Erwin Rommel (1891-1944), a German field marshal, became one of the most brilliant generals of World War II. He commanded the Afrika Korps until the British forces stopped him in Egypt in 1942. His clever tactics earned him the nickname of "The Desert Fox." In 1944, he commanded a German army that opposed the Allied invasion of Normandy. He lost his command because he reported to Adolf Hitler that it was futile for Germany to continue the war. He was implicated in the plot to kill Hitler in July, 1944. Rommel was given his choice of trial or poison. His selection of death by poison spared Hitler much embarrassment. Rommel was born in Swabia.