Editing Erwin Rommel (section)

=== Successes in North Africa ===
In North Africa, Rommel received help in cultivating his image from [[Alfred Ingemar Berndt]], a senior official at the [[Reich Propaganda Ministry]] who had volunteered for military service.{{sfn|Watson|1999|p=159}} Seconded by Goebbels, Berndt was assigned to Rommel's staff and became one of his closest aides. Berndt often acted as a liaison between Rommel, the Propaganda Ministry, and the [[Führer Headquarters]]. He directed Rommel's photo shoots and filed radio dispatches describing the battles.{{sfn|Reuth|2005|p=124}}{{sfn|Citino|2012}}

In the spring of 1941, Rommel's name began to appear in the British media. In the autumn of 1941 and early winter of 1941/1942, he was mentioned in the British press almost daily. Toward the end of the year, the Reich propaganda machine also used Rommel's successes in Africa as a diversion from the Wehrmacht's challenging situation in the Soviet Union with the stall of [[Operation Barbarossa]].{{sfn|Reuth|2005|pp=136–139}}{{sfn|Caddick-Adams|2012|p=471}}{{refn|group=N|[[Peter Caddick-Adams]]: "Rommel's advances over the winter 1941–42 became a very useful distraction away from Germany's failure before Moscow."{{sfn|Caddick-Adams|2012|p=471}}}} The American press soon began to take notice of Rommel as well, following the country's entry into the war on 11 December 1941, writing that "The British (...) admire him because he beat them and were surprised to have beaten in turn such a capable general." General Auchinleck distributed a directive to his commanders seeking to dispel the notion that Rommel was a "superman".{{sfn|Watson|1999|pp=166–167}}{{sfn|Reuth|2005|pp=141–143}} Rommel, no matter how hard the situation was, made a deliberate effort at always spending some time with soldiers and patients, his own and POWs alike, which contributed greatly to his reputation of not only being a great commander but also "a decent chap" among the troops.<ref name="Auchinleck: The Lonely Soldier"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Majdalany|first1=Fred|title=The Battle of El Alamein: Fortress in the Sand|date=2003|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=978-0-8122-1850-3|pages=31–32|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u9JDXgTOgEgC&pg=PA31}}</ref>

The attention of the Western and especially the British press thrilled Goebbels, who wrote in his diary in early 1942: "Rommel continues to be the recognized darling of even the enemies' news agencies."{{sfn|Reuth|2005|p=144}} The Field Marshal was pleased by the media attention, although he knew the downsides of having a reputation.{{sfn|Reuth|2005|p=144}}{{refn|group=N|Quote from one of Rommel's letters, January 1942: "The opinion of me in the world press has improved."{{sfn|Reuth|2005|p=144}}}}{{sfn|Zaloga|2013a|p=24}} Hitler took note of the British propaganda as well, commenting in the summer of 1942 that Britain's leaders must have hoped "to be able to explain their defeat to their own nation more easily by focusing on Rommel".{{sfn|Reuth|2005|p=148}}

The Field Marshal was the German commander most frequently covered in the German media and the only one to be given a press conference, which took place in October 1942.{{sfn|Citino|2012}}{{sfn|Reuth|2005|pp=144–146}} The press conference was moderated by Goebbels and was attended by both domestic and foreign media. Rommel declared: "Today we (...) have the gates of Egypt in hand, and with the intent to act!" Keeping the focus on Rommel distracted the German public from Wehrmacht losses elsewhere as the tide of the war began to turn. He became a symbol that was used to reinforce the German public's faith in an ultimate Axis victory.{{sfn|Reuth|2005|pp=150–152}}