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Rommel: The Desert Fox
Early in 1941, the famed British Eighth Army was on the route to victory in North Africa. Just a few months later, this same army was on the verge of total defeat, as the Germans had won victory after victory and were threatening to overrun Egypt and the Middle East.Here is the classic biography of the man who masterminded this great turnabout, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, commander of the German Afrika Korps. The man who burned Hitler's order to execute British raiders and who gave Allied prisoners the same food and medical treatment as his German troops. The tough general who personally conducted reconnaissance under fire in an open car while his tank commanders hid in armored turrets.
The author of this book, Brigadier General Desmond Young, fought against Rommel in North Africa, was captured by him, and after his release at the end of the war visited Rommel's family and talked with many of his fellow officers. Thus, he is able to tell us about intrigues that went on in the German High Command during the war, he is able to give a blow-by-blow description of such decisive battles as Tobruk and El Alamein, and he is able to give personal anecdotes about Rommel and to sort out the facts from the legends that have sprung up around this extraordinary general.
The author of this book, Brigadier General Desmond Young, fought against Rommel in North Africa, was captured by him, and after his release at the end of the war visited Rommel's family and talked with many of his fellow officers. Thus, he is able to tell us about intrigues that went on in the German High Command during the war, he is able to give a blow-by-blow description of such decisive battles as Tobruk and El Alamein, and he is able to give personal anecdotes about Rommel and to sort out the facts from the legends that have sprung up around this extraordinary general.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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July 9, 2022
Rommel always fascinated me even before I read his life. When I was at The Citadel and later West Point and USAR, WWII veteran instructors carefully praised him. WWII had ended only a couple of decades before, so memories were still bitter. Nevertheless, Rommel was an admired soldier by soldiers.
I think the thing that stuck mostly in my mind was the highly regarded 1951 film “Rommel: The Desert Fox” with James Mason in the starring role. The author of that biography and hence the movie, Desmond Young, was a high ranking officer in the British Army in North Africa fighting Rommel's forces. Young's book influenced public opinion about post-war Germany in general in a positive way. But recent evidence has shown that while Rommel might not have been a fanatical Nazi, he was no German angel radiating love for all his enemies either.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Des...)
The Germans and their allies betrayed Western civilization--plain and simple. (As the United States seemed bent on doing under the Trump regime.) From the Allied perspective, Germany led us into two world wars in a row, actually one Twentieth Century Thirty-Year War with about a 20-year half-time there.
One might consider the West as one of the great evolving cultural monoliths of the world that has been evolving for the last 2700 years thanks to the Roman Empire originally. In so doing, it’s like watching star systems gobble each other up.
Now, the conundrum comes up as to why we respect, even honor, the outstanding individuals of our enemies like Erwin Rommel. Why do we respect Rommel, who caused so many deaths of young Europeans in his military support of the aims of a German monster who cooked his enemies after torturing them, among other atrocities?
Could it be that we are all perverse? We glorify competence and cleverness even when those attributes grind us into the earth: the beauty of executing a well thought out plan. We let the aesthetics of cruel destruction blind our striving for life. Serpents know the art of this by hypnotizing their prey before striking it dead.
Rommel is an example of this. And I have to admit to perversity in that I still admire his soldierly genius.
I think the thing that stuck mostly in my mind was the highly regarded 1951 film “Rommel: The Desert Fox” with James Mason in the starring role. The author of that biography and hence the movie, Desmond Young, was a high ranking officer in the British Army in North Africa fighting Rommel's forces. Young's book influenced public opinion about post-war Germany in general in a positive way. But recent evidence has shown that while Rommel might not have been a fanatical Nazi, he was no German angel radiating love for all his enemies either.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Des...)
The Germans and their allies betrayed Western civilization--plain and simple. (As the United States seemed bent on doing under the Trump regime.) From the Allied perspective, Germany led us into two world wars in a row, actually one Twentieth Century Thirty-Year War with about a 20-year half-time there.
One might consider the West as one of the great evolving cultural monoliths of the world that has been evolving for the last 2700 years thanks to the Roman Empire originally. In so doing, it’s like watching star systems gobble each other up.
Now, the conundrum comes up as to why we respect, even honor, the outstanding individuals of our enemies like Erwin Rommel. Why do we respect Rommel, who caused so many deaths of young Europeans in his military support of the aims of a German monster who cooked his enemies after torturing them, among other atrocities?
