2-611-955 - Keystone Archives/Heritage Images

German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel at El Alamein, Egypt, World War II, 1942. Rommel (1891-1944) was one of the foremost German generals of the Second World War. After distinguishing himself in command of the 7th Panzer Division in the invasion of France, he was put in command of the German forces in North Africa, the Afrika Korps, where he gained the nickname 'the Desert Fox'. El Alamein was the site of two major battles between the Germans and their Italian allies and British and Commonwealth forces in 1942. The Second Battle of El Alamein, fought between 23 October and 11 November, marked the turning point in the North African campaign against Rommel. The following year Axis forces were driven out of North Africa entirely.