Field Marshall Erwin Rommel

[gi-rene]

Yes all discussion of WW2 eventually comes to him. But on a sci-fi forum I was attempting to defend why some us bases are named after southern generals from the ACW, simply they may have been on the "other" side, but they were Americans and they were certainly military geniuses of their time. I went on to name Ancient to Modern examples citing Rommel as well...

A member then simply said, he was an idiot, I'm waiting for his reasoning, but I want to know if anyone knows about the weaker moments of Rommel?

[MAGNA]

Rommel had quite a few 'weak' moments. He was a gambler when it came to offensive tactics. He was impetuous and had the ability to rub people up the wrong way. Many thought him pigheaded.

Having said that, many of the same attributes can be applied to any other famous commander. How many were considered heroes for sticking to their guns ? And how many were considered fools for doing the same and losing ?

Rommel did over reach often which caused him to generally lose in the end. He wasn't a great strategist. He didn't have much of a grasp on the importance of logistics. He was overblown by Goebbels and at the same time by Allied Generals who sometimes wanted excuses for their own poor performances.

Rommel was an exceptional tactical commander though. At the divisional level he showed superb timing and an understanding of the evolution of a battle. He was perhaps placed too high for his own capabilities but at the fighting level no one could be said to be better.

There is plenty more I could put but that only clouds things.

To say Rommel was an idiot is a hard thing to back up though so this person is either just mouthing off to sound important or simply hasn't looked into the facts. An idiot he was not - working for an idiot perhaps - but not one himself.

[gi-rene]

Hmm I'd always thought his management of his dwindling support and resources in NA was superb... I mean how else could he fight an equal or stronger enemy near the end and still manage to trump them a few times. (other than his tactics of course)

Yes I'm waiting to see the reasoning behind the statement but you are right, almost anything you can say about one legendary commander you can usually say about the rest too.

[MAGNA]

In Australia we usually regard someone who is so self confident and has so much self belief that they will nor listen to others as being 'up themselves'. I often wonder whether that is a bit of a requirement as far as being a great military commander goes.

[gi-rene]

YouTube - Rommel Speaking

Interesting to hear his voice...

[Dallas]

Originally Posted by gi-rene

YouTube - Rommel Speaking

Interesting to hear his voice...

Thanks for the great link. I've never heard Rommel before.

[Wustenfuchs]

Obiviously I'm a Rommel fan. He was one of the greatest and inventive tacticians ever. He did lack in strategic concept. But by the end of the war I think he came to a complete understang of strategty, but by then it was too late. Personally, I think his greatest legacy was his sense of fair play and chivalry. "Krieg ohne Hass".

[LAH 1 SS]

Originally Posted by gi-rene

Hmm I'd always thought his management of his dwindling support and resources in NA was superb... I mean how else could he fight an equal or stronger enemy near the end and still manage to trump them a few times. (other than his tactics of course)

Yes I'm waiting to see the reasoning behind the statement but you are right, almost anything you can say about one legendary commander you can usually say about the rest too.

i suggest the commerade on the other forum should read infantry attacks by rommel himself and then read achtung panzer by guderian ( who was rommels mentor) and then give his justification both a very interesting read indeed and compliment each other well

[salinator]

His early success in France and North America lent a sort of mystique.

His connection to the Hitler assassination plot by Graf von Stauffenberg gave credence to the image of Rommel trying to do the right thing. It allows many to overlook or forgive his ties to Hitler.

It didn't hurt that Rommel had a catchy nickname and was very photogenic, especially with those British goggles.

[Wustenfuchs]

Originally Posted by salinator

His early success in France and North America lent a sort of mystique.

His connection to the Hitler assassination plot by Graf von Stauffenberg gave credence to the image of Rommel trying to do the right thing. It allows many to overlook or forgive his ties to Hitler.

It didn't hurt that Rommel had a catchy nickname and was very photogenic, especially with those British goggles.

Yes he was way more connected to Hitler than most of his "fans" would like to talk about. However he never was someone that would condone mistreatment of prisoners. He figured out Hitler eventually. He was an honorable man with some strange links in his life, kinda normal in my book.