Could it be that we are all perverse? We glorify competence and cleverness even when those attributes grind us into the earth: the beauty of executing a well thought out plan. We let the aesthetics of cruel destruction blind our striving for life. Serpents know the art of this by hypnotizing their prey before striking it dead.
Rommel is an example of this. And I have to admit to perversity in that I still admire his soldierly genius.
September 2, 2020
After carrying a paperback of this book around (over about half a dozen moves) for over 20 years, I finally pulled it out of a box and read it some months after I had finished Knight's Cross, a much more recent biography of Rommel. I guess I wasn't in a hurry to read this book because I'd seen the excellent movie with James Mason when I was in grade school.
This book, written shortly after the war by a British officer, shows not only the awe in which the British held this opposing general, but also their respect for him as a man. It was interesting to read all these years later, after having read Knight's Cross, because we now know that Rommel's successes were achieved over even greater odds. When this book was written and published, we did not know about the Ulta Secret and the intelligence breakthroughs that gave the British and American commanders so much greater an advantage over Rommel than just sheer numbers and vast superiority of materials and supplies.
It's a blessing that not all of the German generals were as gifted as Rommel, though most of them were superior. It's a tragedy that so few on either side had his basic decency and sense of honor.
This book, written shortly after the war by a British officer, shows not only the awe in which the British held this opposing general, but also their respect for him as a man. It was interesting to read all these years later, after having read Knight's Cross, because we now know that Rommel's successes were achieved over even greater odds. When this book was written and published, we did not know about the Ulta Secret and the intelligence breakthroughs that gave the British and American commanders so much greater an advantage over Rommel than just sheer numbers and vast superiority of materials and supplies.
It's a blessing that not all of the German generals were as gifted as Rommel, though most of them were superior. It's a tragedy that so few on either side had his basic decency and sense of honor.
July 15, 2018
Sometimes a biography and at others an apology of British military performance in North Africa, this book suffers primarily from the lack of perspective. Originally published in 1950, only five years after the war ended, some of the politico-military topics are shallowly represented and from a very British military aristocratic perspective. Regardless of its shortcomings this book is an investigation of the man Rommel by the British Brigadier Desmond Young who I believe truly admired the Field Marshall... and perhaps was a bit intimidated by him as well. At times Brigadier Young seems to be in awe of Rommel. Then, not forgetting he is a British officer, defends his fellow officers for their actions describing why operationally something couldn't have been done to obtain a different outcome.
There is some excellent first hand research done by the author interviewing more than a few of Field Marshall Rommel's contemporaries. This includes both military officers as wells as important personages within Germany during the war and his wife and son. The accounts they give of Rommel and the associated events are most likely some of the biggest contributions to historical writing Desmond Young has made. It would have been wonderful if these had been documented with a bit more detail and woven into the military narrative. A majority of the first hand accounts appear towards the end of the book discussing Rommel's part in the on-going planning of a change of German leadership and the resultant investigations post the July 20th Hitler assassination attempt.
The book itself is becoming a thing of history. Written in an outmoded style with idiomatic phrases that are becoming lost to the continuously evolving English language this biography can be challenging in places for modern readers. There are terms used and references to events that are very British and mid 20th century. I can't see anyone born after 1990 except for historians understanding some of these terms and references.
Appendix 2 is a redacted copy of Rommel's Papers. I found these writings very interesting and should be a must read for any military historian. Rommel discusses to great extent the operational concept of maneuver warfare with mechanized and armor forces, the disadvantage of having a force containing a mix of non-mechanized and mechanized forces, etc. Rommel was a very concise and straightforward writer. His ideas and findings aren't difficult to understand. He was a military technologist adapting tactics as new weapons and technology emerged. I found myself wondering what he would think of today's technology and military leadership.
Overall I believe this book is still of value, but perhaps not totally for its original purpose of capturing a biography of Rommel. I feel the book should be read to understand Rommel from a contemporary British military officers point-of-view.
There is some excellent first hand research done by the author interviewing more than a few of Field Marshall Rommel's contemporaries. This includes both military officers as wells as important personages within Germany during the war and his wife and son. The accounts they give of Rommel and the associated events are most likely some of the biggest contributions to historical writing Desmond Young has made. It would have been wonderful if these had been documented with a bit more detail and woven into the military narrative. A majority of the first hand accounts appear towards the end of the book discussing Rommel's part in the on-going planning of a change of German leadership and the resultant investigations post the July 20th Hitler assassination attempt.
