Rothenburg was killed six days into the invasion of the Soviet Union on 28 June 1941 near Minsk, Belarus and was posthumously promoted to Generalmajor.

The 5th Guards Foot Regiment was subsequently transferred to the Eastern Front and Rothenburg took part in the combats against Imperial Russian Army at the Masurian Lakes and Łódź.

He later led his company during the German spring offensive and was wounded by shrapnel in the right hand during the breakthrough between Gouzeaucourt and Vermand on 29 March 1918.

For his merits during the fighting in France, Rothenburg received the Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords.

While advancing on La Berlière, Rothenburg haven't wait for orders and captured the heavily fortified village including the nearby Ricquebourg wood.

His company then led the battalion's subsequent pursuit of fleeing enemy and after reaching the Matz river, where advance was halted.

[1] When the Wehrmacht was established in early 1935, Rothenburg requested to be reactivated to the Army service, which was granted and he was assigned as Major to the Kampfwagen-Regiment 1 (Armored Vehicle Regiment Nr.

[1][3] Rothenburg spent following months with the training on Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) tanks and developed a kind relationship with new divisional commander, then-Generalmajor Erwin Rommel.

The 25th Panzer Regiment then turned south and captured the city of Cherbourg and pushed almost to the Spanish border by the time the French surrendered.

[1][4] Rothenburg was offered to be evacuated by a Fiesler Storch reconnaissance plane or by a panzer escort, but he refused both because he didn't want to weaken his already depleted regiment.