Probably Germany's most well known WWII general was Erwin Rommel. A man who did not come from a military family, but one who, during WWI, showed himself to be an aggressive and competent field officer. When the German army was downsized after the war, Rommel was one of the few officers who was chosen to say on. He soon became one of the many acquaintances of Adolf Hitler, and while not part of his inner circle, was instrumental in setting up Hitler's HQ during the Polish campaign. He was rewarded with a field command with the 7th Panzer Division.

During the French campaign, Rommel proved himself to be a bold commander who led from the front and was able to get the most from his men. A superb tactician, he was probably more 'hands on' than most and this did cause some problems from time to time, both on the field and with senior officers and those under his command.

His fame grew to epic proportions in his battles across North Africa where he was again, in the front of the battle and able to pull off some remarkable victories against the British. Few seem to remember that Rommel also had a few defeats and was eventually pushed off the continent. This was as much due to a lack of resources as it was his command abilities, as by the time Montgomery took over the British 8th Army in 1942, the Allies had built up an overwhelming cache of resources which Montgomery's forces were able to use against the severely depleted Afrika Korps.

In this book as part of Osprey's new Command series, author Battistelli takes look at the life of Erwin Rommel, from his early years through his WWI experiences and the events of WWII that shaped his career and those that eventually caused him to take his life in late 1944. Throughout the book are period photos and superb artwork that includes maps and charts of the campaigns in which he was involved.

In all, it is a fascinating look at one of Germany's iconic personalities.  A most interesting read and one that I am sure you will enjoy.

July 2010

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