The book itself is becoming a thing of history. Written in an outmoded style with idiomatic phrases that are becoming lost to the continuously evolving English language this biography can be challenging in places for modern readers. There are terms used and references to events that are very British and mid 20th century. I can't see anyone born after 1990 except for historians understanding some of these terms and references.
Appendix 2 is a redacted copy of Rommel's Papers. I found these writings very interesting and should be a must read for any military historian. Rommel discusses to great extent the operational concept of maneuver warfare with mechanized and armor forces, the disadvantage of having a force containing a mix of non-mechanized and mechanized forces, etc. Rommel was a very concise and straightforward writer. His ideas and findings aren't difficult to understand. He was a military technologist adapting tactics as new weapons and technology emerged. I found myself wondering what he would think of today's technology and military leadership.
Overall I believe this book is still of value, but perhaps not totally for its original purpose of capturing a biography of Rommel. I feel the book should be read to understand Rommel from a contemporary British military officers point-of-view.
Want to read
April 22, 2020Superb movie,for once a senior German figure from World War II is depicted as a human being,not a monster.Not just that,he is presented as a figure with admirable qualities.
James Mason is great as Field Marshal Rommel.It starts off with the Africa campaign and then moves along to Rommel's eventual disillusionment with Hitler and his efforts to get rid of Hitler.
The ending is poignant,it brought a lump to my throat.
I wonder if it's fact or myth,but it's great as a movie.
James Mason is great as Field Marshal Rommel.It starts off with the Africa campaign and then moves along to Rommel's eventual disillusionment with Hitler and his efforts to get rid of Hitler.
The ending is poignant,it brought a lump to my throat.
I wonder if it's fact or myth,but it's great as a movie.
September 28, 2015
Review from https://darrengoossens.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/rommel-by-young/.
Cover of Rommel by Desmond Young.
Rommel by Desmond Young.
Fontana, 1965. 316 pages.
Cover of Rommel by Desmond Young.Rommel is a highly illuminating figure when looking at the success of Hitler in Germany up to about 1941, and at the underlying rot in the regime. Brilliant leader of men that he was, Rommel was little interested in politics, and in a sense consciously simplified his life by ignoring it. The tactical sense and discipline of him and others like him allowed the early victories and extended the Nazi empire to the corners of Europe and beyond. Slowly they came to understand the evil of their leaders -- or, perhaps more realistically, to admit it to themselves (those who did not embrace the 'new way'). For years they fell into the same trap as the bulk of the populace -- the idea that Hitler was okay but he was taking advice from bad elements, and if only one could make the Führer see what was really happening all would be all right. (Tellingly, there were no Waffen-SS units in North Africa, no Einsatzgruppen moving into the occupied areas to commit their atrocities and alert Rommel to the deeper implications of Nazi victory. How would he have reacted to the Eastern front?) But eventually he met Hitler on a bad day, got insights into the real man, and he learned. Yet only when the damage being done by Hitler's schemes became omnipresent -- in the lead up to Normandy in 1944 -- did he begin to act outside the circumscribed field of military tactics. He was the conspirators' choice for a prospective President of Germany after their coup, chosen as the only figure with enough stature who would be sufficiently respected by the Allies and viewed as sufficiently apart from the Nazi regime. High praise indeed! But when this became known to the Gestapo, Rommel, recovering from serious injuries incurred when his car was strafed by Allied planes, was given a pair of dreadful alternatives -- take poison and be given a state funeral as a hero of the Reich, becoming even in death a tool of the Nazi party, or continue to try to undermine Hitler and be killed also, but on the understanding that his family would end up dead or in concentration camps.
We see him in WWII developing the tactics of tank warfare in North Africa, where his limited fuel and the unreliability of the Italians had to be factored in to every plan. He often fought from one fuel dump to the next, fighting logistics as much as the Allies. Young is not blind to Rommel's weaknesses -- his style relied too heavily on himself, his knowing every detail and his own example as a leader, things which could not always function at every corner of the battlefield at once -- but the figure painted is an admirable one, if perhaps narrow, with few interests outside his profession.
The book is in a sense a tragedy, as we see the inevitable fate of a man of integrity within the Nazi apparatus.
