|
|
| 1891 | Birth |  |
| 15th Nov Heidenheim Birth of Erwin von Rommel, Heidenheim near Ulm in Wurttemburg |
| 1910 | Lieutenant, 2nd | |
| 19th July Weingarten Appointed Member of the 124th Wurttemberg Regiment |
| 1911 | Education | |
| Mar Danzig Begins studies at the Royal Officer Cadet Academy |
| 1912 | Lieutenant, 2nd | |
| Weingarten Appointed Lieutenant, 2nd after attending the Danzig War Academy |
| 1914 | Battle of Bleid | |
| 22nd Aug Bleid Takes part in the battle for Bleid |
| 1914 | Health | |
| 24th Sep Varennes Put in hospital with a leg injury for 3 months |
| 1914 | Lieutenant, 2nd | |
| Mar Ulm Appointed Member of the 49th Field Artillery Regiment |
| 1915 | Capture of Mount Cosna | |
| Aug Mount Cosna Leads a raid which captures Mount Cosna from the Romanians |
| 1915 | Health | |
| July A 2nd leg wound forces him into hospital |
| 1915 | Lieutenant | |
| Appointed Lieutenant |
| 1915 | Lieutenant Rommel | |
| Appointed Lieutenant |
| 1915 | Marriage | |
| 27th Nov Rommel marries Lucie Mollin |
| 1915 | Medal | |
| Jan Argonne Awarded the Iron Cross , 1st class |
| 1929 | Instructor | |
| 1st Oct Appointed Instructor to the Infantry School in Dresden |
| 1929 | Publication | |
| Publication of, "Infantry Attacks", brings Rommel into direct contact with Hitler |
| 1933 | Commander | |
| Goslar Appointed Commander of the 3rd battalion of the 17th Infantry Regiment |
| 1933 | Major | |
| Oct Appointed Major |
| 1934 | Meeting Hitler | |
| Goslar Rommel meets Hitler for the 1st time during a secular Harvest Festival |
| 1935 | Instructor | |
| Oct Potsdam Appointed Instructor at the War College in Potsdam |
| 1935 | Lieutenant Colonel | |
| Appointed Lieutenant Colonel |
| 1935 | Reform | |
| Given the task of absorbing the remainder of the SA into the army |
| Given the task of improving discipline in the Hitler Youth |
| 1936 | Rally NSDAP | |
| Sep Nuremberg Germa Placed in charge of security at the NSDAP party rally |
| 1937 | Publication | |
| Publication of, "Infantry Attacks" |
| 1938 | Commander | |
| Appointed Commander of the Fuehrer Begleit Battalion, Hitler's personal security unit |
| 1938 | Director War College | |
| Vienna Appointed Director of the War College at Wiener Neustadt |
| 1938 | Fuehrer Begleit | |
| Appointed Commander of the Fuehrer Begleit Battalion, Hitler's personal security unit |
| 1939 | Commander | |
| Prague Appointed Commander of Hitler's HQ for the occupation of Prague |
| Appointed Commander of Hitler's personal HQ on the outbreak of war |
| 1940 | Battle of Arras | |
| 21st May Arras 5 British Brigades stop the SS Totenkopf & manage to create a retreat to Dunkirk |
| 21st May Arras Rommel engages the British with 88-mm anti-tank guns |
| 1940 | Battle of River Meuse | |
| 13th May River Meuse Cross es the River Meuse |
| 14th May Flanders Begins the "German pocket" which will cut the Allied forces in two |
| 14th May Cambrai Strikes out towards the Channel ports via Peronne & Cambrai |
| 16th May Avasnes Advances as far as Avesnes |
| 17th May Le Cateau Advances as far as Le Cateau |
| 1940 | Capture of Cambrai | |
| 20th May Cambrai Rommel captures Cambrai, 12,000 enemy troops are taken |
| 1940 | Capture of Cherbourg | |
| 13th June Cherbourg Captures Cherbourg, the last major operation carried out by the 7th in France in 1940 |
| 18th June Cherbourg Rommel's 7th Panzer Div advances into Cherbourg |
| 19th June Cherbourg Rommel's 7th Panzer Div enters Cherbourg |
