[Jim O]

You assume that Rommel would have had control of the rear and that is not likely. That was given over to the security forces (read goons), not fighting men. Civilian roundups and murders would still have occurred and nothing Rommel could have said or done would have prevented it. Same thing with POW's. There was simply no food to feed them. They would have been worked to death. USSR was not a party to the Geneva Convention and Stalin considered POW's to be traitors.

I guess we disagree on whether Rommel would have been able to convince Hitler of what other fine Generals could not. I think not. The vote may have been 15-1 for taking Moscow, but the only vote was the one cast by Hitler. Of course we will never know...