This book covers his whole life, focussing of course on WWII but illustrating crucial episodes from WWI when his initiative, boldness and physical toughness marked him out as a leader of men, at least on the small scale, and meant there was room for him in the 100,000-strong inter-war army allowed by Versailles. Thus he was a professional soldier. And Young was also, which shows in his grasp of the subject matter both the details of battles and the minds of the soldiers. As a military biography is has a clarity, a sympathy and a range of insights to be admired. A necessary book for the student of WWII or of arms in general.
May 3, 2020
3,5 puntos
Esta es la primera biografía que se haya publicado sobre el mariscal Erwin Rommel, apenas un lustro después de finalizada la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Escrita por un británico que, claro está, luchó desde el bando opuesto y cayó prisionero del Afrika Korps, no por eso carece de cierto grado de objetividad (tanto como un relato de este tipo pueda llegar a tener), debido más que nada al respeto que el autor le profesaba incluso antes de conocerlo en persona.
De hecho, lo mejor del libro es el gran trabajo de investigación efectuado con posterioridad a la guerra. Young se entrevistó en repetidas ocasiones con la mujer y el hijo de Rommel, varios generales alemanes y otras figuras relacionadas al círculo interno de quien fuera conocido como «el Zorro del Desierto». Esto de por sí convierte al libro en un objeto de valor histórico, puesto que no solo se relatan las campañas desde el lado de los aliados sino también del alemán, al tiempo que se hace un retrato de él como persona. Lo que, a fin de cuentas, es una de las grandes razones para escribir biografías.
No obstante, Young frecuentemente se va por las ramas, en especial cuando habla de Bernard Montgomery y otros militares británicos. Entiendo que esta sea el área en la que cuenta con experiencia de primera mano, pero al tratarse de una biografía y no de un libro sobre la Campaña del Desierto, da la sensación de ser algo innecesario. Es extraño que a pesar de esto no se hayan incluido mapas y diagramas alusivos, algo necesario en mi opinión ya que no abundan los lectores que hayan oído hablar en sus vidas de ciudades como Tobruk o El Alamein.
De todos modos, gran biografía, muy informativa y de ágil lectura.
January 2, 2024
This General is to be highly, highly respected - his integrity, loyalty and hard work are exemplary. I enjoyed being given a deeper look into this man's life. I can recommend this volume.
February 17, 2019
This book, although interesting (learning about Rommel's tactics and strategy) at parts and also comical (Reading his personal thoughts on different members of the Nazi party). Was hard to read, i found the book a bit of a drag and boring at times, but it did offer an overview of Rommel life, i would recommend this book to anyone who was interested in the desert fox himself, but i would make them aware that it is dull at times.
June 26, 2019
Very interesting from an historical perspective - not from the events described, but from the tone of the writing. It's not Rommel's wartime skills that Brigadier Desmond Young brings to the fore in his writing - we all know that Erwin Rommel was the most able tank commander of WWII - and Young generally summarizes battles (leaving detail to other authors) and provides brief comments from contemporary interviews. What's more telling is the way in which Young writes about Rommel: from a viewpoint of war as an honorable profession, believing that Rommel was one of the few, if not only, Nazi generals who consistently upheld the "rules."
Perhaps, for a career soldier, it's natural to hope, to seek, even assume, that somewhere in all that opposing insanity there's another career soldier who has some sort of integrity. To imbue your counterpart with the same views that you have yourself. And certainly Rommel's skills as a commander - his ability to command men, his having come up from the ranks rather than from the Junker class, his boldness, and his creative utilization of the tools at hand - are admirable. And I should mention there was a strong desire from the military governments, post war, to find ways for peoples to reconcile - finding "Good Germans" (I apologize for the contemporary term) was one such way.
However, all the experts agree that he was aware of the Nazi death camps. He greatly admired Hitler in the early days, and felt they were close friends. How long that friendship lasted, and when it began to break down, is difficult to know; Young ascribes the tipping point to Rommel's honesty regarding D-Day preparation. Regardless, that idea that Rommel was the one admirable Nazi Field Marshall - even though he knew about the death camps - that was that basis of the so-called "Myth of Rommel" which Young initiated with this book.
