From a German perspective, the highly decorated and well respected General Erwin Rommel was one of their biggest and brightest assets: a military strategist who thought ‘outside of the box’, a tactic which more than once either brought him an unexpected victory, or saved him from almost certain defeat. His reputation had been gained early in the Second World War, whilst commander of the 7th Panzer Division during the invasion of France, and as the commander of German forces during the North African campaign between 1941 and 1943.