Was Erwin Rommel a hero......yes or no?

I don't like to throw hero around casually. He was a damn good general and he fought well and honorably. He was completely unconnected to the Nazi's crimes or police state. But hero implies a degree of selfless sacrifice. Rommel, like all generals, was not throwing himself on grenades or charging machine gun nests to save his buddies. Those are the kinds of things that would get a soldier referred to as a hero in my lexicon. So I'd hold back on the hero thing.

During the Nuremburg Trials when the other Generals and High Ranking Officers that committed atrocities were arguing that they couldn't be tried as war criminals because they were under orders, the Prosecution used Rommel as an example of someone who's behavior probably could've used that argument and wouldn't have been convicted of any war crimes. It is unfortunate the way his life ended, it would have been interesting to hear his story and read his memoirs post ww2 untouched my Goebel and the Nazi propaganda machine.

How are you defining 'hero'? Rommel was a great general, arguably the best German General, and gave his life attempting to defend the nation from the NAZI leadership. If Hitler had provided Rommel the units he requested in response to the D-Day landings, the war could have end differently.

MOST DEFINITELY YES! He was a brilliant general and a fearless soldier that was highly decorated in WW1. While he was the man who gave a lot of headaches to Churchill and Roosevelt, he was never a part of the Nazi party. He ignored orders from Berlin to exterminate Jews, kill POWs and civilians. The pressure on him to become a part of the "Nazi Way" was immense - and he always resisted. What makes him a hero is his courage to follow his honor, defy his evil bosses, and his focus on being a good German. Everyone should salute him - he was Germany's last real Knight - a torch in an otherwise dark, evil time.

I wouldn't say a hero. I would say he's a great man though in terms of military prowess. Same as say with Napoleon or someone. Some of what they do is questionable, but as a soldier and general and leader, he is to be respected. He won many battles and was brilliant at tank warfare. That means he is to be respected.

But he is not a hero.

Not a hero but a respected figure in Germany. Rommel was not a member of the Nazi Party. He was first and foremost a soldier and in that role he carried out his duties to the best of his abilities. Oftentimes it is very difficult to separate out what a person does as a call of duty to his country and what one may do to support and further the aims of a corrupt government.

(My definition of a hero is someone who will put himself/herself in harms way to aid and assist one who is already in harms way, or to preclude harm coming to others. I do not believe Rommel ever did this).

I wouldn't say a hero, but not a villain either. He at least had some sense of chivalry...

I would say he was, Erwin Rommel was the best Commander in the German Reich the reason why he won battles is because his men had faith in him, he loved his Africa Korps and loved his men so he was always nice to them.

Erwin Rommel threw away his life so he could save Germany from Adolf Hitler, he committed suicide by cyanide, he had to choices Be charged for treason or Commit suicide and he picked Suicide because he didn't want his family to suffer.