To write his book, Young interviewed Rommel's wife, son, and surviving staff, post-war, and it seems likely that events of the end of the war colored much of their personal remarks about individuals. Many details that we know now are not reflected - and many may not have been provided to Young, such as Rommel having an illegitimate daughter that resided with the family up until Rommel's death. Young also met Rommel during the war, having been briefly captured by him while serving in the Indian Army. This book, by the way, was the basis for the 1951 movie "The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel" (aside from Young's appearance, the movie is a dramatization long on war footage but short on facts, particularly in its depiction of Rommel's involvement in the bombing attempt on Hitler).
Most of the books written about the Axis immediately after WWII were "in my own words" or "atrocity exposed." I wish I had seen the press when this first came out - must have been fascinating. At 252 pages, it's not a one-night read, but it's an interesting one. There are much better books on Rommel, but none that created a myth.
Perhaps, for a career soldier, it's natural to hope, to seek, even assume, that somewhere in all that opposing insanity there's another career soldier who has some sort of integrity. To imbue your counterpart with the same views that you have yourself. And certainly Rommel's skills as a commander - his ability to command men, his having come up from the ranks rather than from the Junker class, his boldness, and his creative utilization of the tools at hand - are admirable. And I should mention there was a strong desire from the military governments, post war, to find ways for peoples to reconcile - finding "Good Germans" (I apologize for the contemporary term) was one such way.
However, all the experts agree that he was aware of the Nazi death camps. He greatly admired Hitler in the early days, and felt they were close friends. How long that friendship lasted, and when it began to break down, is difficult to know; Young ascribes the tipping point to Rommel's honesty regarding D-Day preparation. Regardless, that idea that Rommel was the one admirable Nazi Field Marshall - even though he knew about the death camps - that was that basis of the so-called "Myth of Rommel" which Young initiated with this book.
To write his book, Young interviewed Rommel's wife, son, and surviving staff, post-war, and it seems likely that events of the end of the war colored much of their personal remarks about individuals. Many details that we know now are not reflected - and many may not have been provided to Young, such as Rommel having an illegitimate daughter that resided with the family up until Rommel's death. Young also met Rommel during the war, having been briefly captured by him while serving in the Indian Army. This book, by the way, was the basis for the 1951 movie "The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel" (aside from Young's appearance, the movie is a dramatization long on war footage but short on facts, particularly in its depiction of Rommel's involvement in the bombing attempt on Hitler).
Most of the books written about the Axis immediately after WWII were "in my own words" or "atrocity exposed." I wish I had seen the press when this first came out - must have been fascinating. At 252 pages, it's not a one-night read, but it's an interesting one. There are much better books on Rommel, but none that created a myth.
August 23, 2023
Es difícil contestar a la premisa si era Rommel, el mas humano de los nazis Bajo ello, esta biografía nos permite ver a un general que se negó a matar a sus prisioneros de guerra (contrario a las órdenes de Hitler), y que llevó en África del Norte, la guerra de caballeros. Tras leer el libro, me queda en la mente que el único error y tragedia de Rommel, fue nacer alemán.
April 12, 2012
I first read this book many years ago, when I was 12 years old. Desmond Young's book made me a lifelong student and admirer of The Desert Fox. This is not to say the book, like Rommel, does not have its flaws. It does not have the detail of the Fraser or Lewin biographies, and sometimes Young seems to border on hero worship of Rommel. He also fails to recount some of the more unsavory episodes of Rommel's career, such as his actions outside Tobruk. And yet, Young gives a superb look at Rommel the man, and an unsurpassed view of what made Rommel an extraordinary commander. I do think that Rommel was lionized a bit too much in the postwar years as a counter to the Nazi stereotype. Subsequent research indicates that he was probably not involved in the July 20 plot at all. But how he was viewed in the war's aftermath is neither Rommel's nor Young's fault. Rommel: The Desert Fox is very valuable because Young met Rommel, and even though they were on opposing sides it is clear that Rommel made an impression on him. Anyone interested in Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps should read Rommel: The Desert Fox first. Then they should move on to the heavier biographies and battle histories. "Vorwarts Mit Unserem Rommel!"
October 4, 2023
Read this following three others covering North Africa fighting. Helps to have just read those three books on the Desert War, as the who-what-when-where of the summer 1942 activity is not terribly easy to follow in this book, but that's not a fatal flaw, as Young was writing a character study, not an out-an-out history.
Young's writing style and viewpoint are very interesting; includes info gleaned from personal interviews with several German officers, including at least three generals. Overall effect is sort of a group memoir.
Enjoyed it!
Young's writing style and viewpoint are very interesting; includes info gleaned from personal interviews with several German officers, including at least three generals. Overall effect is sort of a group memoir.
