But courage which goes against military expediency is stupidity, or, if it is insisted upon by a commander, irresponsibility.

Panzer-Division was later nicknamed Gespenster-Division (the "Ghost Division") because of the speed and surprise it was consistently able to achieve to the point that even the German High Command at times lost track of its whereabouts. Rommel possessed tremendous energy and drive and expected his commanders to lead by example. All this made the German command structure in France in disarray during the opening hours of the D-Day invasion.

He is regarded as one of the most skilled commanders of desert warfare in the conflict. His Afrika Korps was never accused of war crimes and soldiers captured during his Africa campaign were reported to have been treated humanely. He earned the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought.