Documentary Review: Secrets of the Third Reich: Hitler's General

This documentary was presented on Smithsonian TV.  The general referred to is Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.  He was one of Hitler's top commanders, and his physical specimen is the typical hard German line.  He was idolized by many in the country.   He performed miracles in Africa, before he over extended himself which resulted in the defeats of the Afrikan Corps.  He was then moved to overseeing the defenses of Europe.  He could see early on that the war was going against the Germans, and that their only hope was to get rid of Hitler.  Although he was not directly involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, he knew of it and condoned it.  He was caught in the web of the investigation.  He was given the choice between a lengthy trial which would spill over to involve his wife and children, or to take a pill and kill himself.  He chose the latter.  The official cause of death was an illness.  I never knew that Rommel ended in this way.  Germany could have used his leadership in the field, but they were falling apart from within.