Erwin Rommel earned Germany’s highest military honor
Later to be a legendary figure in the history of the World War II in the form of the so-called Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel himself gained the highest esteem that Germany had to offer as a simple lieutenant in the World War I. It was not a series of sweeping tank movements over North Africa that led him to fame but extraordinary acts of leadership, courage and tactical brilliance on the battlefields in Europe between 1914 and 1918 that put him into fame.
The early army life of Rommel provides an interesting view of how personal initiative, intelligence on the battlefield and a fearless leader can make a relatively junior officer to be recognized nationally. That a young lieutenant should have received the greatest military order of Germany the Pour le Merite was a unique and noteworthy honor, and made Rommel a soldier of a high promise. Erwin Rommel earned Germany’s highest military honor
This paper examines how Erwin Rommel won the greatest honor in Germany, the wars that propelled his initial career and how these wars made him one of the most renowned generals of the 20 th century.
The Significance of the Fritz von Gogh Medal of Honor.
The Pour le Merite is necessary to comprehend the importance of the Rommel accomplishment. The most prestigious military award that Imperial Germany gave in the course of the World War I was often called the Blue Max.
The award formerly was only used with the senior officers, generals and with the most successful commanders. It rewarded outstanding courage, leadership, and resolution in the battlefield. Such an honor was, to a junior officer, particularly a lieutenant, extremely rare.
The fact that Erwin Rommel was honoured by Germany with the greatest honour at such a tender age is enough to tell how great his achievements were in the war.
Early Life and Military career of Erwin Rommel.
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel was born on November 15,1891, in Heidenheim, Wuerttemberg, Germany. Rommel was not raised in a long line of noble soldiers which many Prussian officers had. His father was a schoolteacher and Rommel was not keen on being a soldier but on engineering.
However, Rommel enlisted in the Wurttemberg Infantry Regiment in 1910 as an officer cadet and was commissioned to the rank of lieutenant just before the World War I in the year 1914.
Since a very young age, Rommel demonstrated a peculiar set of traits of being disciplined, creative, and decisive, which later on proved to be the keys of his victory on the battlefield.
The World War I: Baptism of Fire.
Rommel entered into the battle almost as soon as the World War I broke out. He fought in the early battles in France and the Argonne Forest serving on the Western Front. These confrontations were marked by anarchy and disorderly close quarter combat.
Rommel showed a very good grasp of terrain, movement, and enemy psychology even during these early encounters. He tended to lead by example, reconnoitring positions himself and by leading by example instead of command alone striking an example to his men.
He was a brave man and it was his courage that brought him recognition at a young age as he won both Iron Cross Second Class, and Iron Cross First Class.
Tactical Innovation and Mountain Warfare.
Rommel had his signature World War I experiences in the mountain warfare rather than the Western Front against Italian troops. Rommel served in some of the most difficult of the war in assigned elite mountain infantry battalions.
Fighting in the mountains required a level of flexibility, autonomy and agility highlighted in Rommel in a manner that was more than abundant. The battles were a reward of initiative and surprise unlike the direct trench warfare.
Rommel was also a master of guiding small units through enemy lines and advancing without warning and confusion and crumbling of the enemy troops.
The Battle of Caporetto: The Moment of Rommel.
The turning point in the ascendancy of Rommel was observed in the Battle of Caporetto in October 1917 one of the most radical battles that the Central Powers won in World War I.
On the head of a small group, Rommel broke deep into the positions of the Italians through infiltration, not assaulting, but going around strongpoints. His army took thousands of Italian prisoners, took artillery batteries, and drove the whole enemy formation back. Erwin Rommel earned Germany’s highest military honor
It is astonishing that Rommel could bring such outcomes with little loss of lives and little resources. His tact and skill to move quickly, capitalize on surprise and operate independently made a local breakthrough a strategic victory.
This unusual performance was the one that earned Rommel the greatest military award in Germany.
Why the Success of Rommel had been so uncommon.
There are a number of reasons why the award to Rommel is outstanding:
Rank: He was a lieutenant and did not receive the honor until when he started the activities which gained him the honor.
Scale of Impact: His actions affected the result of a significant campaign.
The Leadership Style: He was a commandant in front as well as being a victim of the enemy fire.
Innovation: His strategies were not conventional, yet shattering and destructive.
The influence on battlefields as revealed by junior officers was minimal in the case of World War I.
Award of the Pour le Mérite
Erwin Rommel was given Pour le Merite in January 1918. He was only 26 years old yet he was an elite group of the most decorated men in Germany.
His bold leadership, tactical brilliance and achievement of decisive results against well-surpassed forces were the points that were mentioned in the award citation.
The fact that Erwin Rommel received the greatest honor of Germany at such a young age in his career solidified him as a great officer who was on his way to greater heights.
The Romanesque Military Philosophy of Rommel as a result of World War I.
Rommel had his life as a young officer and it greatly influenced his military thoughts in the future. He became a firm believer in:
Manoeuvre speed and manoeuvre over stationary defence.
Surprise and deception
Decentralized command
Leading from the front
The following principles would subsequently mark his campaigns in North Africa during the World War II and he had earned the respect of the world even among his adversaries.
From Lieutenant to Legend
Rommel stayed in the German Army throughout the interwar period. He was turned into an instructor and perfected and imparted the tricks he had learned in battle.
These experiences were the foundation of his most influential book Infantry Attacks that was read by military leaders in Europe including future Army leaders of the Allies.
The fame that Rommel received as a young lieutenant decades ago helped him rise during World War II.
Controversies and Historical Perspective.
Although Rommel has generally been praised as a master of strategy, his legacy is not as simple. His career is bound to be tainted by his service in Nazi Germany during World War II.
Nevertheless, most historians do concur that the accomplishments of Rommel in World War I cannot be viewed in the context of politics in the future. What he did during the First World War was of an ordinary soldier acting within his time standards.
The thing is that Erwin Rommel gained the top honor, in Germany, by the means of remarkable performance in the battlefields rather than by politics.
Why the Story of Rommel Still Counts.
The early life of Rommel is still being studied in military academies in the world. His achievement shows that leadership, flexibility, and initiative could be more important than numbers.
Rommel showed that in a world where command chain of command was in place, flexibility and personal judgment could alter the turn of battle- and career.
It is also, based on his story, a lesson that the greatest names in history are not necessarily the most famous, but have earned their fame by their own efforts or their own abilities, not by inheritance.
Learnings of the Early military career of Rommel.
Experience of Rommel gives eternal leadership lessons:
Opportunity is generated by initiative.
Exemplary leadership breeds loyalty.
There must be flexibility within complex environments.
The proportionate results can be attained with decisive action.
The lessons have much more to do with leadership, strategy and decision making in the present context, than with military history.
Conclusion
The fact that Erwin Rommel, in the position of a simple lieutenant, won the greatest honor in Germany is one of the most impressive accounts of the World War I. It tells of a young officer whose boldness, judgment and enterprising ability made him stand out in one of the deadliest wars in the history of the world.
Rommel demonstrated his genius in the mountains and the valleys of Europe long before the deserts of North Africa turned him into a famous man. The fact that he received the Pour le Merite was not only a personal victory, but also a gesture of what the leadership by the lowest level of command can do.
