And the Oh, Welcome back everyone to 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories and Mysteries. June 6th this year marks the history and J

this year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day,

the Allied invasion of France in 1944,

and serves as a means by which we will all need to take time out to appreciate our freedom

and the incredible sacrifices of those who fought to ensure it.

Today's story delves into the life of a man that the allies fought against in World War II and World War I.

A German general named Erwin Rommel.

My intention is not to paint him as a hero, but as a capable adversary who showed many of the qualities

that most of us would want in our own leaders.

He would have made a great American or British general, but he was born in Germany, loyal to Germany, and fought for the

Furer, and died by order of the Furer when it was found that he was involved with the

men who had plotted Hitler's death.

Rommel did not participate in the killing of Jews or the killing of prisoners of war.

There are two types of generals.

There are fighting generals who seem to draw their very existence from being involved directly in the battle.

And there are political generals whose skills laying planning strategies, organizing and improving,

and providing the necessary link between their armies and their government's

leaders. Erwin Rommel, who many say was a fighting general, fought for Germany

in two world wars, was wounded five times on five separate occasions and is the only German general

out of hundreds whose name has survived World War II intact.

Today we're covering the life of Rommel, one of history's best-known generals.

His military career began early in World War I, where he threw himself into the action,

...