps) photographed on the invasion front in Normandy, 17 July 1944.

Source :
 http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/141277708232/generalfeldmarschall-erwin-rommel-and