Rommel

Biodata

Background / History

Recruitment by Eitel

Rommel is among the promising officers Eitel summons while building his own command circle. At their meeting, Eitel announces that the officers will join his Fifth Army and asks Rommel, who has already transferred to staff work, to assess Germany’s position 7 9.

Rommel identifies inadequate supplies, domestic unrest, and the likelihood of unfavorable peace negotiations as Germany’s central problems. He recommends maintaining the military standoff to preserve bargaining power while addressing rebellion at home. Although afraid that this assessment might anger the emperor, he speaks candidly and receives Eitel’s approval 9.

Return to Berlin

After Eitel catches Rommel, Guderian, and Manstein racing a motorcycle through the trenches, he orders all three to accompany him home. They subsequently travel in an armored car while Eitel initially rides at the head of the column 10 11.

Concerned about assassination, Rommel proposes changing Eitel’s sleeping arrangements. He also devises a concealed second camp: the party quietly relocates there while a few soldiers maintain the appearance that the original camp remains occupied. The deception helps defeat an attack without German casualties 12 13.

Rommel reports the attackers’ defeat and presents the surviving ringleaders. He initially objects when Eitel orders the guards to lower their weapons, but later gives a prisoner his own field ration and urges him to trust the emperor. Approaching Berlin, he again recommends an armored car and promises to shield Eitel if danger arises 13 15.

Imperial Secretary and the Liège Crisis

Eitel appoints Rommel his secretary after returning to Berlin. Rommel welcomes the position as both a mark of imperial confidence and an opportunity for advancement. His duties include reporting military intelligence, admitting visitors, communicating orders, and relaying coronation arrangements 16 17 18 20.

His protectiveness becomes confrontational when an Allied envoy presents humiliating armistice terms. Rommel suggests a violent show of force and later aims his pistol at the envoy; Eitel refuses to permit the killing of a diplomatic representative 21.

Rommel also warns that Germany’s grain reserves may run out within six months. Following Eitel’s plan to exploit divisions among the Allies, he drafts a peace document and sends it to President Wilson. He subsequently records orders to supply the front, reinforce Liège Fortress, and monitor British and French movements 22 23.

After the victory at Liège, Rommel delivers the battle report. He initially objects to a state funeral for ordinary soldiers on grounds of protocol, then apologizes after Eitel explains its significance. Eitel orders him, Guderian, and Manstein to return to the Prussia War Academy after the ceasefire 29.

Versailles Conference

Rommel accompanies Eitel to Versailles alongside Hindenburg. During the journey, Eitel describes his ambition to unite Europe under German rule and build a world-spanning empire. Captivated by this vision, Rommel pledges everything to its realization 30 32.

At the conference, Rommel remains outwardly rigid as the Allies divide Germany’s colonies. In private, however, he angrily urges Eitel to reject the treaty and resume fighting. Eitel counters that another war would destroy Germany and that rebuilding requires time 37 38.

Rommel then arranges Eitel’s meeting with Wilson, which leads to the sale of the High Seas Fleet and American financial support. He accompanies Eitel to the formal signing ceremony and leaves Versailles with him and Hindenburg afterward 38 39 40.

Appearance

• Youthful face: Eitel thinks Rommel resembles an innocent college student rather than the celebrated commander known from later history 32.
• Military bearing: He stands ramrod straight during the division of Germany’s colonies, concealing his anger until he returns to Eitel’s lodgings 37 38.

Personality

Rommel combines professional ambition with a willingness to deliver unwelcome advice. He treats Eitel’s first question as a test of his prospects, yet still explains why Germany cannot sustain prolonged operations. His nervousness does not prevent him from advocating negotiations 9.

His loyalty becomes intensely personal. He offers to protect Eitel with his own body, promises to follow him wherever he goes, and eventually compares the emperor’s achievements to divine intervention despite describing himself as a nonbeliever 15 20 31.

Although normally composed, Rommel reacts fiercely to perceived humiliation of Germany. His threats toward the Allied envoy and demand to continue fighting after the colonial settlement contrast with his earlier strategic caution 9 21 38.

Away from formal duties, he shares Guderian and Manstein’s enthusiasm for vehicles and participates in their teasing. Their friendship includes motorcycle racing, excitement over driving an armored car, and joking attempts to assign one another dangerous decoy roles 10 11 12.

Abilities & Skills

Strategic Assessment

• Connects frontline endurance to logistics, domestic stability, and diplomatic bargaining power 9.
• Tracks the severity of Germany’s food shortage and warns Eitel about dwindling reserves 22.
• Remains inexperienced during the Liège crisis and cannot immediately offer a solution to the reinforcement problem 25.

Protective Planning

• Proposes changing sleeping arrangements to frustrate assassination attempts 12.
• Devises the concealed-camp deception that protects Eitel’s party during the attack outside Berlin 13.
• Repeatedly advocates armored transport for the emperor when he considers public exposure unsafe 12 15.

Staff and Administrative Work

• Records and relays military instructions, intelligence reports, appointments, and travel arrangements 16 20 23 30.
• Drafts diplomatic material for transmission to the United States 22 23.
• Arranges Eitel’s meeting with Wilson during the Versailles negotiations 38.

Equipment / Items

• Pistol: Carried at his waist and drawn against the Allied envoy 21.
• Small notebook: Used to record Eitel’s military orders 23.
• Field bag and rations: Supplies the ration he gives to a captured attacker 13.

Relationships

• Eitel — Sovereign and direct superior. Their relationship develops from a cautious first assessment into close service and fervent personal loyalty 9 17 20 32.
• Heinz Guderian — Fellow officer and mischievous friend; shares Rommel’s interest in vehicles and helps plan security during the return journey 10 11 12.
• Erich von Manstein — Fellow officer, friend, and collaborator in protecting Eitel. Their practical planning is accompanied by teasing over who should serve as a decoy 12 13.
• Paul von Hindenburg — Senior military leader with whom Rommel communicates as imperial secretary; accompanies him and Eitel at Versailles 29 32 40.

Notable Quotes

“Please believe me. Only His Majesty the Emperor can lead us out of the quagmire of war.” 13

“Your Majesty, wherever you go, I will follow you.” 20

“Your Majesty, I, Rommel, am willing to give everything to fulfill your wishes.” 32

Trivia

• The narration anticipates his future epithet, “Fox of the Empire.” Eitel also associates him with the historical “Desert Fox” of World War II; neither reference indicates a title he has already earned during these events 25 32.