Enjoyed it!
September 25, 2016
I read this book when I was living in England. And it was this book that got me interested in reading about WWII. So for three years, I read every book I could get my hands on about WWII, thanks to the writer of this book who made history so very interesting.
October 7, 2014
Clearly one of the greatest generals ever. It is too bad he was on the wrong side.
January 30, 2023
"If this were a general instead of a book, it would read five stars" - Chicago Tribune.
As a kid who grew up with war stories imparted to him as history lessons from his Baba, I was waiting to read this for a very long time. What added more to my desire to read this was the fact that I had been eyeing the book for a long time. However as it is with life, you often delay and delay until one day, a loss induces you to do something. Similarly, after having thought for years of borrowing this book from Baba's almirah and discussing this with him once having finished reading it, I have done it but then he is not around anymore for me to have a discussion with. Such is the dichotomy of life. You often think of doing things of doing things alongside someone but you do not even begin when they are still around.
So, I had always heard so many stories from Baba about Rommel but he was careful enough to tell me stories of Rommel - the man as well Rommel - the myth. I grew up more inclined towards the man part. I think it is one of the virtues of history and its many stories that they allow you to choose the version you want to subscribe to. Rommel, without a doubt, was one of the most remarkable individuals of his time. Like I don't think that anybody who has had even an iota of interest in World Wars does not know of the legend of Rommel. There has been other books on Rommel too that I have read over the years but what separates Desmond's work to a limit is the emphasis (though a bit less) given on what Rommel did in the Atlantic Wall Defence campaign post-Afrika Korps. However, no Rommel story is complete without Africa. Africa made the man that we all know and a lot of us admire. Its spirit of adventure and freedom was perfectly embraced by Rommel as if two long-lost lovers had finally embraced each other. Europe never really suited him and ironically he died or was made by Hitler to choose the poison within years of leaving Africa. The book, an account of a soldier who a POW with Rommel and filled with accounts of Allied POWs in Africa is a great reminder that the war in Africa was more civil, very different in its nature and ways, quite ironic if you consider the fact that as per 20th Century Europeans it was Africa which was the savage land especially when new tales of barbarity were being re-written in Europe every single day.
War history is filled with "What Ifs?" and this one is no different. You keep on wondering by the time you finish the book as to what would have been if : a. Rommel got the supplies he needed in Africa? b. If the German warlords sitting in Berlin actually accorded the importance to the Africa campaign that it needed? c. If the assassination attempt on Hitler had actually worked? , so and so forth. People often say that the story of the Good Rommel is nothing but a propaganda. Well, the more I read of the accounts of POWs from the war in Africa, the more I feel myself switching my allegiance from the Rommel - the man to Rommel - the myth.
The story of that 1941, when the famed British Eighth Army was on the route to victory in North Africa. Just a few months later, this same army was on the verge of total defeat, as the Germans had won victory after victory and were threatening to overrun Egypt and the Middle East. This is the story of the man who masterminded this great turnabout. The man who burned Hitler's order to execute British raiders and who gave Allied prisoners the same food and medical treatment as his German troops. And the man who would ultimately die for the love of his country, not in war but poisoned.
I believe that yes, the book becomes a drag by the time when one finishes reading the Africa Campaign, like the part could have been cut short by 20-25 pages. But then I am not complaining because I do not think that there is a Rommel without Africa. However, if you don't enjoy reading war plans as they unfold battle scenes along with history, you may not enjoy reading this one.
You would be glad Baba that I finally finished reading something that I had promised to read at some point of my life.
As a kid who grew up with war stories imparted to him as history lessons from his Baba, I was waiting to read this for a very long time. What added more to my desire to read this was the fact that I had been eyeing the book for a long time. However as it is with life, you often delay and delay until one day, a loss induces you to do something. Similarly, after having thought for years of borrowing this book from Baba's almirah and discussing this with him once having finished reading it, I have done it but then he is not around anymore for me to have a discussion with. Such is the dichotomy of life. You often think of doing things of doing things alongside someone but you do not even begin when they are still around.
