This was in fact Squadron Leader Charlie Fox RCAF.
That day in France when Rommel had been inspecting the Western defences they were, as usual, in his personal car, a large open Horch.
Rommel sat in the front, as was his habit. He liked to keep a map on his knee, so he could do the navigating. At the wheel was his regular driver, Daniel. In the back were staff members Captain Lang, Major Neuhaus and Feldwebel Hoike (who was there specifically as an aircraft lookout).
On highway N179, just out of Livarot, fate finally caught up with the Desert Fox.....
As the lookout shouted an alarm, two Canadian Spitfires from 412 Squadron came diving down in a curving attack from behind and to the left. At about 300 yards, Charley Fox, in the lead aircraft, squeezed off a brief burst from his 20 mm cannon. That was enough.
Daniel, seriously wounded, lost control of the speeding car. It hurtled on for several hundred yards before finally crashing into the ditch. Captain Lang escaped unhurt, Neuhaus with minor injuries. Daniel was to die shortly afterwards.
Field Marshal Rommel was thrown against the windshield post, sustaining serious head injuries. His career was over.
At first, his survival was in doubt but prompt first aid and a strong constitution prevailed. He slowly began to recover.
This photo of Irwin Rommel was taken just before his mishap with the Spitfires
The aircraft was a canon armed Spitfire Mk 9C of the RCAF [shown below]
The two photos below are of Charlie Fox in 1944 and today.
Charlie Fox specialized in ground attack and prided himself on accurate marksmanship. His success at this is neatly summed up in the official commendation for a bar to his DFC: “This officer has led his section against a variety of targets, often in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire. He has personally destroyed or damaged twenty-two locomotives and thirty-four enemy vehicles, bringing his total to 153 vehicles destroyed or damaged. In addition, he has destroyed at least a further three enemy aircraft and damaged two others. In December 1944, Flight Lieutenant Fox led his squadron on an attack against enemy airfields in the Munster area and personally destroyed another enemy aircraft, bringing his total to 4. Through his quick and accurate reporting, a further 4 enemy aircraft were destroyed.
That day in France when Rommel had been inspecting the Western defences they were, as usual, in his personal car, a large open Horch.
Rommel sat in the front, as was his habit. He liked to keep a map on his knee, so he could do the navigating. At the wheel was his regular driver, Daniel. In the back were staff members Captain Lang, Major Neuhaus and Feldwebel Hoike (who was there specifically as an aircraft lookout).
On highway N179, just out of Livarot, fate finally caught up with the Desert Fox.....
As the lookout shouted an alarm, two Canadian Spitfires from 412 Squadron came diving down in a curving attack from behind and to the left. At about 300 yards, Charley Fox, in the lead aircraft, squeezed off a brief burst from his 20 mm cannon. That was enough.
Daniel, seriously wounded, lost control of the speeding car. It hurtled on for several hundred yards before finally crashing into the ditch. Captain Lang escaped unhurt, Neuhaus with minor injuries. Daniel was to die shortly afterwards.
Field Marshal Rommel was thrown against the windshield post, sustaining serious head injuries. His career was over.
At first, his survival was in doubt but prompt first aid and a strong constitution prevailed. He slowly began to recover.
This photo of Irwin Rommel was taken just before his mishap with the Spitfires
The aircraft was a canon armed Spitfire Mk 9C of the RCAF [shown below]
The two photos below are of Charlie Fox in 1944 and today.
Charlie Fox specialized in ground attack and prided himself on accurate marksmanship. His success at this is neatly summed up in the official commendation for a bar to his DFC: “This officer has led his section against a variety of targets, often in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire. He has personally destroyed or damaged twenty-two locomotives and thirty-four enemy vehicles, bringing his total to 153 vehicles destroyed or damaged. In addition, he has destroyed at least a further three enemy aircraft and damaged two others. In December 1944, Flight Lieutenant Fox led his squadron on an attack against enemy airfields in the Munster area and personally destroyed another enemy aircraft, bringing his total to 4. Through his quick and accurate reporting, a further 4 enemy aircraft were destroyed.
