WORLD : Queen Honors ‘Anglophile’ Son of ‘Desert Fox’ Erwin Rommel
Britain said today it will confer one of its most prestigious honors on the son of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, scourge of the Allies in North Africa in World War II.
The Foreign Office said Queen Elizabeth II approved the appointment of Manfred Rommel, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart, as an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
It said Rommel is a dedicated Anglophile who earned the award for “long and valuable services to Anglo-German relations.”
Erwin Rommel, nicknamed “The Desert Fox” for his boldness and skill, scored spectacular victories over Allied forces in North Africa until his defeat at El Alamein in Egypt in 1942.
He later commanded the German army in Normandy but poisoned himself in 1944 to avoid trial for opposing Hitler.
The Foreign Office said Manfred Rommel, 60, will receive his award Friday from the British Embassy in Bonn.
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