| 1940 | Capture of Clairfay | |
| 16th May Clairfay Rommel captures Clairfay on the Maginot Line |
| 1940 | Capture of Landrecies | |
| 17th May Landrecies Captures the Landrecies bridge, a crossing point acros the River Sambre into France |
| 1940 | Colonel | |
| Appointed Colonel |
| 1940 | Commander | |
| 15th Feb Appointed Commander of the 7th Panzer Division with the rank of Major General |
| 27th May Appointed Commander of the 5th Panzer Division |
| 1940 | Invasion of Belgium | |
| May Rommel's Div earns the name "the Ghost Division" because of its sudden appearences |
| 10th May Aachen Rommel crosses the border 30 miles sth of Aachen |
| 10th May Aachen The assault on the Maginot Line begins |
| 14th May Dinant Rommel arrives at the River Meuse near Dinant |
| 14th May River Meuse The 7th Div is the 1st German unit to cross the River Meuse |
| 1940 | Invasion of France | |
| 17th May River Sambre Moves westward in the direction of the River Sambre |
| 23rd May River Scarpe Rommel crosses the River Scarpe |
| 6th June River Somme Rommel's 7th Panzer Div crosses the River Somme |
| 9th June River Seine Rommel's 7th Panzer Div crosses the River Seine |
| 12th June St Valery Rommel's 7th Panzer Div reaches St Valery |
| 1940 | Major General | |
| 15th Feb Appointed Commander of the 7th Panzer Division with the rank of Major General |
| 1940 | Major | |
| Appointed Major-General |
| 1940 | Medal | |
| 27th May Awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross , 1st divisional commander so honoured |
| 1940 | Meeting Hitler | |
| 2nd June Hitler visits Rommel, Rommel is ordered to accompany Hitler on his front-line tour |
| 1940 | Operation Yellow | |
| 14th April Flanders Leads right hand column of the 7th, "Ghost Division" |
| 10th May Maspelt 1st day, takes the high ground at Maspelt before moving on to the Espeler-Dorner line |
| 11th May Ourthe River The 7th Division crosses the Ourthe River |
| 13th May River Maas The 7th Rifle Regiment crosses the Maas between Houx & Dinant |
| 19th May Berlimont Captures the Sambre Bridge at Berlimont & joins the 7th & 5th Panzers |
| 22nd May Basee Canal Rommel reaches La Basee Canal but Hitler halts the Panzers' advance on Dunkirk |
| 28th May Lille The 7th cuts the main Lille-Armentieres Road |
| 28th May Flanders The battle for Flanders is successfully concluded |
| 10th June Weygand Line The operation is redirected at the Weygand line protecting the heart of France |
| 13th June Cherbourg Captures Cherbourg, the last major operation carried out by the 7th in France in 1940 |
| 1940 | Siege of Cherbourg | |
| 16th June Cherbourg Rommel's 7th Panzer Div reaches the Cotentin Peninsular to capture Cherbourg |
| 19th June Cherbourg Rommel's 7th Panzer Div enters Cherbourg |
| 1940 | Surrender | |
| 31st May The French 1st Army surrenders |
| 1941 | Afrika Korps | |
| Feb Appointed Commander of the Afrika Korps |
| 1941 | Battle of Bardia | |
| 9th April Bardia Begins to fight for Bardia, 60 miles east of Torbruk |
| 12th April Bardia Rommel captures Bardia |
| 1941 | Battle of Bir el Gobi | |
| 4th Dec Bir el Gobi 1st day of the battle to cover the tracks of the 8th Army's withdrawal from Tobruk |
| 5th Dec Bir el Gobi Evacuates the eastern Tobruk perimeter to attack the British at Bir el Gobi |
| 5th Dec Bir el Gobi The attack on the British fails |
| 7th Dec Bir el Gobi Withdraws to Gazala & Tobruk is relieved by the Allies |
