His leadership of German and Italian forces in the North African Campaign established his reputation as one of the most able tank commanders of the war, and earned him the nickname der Wüstenfuchs, 'the Desert Fox'.
In World War II, he distinguished himself as the commander of the 7th Panzer Division during the 1940 invasion of France. Rommel was a highly decorated officer in World War I and was awarded the Pour le Mérite for his actions on the Italian Front. Erwin Rommel (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as the Desert Fox, was a field marshal (senior military commander) in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II.
