Rommel in North Africa
This book gives has many pictures, pictures of Rommel talking with his men, pictures of Rommel in Tobruk, pictures of his men, and some of the enemy. Some photos are even taken by the Fox himself. But where this book have lots of pics, it lacs words. I mean, you won't get so much written information from this book, that you would get from some other books about Rommel. No new information is given here. However, the photos, all in good quality, makes this book a must-have for Rommel-fans. --By Kjetil HopeField Marshal Erwin Rommel of the German Wehrmacht is truly a unique figure from world war II. Described among the allies as a brave and skilled commander, he is really the only one in the Axis countries to be admired by their opponents. While some of this is the natural hype of war, most of it was earned. Although he made many mistakes by being stubborn, there were many good sides to his leadership. Virtually alone among the leaders of all sides, he took great personal risks on the battlefield. The stories about his visiting German patients in an English hospital are hard to believe but are most likely true. His reputation for chivalrous conduct is impeccable, where even Jewish prisoners were considered as captured soldiers, who were treated very well by his troops. Rommel also grew to oppose Hitler both directly and indirectly, a strategy that led to his death at his own hand. Unlike others who chose to spare themselves at all cost, he knew of the forthcoming attempt on Hitler's life and yet he did not betray his comrades. As the title suggests, this book is almost totally devoted to his actions in North Africa. Containing many pictures, some of which he personally took, this book captures the essence of what that war was like. Fought on land that was otherwise worthless, there were no civilians or other infrastructure to get in the way. Men and machines fought it out in a giant war of movement, all undergoing enormous deprivation as finally the Axis side was ground into the acrid dust. While Lande is clearly an admirer of Rommel, his flaws are also clearly described. Often ignoring the need for supplies and attacking when he could not succeed, Rommel proved to be all too human in possessing too much confidence in his ability to win a battle with inferior resources. Over a half-century has elapsed since Rommel was forced to commit suicide over his opposition to Hitler and his suicidal war. As the historical record continues to open up, his standing has not diminished, but continues to increase. In my mind, if he had been given the resources, he would have conquered all of Egypt, Palestine and the rest of the middle East. Had the bomb been a little more effective, he would have probably been the head of the German state after Hitler, a scenario that begs for someone to write an alternate history. --By Charles Ashbacher