Rommel: A Media Creation?

  David Irving’s The Trail of the Fox about legendary Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is certainly one of the most gripping books I have ever read. The first chapter and the last chapter portray this man as a modern day Hannibal. The intervening pages provide a devastating critique. They say that the devil is in the details. In the early stages of the war in North Africa, Hitler blitzed the media with praise for Rommel touting his victorious siege of Tobruk. After that, when Rommel kept on retreating, Hitler felt he could not back down from his support without losing face with the public. Furthermore, he liked and believed in the Field Marshal. Shortly before the Nazi loss of North Africa Rommel was sent to a rehabilitation resort (partly to save his reputation) and was subsequently put in charge of the defense of the French coast against an expected Anglo-American invasion. Rommel had some good qualities. He was a capable tactician. In the fluidity of the battlefield, especially with tanks, he showed himself to be the master of the surprise attack. He stayed close to the front lines during battle which earned him respect from his men and a reputation as physically courageous. What he lacked was moral courage. After a beachhead was established in Normandy Rommel wanted to strike a deal with Montgomery with or without Hitler’s approval–this while Hitler had always treated him with utmost respect and had persistently promoted his career. While he was not directly involved in the anti-Hitler conspiracy of Von Stauffenberg he did not share the loyalty that Hitler had shown him. Part of the problem was that only the most fervent Nazis were loyal to Hitler in the last months–and Rommel was not really a Nazi. He would not fight to the death for Hitler or the Nazi cause as soldiers in the Waffen SS did. This biography was a big bestseller in Germany. My guess is that most people bought the book because it was the thing to do and did not bother to read it all the way through. I find this is very common for books about Hitler and other prominent figures in the Third Reich.