He had an older daughter, Gertrud (December 8, 1913 - 2000), who was born to Walburga Stemmer as a result of an affair with Rommel. Gertrud kept in touch with Rommel and his legal family, but was introduced to her half brother as a family relative. It was only after her death that the letters of Walnurga and Rommel were found. Walburga committed suicide in 1928, upon Manfred Rommel's birth to Lucie Rommel.
Rommel met Lucie in 1911 in Danzig. During a temporary posting in Weingarten, hundreds of miles away, he met the teenage Walburga Stemmer, and they had an affair.
In 1913 Gertrud, their daughter, was born, to Rommel's delight. He wrote to Walburga, calling her his "little mouse". He said he would like to set up home with her and Gertrud: "It's got to be perfect, this little nest of ours." However, he returned to Lucie and married her in 1916. Walburga never recovered from her rejection.