Rommel was injured multiple times in both world wars.

Rommel's men are supposed to have made the joke, "Where Rommel is, there is a front," while taking part in perilous reconnaissance and raid missions throughout World War I. However, all of this activity including 52 hours during which his battalion captured almost 9,000 Italians came at a price. For instance, in September 1914, after running out of ammo, Rommel ran at three French soldiers with a bayonet, only to be shot in the leg so severely that a hole the size of his hand appeared. He lost a lot of blood from a bullet in his arm three years later in Romania, and he also experienced constant stomach ache, fever, and tiredness.

During the Second World War, there were more cases of medical ailments, such as appendicitis and face injuries brought on by bullet casing shrapnel. Then, following the D-Day assault, an Allied Aircraft struck his convertible while it was flying above Normandy, France, causing it to flip over. When the smoke cleared, Rommel had many skull fractures and glass shards on his face, and he was also unconscious. After this event and the injuries, he had to take a long time off to recover his health and prepare for the next plan.