erved by his superiors as being brave, energetic, full of initiative and stood no nonsense. He was also well respected by his men and had proven to be good at handling his men. He demonstrated these characteristics during the First World War while with the 7th Company of the Wurttemberg Regiment.
             Figure 2: Below left: Iron Cross Class II, Below right: Iron Cross Class I
             Rommel's first taste of battle came on the 22nd of August 1914 in the village of Bleid. With the aid of three of his comrades he rushed twenty French soldiers that were enjoying a cup of coffee. In the end, ten of the French soldiers were dead, and the other ten took refuge in a nearby farm building. When the remainder of his platoon arrived they torched the building. Although Rommel had been sick for days, he would not report it because he did not want to tarnish his image. He feared people would consider him weak or cowardly. On the 24th of September he was wounded in the thigh, and was forced into hospital, near Varennes. At this time, he was being considered for the Iron Cross Class II. A few months later he was awarded the Iron Cross Class I, for his heroic actions Argonne. With his platoon Rommel crawled one hundred yards before capturing four French blockhouses. Considering the stalemates and huge losses of trench warfare, this was an amazing accomplishment. After withdrawing to their own lines, they had lost only six men. The reason for the withdrawl, according to Rommel, was a lack of ammunition and reserves. In July of 1915, Rommel suffered another leg wound due to shrapnel. While in the hospital his regiment was converted to the Wurttemberg Mountain Battlion, he was also promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. It was with this battalion that Rommel's military carrer really took off. In August of 1916, Romania entered the war on the side of the Allies in the hopes of obtaining land after victory. Rommel and his battlion were moved to the eastern fro...