On a whim, I started sifting through the Wikipedia article on Erwin Rommel. This of course alerted me to the existence of the 'Rommel myth', something I was unaware of.
Was Rommel really as much of a magnificent bastard as he's made out to be, or was he just overrated for propaganda purposes? Additionally, does anyone know some good books or articles on Rommel?
>>1251735
Did he win in North Africa? If no then no he is just a meme. If yes you need to back to kiddie school.
>>1251750
Nah, you're just retarded.
>>1251775
I don't think Rommel could order Einsatzgruppen units from doing what they were formed to do.
Either way, I'm not saying he's some infallible saint. He was a glory hound and supported the Nazi party for a while.
He worked miracles with what he had but he also was unable to not over extend his lines. The British were literally retarded in Africa and unable to beat a barely supplied and outnumbered foe until Americans zerged them.
Model was better
>>1251819
The British did beat them, before the Americans even arrived.
>>1251735
He was famous in large part due to Hitler and Goebbels making him into a national hero. The other part, which shouldn't be ignored, is that Rommel was very resourceful with what he had and always lead from the front. He was unconventional for his time and this had both advantages and disadvantages. Germany pretty much sent him to the areas where they needed someone who could do a lot with a little, both in Africa and France, so Rommel was a strong choice. He probably would not have been as successful in managing affairs on the eastern front which was basically a way larger scale than he'd been working with.
tl;dr great general? yes. greatest general ever? no, probably not.
>>1251867
What about his opinions of the Nazi party? Did he truly become disillusioned with it as the war dragged on?
>>1251877
He lost a lot of soldiers due to Hitler's policys.
Later on, he realized the war was lost.
If it wasn't for a damn Canadian's spitfire strafing his car, it's possible a large scale surrender in the western front would of happened in 1944
>>1251819
Not only did the British defeat him before the American arrival but they where also doing considerably better than the Americans even with the massive numerical differences. The sit and wait tactics whilst on revision where a bit stupid, where not considered so at the time and payed off all the same.
>>1252191
Perhaps. Certainly would have saved lives on both sides. If the assassination attempt on Hitler didn't happen, he probably would have advocated for surrender.
>Saturday, February 20, dawned cold and wet, but the Germans had still not achieved the desired breakthrough. Rommel had arrived, and was not happy with what he saw. Time is everything in war, and Rommel knew that he did not have much left to achieve victory. Montgomery’s Eighth Army was still far to the east, but was fast approaching the Mareth Line. “Those fellows are all too slow,” he complained to aides when he found the 10th Panzer Division resting comfortably near Sbietla. When division commander Brig. Gen. Fritz von Broich explained awkwardly that he was waiting for an infantry battalion to attack first, Rommel exploded. “Go and fetch the motor cycle battalion yourself, and lead it into action too,” he ordered.
>>1252241
That's hilarious.
>>1251735
Germans needed a general they could shill. Germanboos needed a Nazi they could support. Rommel was the solution to both.
Rommel lost Africa, so he was shit.