| 1941 | Battle of Halfaya Pass | |
| 25th April Halfaya Pass The British are driven out of Halfaya Pass |
| 14th June Halfaya Pass The 8th Panzer Regiment destroys 60 British tanks |
| 15th June Halfaya Pass Failed Btitish attempt on the German held pass sth the Libya-Cyrenaica border |
| 16th June Halfaya Pass Orders a general assault to destroy the British around Halfaya |
| 16th June Halfaya Pass The Western Desert Force loses 200 tanks |
| 1941 | Battle of Mechili | |
| 8th April Mechili Wins the battle but fails to capture the deep sea port of Tobruk |
| 1941 | Battle of Tobruk | |
| 11th April Tobruk Rommel begins to attack Tobruk |
| 13th April Tobruk Ordered to consolidate on the Egyptian border & concentrate on capturing Tobruk |
| 1941 | Battle of Wadi Rezegh | |
| Aug Wadi Rezegh Partially defeats the British 7th Armoured Division in an attempt to recapture Tobruk |
| 1941 | Capture of Agedabia | |
| Agedabia Captures the Agedabia Wells opening the way for an advance into Cyrenaice |
| 1941 | Capture of Bardia | |
| Bardia Captures Bardia |
| 1941 | Capture of Benghazi | |
| 4th April Benghazi Recaptures Benghazi from the Allies |
| 1941 | Capture of Derna | |
| 7th April Derna Rommel occupies Derna |
| 1941 | Capture of Halfaya Pass | |
| Halfaya Pass Captures Halfaya & uses it as a springboard into Egypt |
| 27th May Halfaya Pass Reinforced by the 1fifth panzer division recaptures Halfaya Pass |
| 1941 | Capture of Mechili | |
| Mechili Rommel occupies Mechili |
| 1941 | Capture of Sollum | |
| Sollum Captures Sollum |
| 1941 | Commander | |
| Appointed Commander of the Afika Korps |
| Appointed Commander of the Afrika Korps |
| Feb Appointed Commander-in-Chief in Libya |
| Feb Appointed Commander of the Afrika Korps |
| 1941 | Dash to the Wire | |
| 24th Nov Tobruk Breaks out from Tobruk to the Egyptian-Libyan border |
| 24th Nov Tobruk Reaches the frontier causing great confusion among the Allied 8th Army |
| 1941 | Invasion of Africa | |
| 6th Feb German troops under Rommel are sent to assist the Italians in North Africa |
| 1941 | Invasion of Libya | |
| 2 mechanized divisions are sent to aid the Italians in Libya |
| 5th Feb Lands the Afrika Korps in Libya to support the Italians |
| 1941 | Lieutenant General | |
| Feb Appointed Lieutenant General |
| 1941 | Sunflower | |
| 13th Feb Sends 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion to find how close Wavell's army is to Tripoli |
| 1942 | Battle of Alamein, El | |
| 30th June Alamein, El Reaches El Alamein, the most advanced point reached by the Axis powers |
| 4th July Alamein, El Auchinleck breaks up the attacks of the exhausted German armour on Ruweisat Ridge |
| 30th Aug Alamein, El Rommel attacks again but is held off by the British |
| 2nd Sep Alamein, El Rommel is forced to retreat |
| 23rd Oct Alamein, El General Stumme is killed in the first day of battle & Rommel is recalled from Germany |
| 23rd Oct Alamein, El The British 8th Army launches an offensive at el Alamein |
| 27th Oct Alamein, El The Afrika Korps is reduced to 114 tanks but Hitler orders that they will not retreat |
| 2nd Nov Alamein, El Rommel is forced to retreat |
| 23rd Nov Alamein, El 23-24 November, defeated by the British |
| 1942 | Battle of Alam Halfa | |
| 30th Aug Alam Halfa Attacks the Southern sector of El Alamein with the Afrika Korps on his way to Suez |
| 30th Aug Alam Halfa Beaten back by Montgomery's tank divisions at Alam Halfa |
