Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the famous "Desert Fox", does not appear in Valkyrie, but has often been connected by both historians and popular media to the 20 July plot. Rommel was one of the most famous and well-respected generals of the German Army, known both for his tactical prowess and chivalry. Rommel, commander of the Axis forces fighting in North Africa, and later Germany's troops opposing the Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord), strongly objected to Hitler's conduct of the war and publicly criticized Hitler, even (according to some historians) planning to "open" the Western Front to the Allies via a negotiated peace. After the 20 July plot, Rommel was accused by the SS as a conspirator (based upon the testimony of two of the conspirators), and in October 1944 he was convinced to commit suicide to avoid the shame of a public trial and mistreatment of his family. After the war, as Rommel began to be seen as both a hero by the German people and an honorable opponent by the Allies, he was depicted as the archetypical "Good German", who not only disapproved of Nazi excesses but actively opposed them by plotting Hitler's death. Several films, most notably The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) (1951) with James Mason, helped cement this depiction in popular media, a reputation that persists to this day.



However, historians widely doubt that Rommel had any real degree of involvement in the plot. He is known to have been approached by the plotters, and Dr. Goerdler placed him on a list of possible officials in a post-coup government, but no direct evidence has linked him to the plot; his threatened execution was likely an attempt by Hitler and the SS to clean house. Many internal "enemies" and critics of the Third Reich were arrested and/or executed in conjunction with the 20 July plot, even if they played no part in the conspiracy itself. Rommel's wife and son have always insisted that Rommel was against the plot, not wanting to give the impression that Germany lost the war because of being "stabbed in the back" by traitors (a prominent myth arising after Germany's defeat in World War I). Despite disagreeing with many of Hitler's more extreme policies (particularly regarding the Jews), he seems not to have had any strong dislike of Hitler or the Nazi regime in general. Rommel benefited greatly from Hitler's patronage, rising from the rank of Colonel (and commander of Hitler's bodyguard) to Field Marshal in four years. As he had been seriously wounded by an Allied fighter in June 1944, he would not have been able to play an active role in Valkyrie; due to his reputation with the German people, however, it was hoped by the plotters that he may cooperate with or support their coup- very much the wait-and-see attitude adopted by General Fromm. Edit