Erwin Rommel (1891–1944)

These were the letters and field notes of Erwin Rommel, "The Desert Fox" primarily during his campaign in North Africa. I was surprised at his constant complaints of the lack of supplies as well as his frequent mention of "the superior enemy." To me, Rommel sounded as if he was right on top of things as he wrote in his notes, after inspecting the western front fortresses from Denmark to the Bay of Biscay: "What I found was depressing.....Josef Goebbels’ impregnable fortress existed only in show more the overactive imagination of the propaganda minister." The world knows that Rommel was accused by Hitler as part of Operation Valkyrie and was forced to commit suicide to save his family. I would bet given the right command and supplies and equipment that he would have been a superior commander. He also did not have any idea about the death camps while in Africa and only learned about then when he returned home to Germany to recuperate after being strafed . Very very long, tedious read, but worth it to a historian. The last chapter of the book was written by Manfred Rommel, his 15 year old son who was also serving in the military. His father had confided to him on the day of the suicide what he felt he must do. show less

This is a collection of after-action reports more than a treatise on military tactics or a history of WWI or of Rommel. As such, it is interesting and insightful. It characterizes the conditions of WWI and gives a good taste of what the war may have been like, differing from the visions we have as provided by Hollywood.

Although sometimes billed as a bio of Rommel, it does nothing to portray his life. It does show is genius and daring on the battlefield. It does portray him as a leader, show more demonstrating how he can act in adversity, how he can make successful command decisions on impulse. How he managed to develop units that outperform all others.

I wish it went into more personal detail. It isn't clear whether he developed good men, found them, or got them by chance. The book is an accurate military portrayal of events, but doesn't discuss the interpersonal relationships developed, how he inspired his men, or gained the respect of his superiors.

I can recommend this for people interested in military history, or in Rommel himself. There are better works on World War I. show less

This is probably a necessary read for any serious student of military history, but one has to take care not to read it at face value.

A nice look into the life of this outstanding tank commander. It is somewhat self-serving, but it is Rommel reporting on himself, so why not?
I especially enjoyed the insight into his campaigns in France and North Africa. Since he did not survive the war, the book is not tainted with apologetics for his service to Nazism.