John Pimlott - Rommel: In His Own Words

ROMMEL

In his own words

EDITOR: DR JOHN PIMLOTT

This digital edition first published in 2014

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Amber Books Ltd
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Copyright 2014 Amber Books Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-78274-190-9

PICTURE CREDITS

Hulton Deutsch Collection; Robert Hunt Library; Imperial War Museum; Peter Newarks Pictures; Rommel Family Collection; T.R.H. Pictures/Cody Images; United States National Archives.

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CONTENTS

Introduction

F ield Marshal Erwin Rommel (18911944) is one of the few German generals of World War II who is still widely remembered. Whether directing a battle from the top of his command vehicle in the North African desert or sitting rather self-consciously in a studio, his weather-beaten face, with its calculating eyes and firm jaw, immediately conjures up images of the Desert Fox, capable of defeating superior forces with consummate ease.

In pictures he appears invincible, commanding all-powerful mobile units against rather plodding, unimaginative enemies who depend for their eventual success on superior equipment rather than operational skill. Even the manner of his death taking poison rather than risk a public trial that would endanger his family as Adolf Hitler took revenge against any officer implicated in the July 1944 Bomb Plot seems romantic, leaving an impression of military professionalism hopelessly compromised in the service of the Fhrer.

Like all legends, it contains a measure of truth. Rommel was, first and foremost, a fighting soldier. He was undeniably brave his Pour le Merit, or Blue Max, was earned in the heat of battle and is, deservedly, regarded as the equivalent of the Victoria Cross or Medal of Honour and his qualities of leadership were high. He cared about his men and was determined from the start of his fighting career to master the tactical skills that would enable them to survive and win, even amidst the horrors of trench warfare on the Western Front in 191415.

But there was much more to it than that, for it was obvious from the start that Rommel was a cut above the majority of his contemporaries. His transfer to a mountain battalion in October 1915 and his subsequent experiences in Romania and northern Italy gave him the opportunity to perfect techniques of mobile warfare that he would use to such devastating effect in later years. Leading small groups of fast-moving infantry, he surprised the Italians and drove deep into their rear areas. Such tactics demanded he be fit and inherently flexible to grasp the opportunities presented to him. He was undoubtedly helped by the prevailing German system of command known as Auftragstaktik, or mission command, whereby officers were expected to achieve objectives free from interference from above. During the inter-war years he analysed the battles he had fought and passed his wisdom on to officer cadets. Despite his lack of experience in armoured warfare, his emphasis on flexibility and initiative in mobile operations enabled him to transfer his ideas easily.

He led from the front so that he could grasp ever opportunity, he appreciated the value of all-arms cooperation the tanks for punch and mobility, mechanised infantry for protection, artillery for firepower, anti-aircraft and anti-tank tasks, the engineers for clearing a way across the battlefield and was aware of the advantages of air power. His aim was to keep moving, to sever the links between the enemy command brain and his front-line muscles.

These were techniques that were to be refined and exploited in North Africa in 194142, with the added advantage that the battle area was ideal for manoeuvre operations. Rommels wide right-flanking attacks, designed to cut behind British defensive positions and sever the command links, worked on a number of occasions, not least in the Battle of Gazala in MayJune 1942.

However, in North Africa he came up against things he could not control: his unreliable supply chain and poorly equipped Italian allies. In addition, he took risks, which proved his undoing against the cautious but calculating Montgomery. And Montgomery got the measure of Rommel again in Normandy in 1944, denying the Germans the type of mobility Rommel was keen to use.

The overall impression of Rommel is of a quick-thinking and swift-moving commander, at his best in situations in which he could exploit his advantage. He was prepared to take risks indeed, it was an integral part of his command style and if they worked the rewards were often enormous. However, if they failed, he was forced onto the defensive and became frustrated. The battlefield was his arena, but it was a battlefield that he preferred to control and shape. He was not always able to do so.

A war hero with his family. The Desert Fox, wife and son photographed during one of their rare times together.

Chapter I

Young Rommel

Born into a strict, typically middle-class southern German family, the young Erwin Rommel showed no early signs of military genius. A pale and sometimes sickly child, he nonetheless enjoyed physical challenges, and had youthful ambitions of becoming an aeronautical engineer. However, his future was to be in another profession

E rwin Johannes Eugen Rommel was born on Sunday 15th November 1891 at Heidenheim, near Ulm in Wrttemberg. His father, after whom he was named, was a schoolmaster and a mathematician of some distinction; his mother, Helene, was the eldest daughter of Karl von Luz, President of the Government (Regierungs-Praesident) of Wrttemberg. Erwin was therefore assured of a comfortable upbringing; as he was later to recall: my early years passed very pleasantly as I was able to romp around our yard and big garden all day long. He had an elder sister, Helena, and two younger brothers, Karl and Gerhardt; an elder brother, Manfred, died while still an infant.

Officer Cadet Rommel photographed in 1911, an official portrait he gave to his mother at the beginning of his military career.

There was no indication in his early years that he would pursue a military career. As a child, Erwin was so pale and sickly that, according to Helene, he was known in the family as the white bear. He also displayed little intellectual capacity. In 1898 his father was appointed headmaster of the secondary school (Realgymnasium) at Aalen, but as there was no primary school in the town, Erwin had to be educated by private tuition. Although this proved sufficient to gain him a place in his fathers school in 1900, he had clearly not kept up with his contemporaries. Aware of this, he became even more pale and sickly, falling so far behind in his work that he gained a reputation for being lazy and inattentive.