| 30th Aug Alam Halfa Fails in an attempt to break through the British defensive line |
| 2nd Sep Alam Halfa Calls off the attack on El Alamein having lost 3,000 troops & 49 tanks |
| 1942 | Battle of Bardia | |
| 2nd Jan Bardia The Allies recapture Bardia |
| June Bardia Rommel recaptures Bardia for the 2nd time |
| 11th Nov Bardia The British recapture Bardia |
| 1942 | Battle of Benghazi | |
| 29th Jan Benghazi Benghazi is abandoned by the Allies |
| 1942 | Battle of Bir Hachem | |
| 26th May Bir Hachem Rommel sends his armour sth of Bir Hachem to outflank the British |
| June Bir Hachem Captures Bir Hachem |
| 1942 | Battle of El Alamein | |
| 13th Nov El Alamein The British Army recapture Tobruk ending the battle at El Alamein |
| 1942 | Battle of Kasserine | |
| Kasserine Defeats the II USACorps in Tunisia |
| 1942 | Battle of Kidney Ridge | |
| 1st Nov Kidney Ridge Bernard Montgomery launches an attack on the Deutsches Afrika Korps at Kidney Ridge |
| 1942 | Battle of Mersa Matruh | |
| 27th June Mersa Matruh Rommel captures Mersa Matruh |
| 1942 | Battle of Sidi Bou Zid | |
| Sidi Bou Zid Defeats the II USACorps in Tunisia |
| 1942 | Battle of Tobruk | |
| 17th June Tobruk Captures Tobruk then plans to move onto the Suez Canal |
| 1st Nov Tobruk Bernard Montgomery launches an attack on the Deutsches Afrika Korps at Kidney Ridge |
| 1st Nov Tobruk Rommel captures Tobruk |
| 3rd Nov Tobruk Bernard Montgomery launches an attack on the Deutsches Afrika Korps at Kidney Ridge |
| 3rd Nov Tobruk Rommell decides to withdraw from Tobruk, Hitler forces Rommel to stay |
| 13th Nov El Alamein The British Army recaptured Tobruk ending the battle at El Alamein |
| 1942 | Capture of Agedabia | |
| 22nd Jan Agedabia Agedabia is captured by the Germans |
| 1942 | Capture of Bardia | |
| June Bardia The Allies capture Bardia |
| 1942 | Capture of Benghazi | |
| 29th Jan Benghazi Benghazi is abandoned by the Allies |
| June Benghazi Captures Benghazi |
| 1942 | Capture of Bir Hachem | |
| June Bir Hachem Captures Bir Hachem |
| 1942 | Capture of Cyrenaica | |
| 4th Feb Cyrenaica Completes the capture of Cyrenaica |
| 1942 | Capture of Dernia | |
| 3rd Feb Dernia The Allies evacuate Dernia & Rommel stops between Mechili & the coast |
| 1942 | Capture of Gazala | |
| 1st Feb Gazala The 8th Army is forced to withdraw to the Gazala line |
| June Gazala Captures Gazala by destroying 250-300 British tanks |
| 1942 | Capture of Mersa Matruh | |
| 27th June Mersa Matruh Rommel captures Mersa Matruh |
| 1942 | Capture of Tobruk | |
| 17th June Tobruk Captures Tobruk then plans to move onto the Suez Canal |
| 1st Nov Tobruk Rommel captures Tobruk |
| 13th Nov Tobruk The British Army recapture Tobruk ending the battle at El Alamein |
| 1942 | Crusade | |
| June Bardia The Allies capture Bardia |
| 1942 | Field Marshal | |
| June Tobruk Appointed Field Marshal after the Capture of Tobruk |
| 1942 | Invasion of Libya | |
| 26th May Commences the invasion of Libya |
| 1942 | Siege of Agedabia | |
| 21st Jan Agedabia The Allies are forced back to Agedabia |
| 22nd Jan Agedabia Agedabia is captured by the Germans |
| 1942 | Siege of Mersa Matruh | |
| 27th June Mersa Matruh Rommel captures Mersa Matruh |
| 1942 | Siege of Tobruk | |
| 17th June Tobruk Captures Tobruk then plans to move onto the Suez Canal |
| 1st Nov Tobruk Bernard Montgomery launches an attack on the Deutsches Afrika Korps at Kidney Ridge |
| 1st Nov Tobruk Rommel captures Tobruk |
