Rommel: The End of a LegendField Marshal Erwin Rommel was the most popular soldier of World War II. Under his leadership the German Afrika Korps advanced all the way to Egypt. Known as the Desert Fox, Rommel was considered invincible. That is the story told in the history books. Ralf Georg Reuth paints a different portrait of Erwin Rommel: a picture of a man who owed his fame in part to Nazi propaganda and whose role in the resistance is still unclear; the image of a soldier, who was promoted by Hitler and who continued to stay true to him until the end, when he committed suicide at the behest of his Führer. His personal fate is the mirror image of the German tragedy of that time: to have followed the Führer to the end and to believe that one had thereby done one's patriotic duty. |
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20 July able Adjutant advance Afrika Korps Alamein Allied April army Atlantic Wall attack BA-MA battle believed Berlin Berndt Bormann British Burgdorf Chief of Staff Churchill conspirators Cyrenaica decision defeat defence desert despite East Egypt enemy Erwin Rommel forces France Fritz Bayerlein Fröhlich front Führer Headquarters German Goebbels Guderian Hans Speidel Herrlingen Hitler Hofacker honour Infantry invasion Irving Italian Jodl June Kampf Keitel Kesselring Kirchheim Kluge La Roche Guyon later leader leadership Letter to Lucie Lucie Rommel Luftwaffe Manfred Rommel military Munich National Socialist Nazi newsreels North Africa November October offensive officers opponent Panzer Division political propaganda Propaganda Ministry radio realised regiment Reich Reich Chancellery Reichswehr reported resistance retreat Reuth Roche Guyon Roll Rommel wrote Ruge Rundstedt Russian Schmundt SDLC September situation Speidel Stülpnagel superior supposed Supreme Commander West tactics tank Tobruk troops victory Völkischer Beobachter Warlimont Wehrmacht Western campaign wife Wolfsschanze World