Today in World War II History—Nov. 21, 1943 POSTED: Wednesday, November 21, 2018 by Sarah Sundin Longues-sur-Mer gun battery, Longues-sur-Mer, France, September 2017 (Photo: Sarah Sundin) 75 Years Ago—Nov. 21, 1943: German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is placed in command of Atlantic Wall defenses in France to defend against an Allied invasion.