So, I had always heard so many stories from Baba about Rommel but he was careful enough to tell me stories of Rommel - the man as well Rommel - the myth. I grew up more inclined towards the man part. I think it is one of the virtues of history and its many stories that they allow you to choose the version you want to subscribe to. Rommel, without a doubt, was one of the most remarkable individuals of his time. Like I don't think that anybody who has had even an iota of interest in World Wars does not know of the legend of Rommel. There has been other books on Rommel too that I have read over the years but what separates Desmond's work to a limit is the emphasis (though a bit less) given on what Rommel did in the Atlantic Wall Defence campaign post-Afrika Korps. However, no Rommel story is complete without Africa. Africa made the man that we all know and a lot of us admire. Its spirit of adventure and freedom was perfectly embraced by Rommel as if two long-lost lovers had finally embraced each other. Europe never really suited him and ironically he died or was made by Hitler to choose the poison within years of leaving Africa. The book, an account of a soldier who a POW with Rommel and filled with accounts of Allied POWs in Africa is a great reminder that the war in Africa was more civil, very different in its nature and ways, quite ironic if you consider the fact that as per 20th Century Europeans it was Africa which was the savage land especially when new tales of barbarity were being re-written in Europe every single day.
War history is filled with "What Ifs?" and this one is no different. You keep on wondering by the time you finish the book as to what would have been if : a. Rommel got the supplies he needed in Africa? b. If the German warlords sitting in Berlin actually accorded the importance to the Africa campaign that it needed? c. If the assassination attempt on Hitler had actually worked? , so and so forth. People often say that the story of the Good Rommel is nothing but a propaganda. Well, the more I read of the accounts of POWs from the war in Africa, the more I feel myself switching my allegiance from the Rommel - the man to Rommel - the myth.
The story of that 1941, when the famed British Eighth Army was on the route to victory in North Africa. Just a few months later, this same army was on the verge of total defeat, as the Germans had won victory after victory and were threatening to overrun Egypt and the Middle East. This is the story of the man who masterminded this great turnabout. The man who burned Hitler's order to execute British raiders and who gave Allied prisoners the same food and medical treatment as his German troops. And the man who would ultimately die for the love of his country, not in war but poisoned.
I believe that yes, the book becomes a drag by the time when one finishes reading the Africa Campaign, like the part could have been cut short by 20-25 pages. But then I am not complaining because I do not think that there is a Rommel without Africa. However, if you don't enjoy reading war plans as they unfold battle scenes along with history, you may not enjoy reading this one.
You would be glad Baba that I finally finished reading something that I had promised to read at some point of my life.
May 11, 2018
I tried to read this book keeping in mind the context in which it was written, immediately after the war with little access to information from military files. However, the book reads more like a story about the author himself, and his adventures while gathering information on Rommel.
I finally gave up not quite 100 pages in, when the author basically says 'If you want to read about Rommel's battles in North Africa, go read another book. But since Rommel spent so much time there, I'll tell you a few things.'
He goes from there to present Rommel's work in Normandy in very few pages, before devoting the remainder of the book (I flipped through the rest to get a rough idea of how the book finished) to Rommel's death.
I'm not quite sure what useful purpose this book serves now. There are far better books about Rommel and his experiences.
I finally gave up not quite 100 pages in, when the author basically says 'If you want to read about Rommel's battles in North Africa, go read another book. But since Rommel spent so much time there, I'll tell you a few things.'
He goes from there to present Rommel's work in Normandy in very few pages, before devoting the remainder of the book (I flipped through the rest to get a rough idea of how the book finished) to Rommel's death.
I'm not quite sure what useful purpose this book serves now. There are far better books about Rommel and his experiences.
February 22, 2024
Very sympathetic, non-critical view of a fairly ambiguous character. Hard to separate myth and man (a great deal was spent trying and failing). Would be interested in reading a newer biography (this one is from 1950).
Enjoyed the description of desert warfare in comparison to war on the sea. "Occupying several hundred thousand miles of desert is worthless to him the important thing was destroying the enemy fleet".
The main takeaway from tactical success was "it is often possible to decide the issue of a battle merely by making an unexpected shift of one's main weight". In other words, fingerspitzengefühl - a finger-tip-like feeling for the battle (lol Germans really do have a word for everything). Applied this skill to win victory after victory despite being heavily outnumbered and outgunned.; in the latter half of August 1942, the supply imbalance was conservatively 38:1.
Enjoyed the description of desert warfare in comparison to war on the sea. "Occupying several hundred thousand miles of desert is worthless to him the important thing was destroying the enemy fleet".
The main takeaway from tactical success was "it is often possible to decide the issue of a battle merely by making an unexpected shift of one's main weight". In other words, fingerspitzengefühl - a finger-tip-like feeling for the battle (lol Germans really do have a word for everything). Applied this skill to win victory after victory despite being heavily outnumbered and outgunned.; in the latter half of August 1942, the supply imbalance was conservatively 38:1.
May 3, 2020
The Desert Fox was propped up and inflated greatly by Nazi propaganda. Thanks to Turing and the breaking of Enigma, Allied bombing left him with no supplies in Africa. Montgomery was flush with US equipment and knew Rommel's strategy mostly from intercepted cables, the Germans unaware their code had been broken. This is written by an Englishman who fought against Rommel in Africa - at times esoteric, there are flashes of insight into this General who the Allies so feared, respected and in the end was murdered by his own. It also displays the conflict between vestigial military chivalry and all out war and the consuming fear of Communism that motivated many at the time.
August 18, 2021
Both great and so-so, because the writer was an actual participant in WW2, the insight and experience offered are particularly unique and interesting and though I am easily swayed by the British emphasis on "chivalry", I intended to read the book for the German perspective. Not that Desmond Young's version of Rommel isn't good reading, it's just so obviously biased and driven by ego that often times it feels like a book recounting the British war in Africa, rather than Rommel and the war in Africa. I came for Rommel and the German perspective, what I got was a good book, I admit, on the British perspective of Rommel and the African campaign.
September 18, 2020
A very interesting biography of a very interesting general, German, in the second world war. Known as a gentleman soldier of the old school, he did believe in unnecessary killing, looting or other inhumane actionsAn excellent soldier and leader, he was admired by all. Accused of being part of a plot to kill Hitler, he was himself murdered by mambers of the SS
September 6, 2017
Bella biografia di uno dei generali più bravi e meno odiosi del III Reich: un uomo intelligente, un ufficiale che non si tirava mai indietro, vicino ai suoi sottoposti, mai tiranno. Capì presto che i sogni hitleriani avrebbero portato in rovina la patria e pagò con la vita questa opinione nonostante avesse sempre dato il meglio di se stesso per la Germania
May 7, 2019
Good background on his early life and pre-WWII career, but the WWII portion seems to focus more on the British Army's impressions of Rommel and the internal command conflicts in North Africa. The book also suffers from not having a lot of information about Rommel's involvement in the plot to kill Hitler that came to light after the book was published.
November 6, 2016
This book is kind of a mess. The book is about Rommel's life and military career, which was good. But the writing at time meanders. It's a good enough read most of the time, but it just seemed to need editing.
November 25, 2017
The story of a brilliant and honourable soldier. His brave exploits during WWI are fascinating and, if you read carefully, his brilliance in North African during WWII is well documented through interviews with colleagues and enemies who were there. A good read for those interested in warfare.
December 17, 2018
An interesting portrait of one of Hitler's generals who knew how to win the of he was assigned, but knew that it was hopeless if Hitler stayed in power of the military. A totally engrossing story on the rise and fall of Rommel and Nazi Germany.
June 28, 2025
What better testifies to the strength of one's character than being admired by his staunchest rivals? A British Brigadier taking pains to reveal the deserved portrait of a German Field Marshal -- is in itself the highest praise one can bestow upon the man who lived without any such expectation. Rommel's character and conduct in the face of adversity, his courage and humility, his ability to inspire people, despite his tragic end, are worth revisiting time and again.
This is the second book of my life that made me eschew sleep only to get up again and resume reading in the middle of the night. That Rommel could have such an effect on a reader explains the magnetic aura that enthralled his colleagues, countrymen and enemies alike.
This is the second book of my life that made me eschew sleep only to get up again and resume reading in the middle of the night. That Rommel could have such an effect on a reader explains the magnetic aura that enthralled his colleagues, countrymen and enemies alike.
July 19, 2020
Great leader working for the wrong organization.
Super interesting history of one of the greatest generals, a lot of back story told from the other side.
Super interesting history of one of the greatest generals, a lot of back story told from the other side.
September 4, 2020
I read this in the 8th grade for history.
April 29, 2021
I have read many books about Rommel but not this one until now. Very good book written by a British soldier. He fought against Rommel. Later interviewed German generals who knew Rommel.
October 23, 2021
Excellent book by a British soldier who had the fortune of interviewing Rommels family and fellow generals who he served with in Africa
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