Desert Fox Erwin Rommel: Myth and Reality

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This German general was unhappy with the rate of the Wehrmacht, but he was extolled by the British and the French, whom he mercilessly beat. He even admired Churchill.
His enemies felt genuine respect and awe. But is it so terrible "invincible general" as he is painted.

Rommel Erwin Eugen Johannes was born in 1891, in the family of the teacher of a deaf town near Ulm. He had never been in peace since childhood, he always wanted feats. After graduating from the military school in Danzig, he was openly bored. But then the First World War began, and Erwin proved himself to the fullest. The officer of the battalion of the Alpine huntsmen made bold forays, courageously and dexterously attacked the trenches of the French and the English. He received two iron crosses and wrote a diary on the tactics of infantry attacks. Subsequently, this diary became very famous and was read by Hitler. This helped Rommel get to the top. Under the Nazis, he was promoted to the post of commandant of the field rate of the Fuhrer.
With the onset of World War II, the brave Rommel shirt unexpectedly asks Hitler to give him the tanks in charge. The Führer decides that Rommel will take up the 7th Panzer Division, which "rusts without action". To the surprise of those around him, he was able to create a battle-worthy and exemplary part.

The war in France Rommel called "a fun walk." His division, appeared in the most unexpected places, thundered the rear and took cities. Rommel believed that the headquarters does not know the tank war, and does not represent the situation "on the ground". Rommel's division was nicknamed the "ghost division": its commander did not get in touch and no one knew where he was traveling, along with his tanks.

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In the same image of the ranger, Rommel acted in northern Africa, where he went in the spring of 1941 to save the Italians. The tank corps of Rommel attacked the 7th British tank division, which was nicknamed the "rat of the desert." The tank troops of the British proved to be weaker than the Germans, both in technical terms and in the ability to fight. For savvy and cunning, our hero gets the nickname "fox of the desert".

The sarcasm of war: "The fox drove out the rats from the desert, but the rats grew bigger and bigger, and they tore it up." The British, frightened for Egypt and India, increased the number of their troops and began to press the Germans. Rommel's corps was decreasing, but no reinforcements. Everything went to the eastern front.
At first, the lightning-fast and unexpected attacks inherent in Rommel brought success. The British, who had 3 times more armored vehicles and 5 times more aircraft, suffered catastrophic losses and fled to El Alamein.

Two battles at El-Alamein are regarded by the Allies as the most important, along with Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge. Putting more initiative General Montgomery at the head of the armies and increasing the troops in the ratio: infantry 4 to 1, tanks 5 to 1, anti-tank guns 3 to 1 and 4 to 1 aircraft, the British were able to turn the situation in their favor. Rommel fought longer than anyone expected. Later, he also fought well in Normandy, but this was the end of his career, and the criticism of his actions sounded louder.

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What did Rommel like the English so much, why did they praise him so much? In comparison with the Eastern Front, the Allied successes looked pale. The only serious enemy was Rommel in Africa. Like the Romans in the wars with Hannibal, they needed to exalt their rival. Secondly, the two colonial empires fought in a foreign territory inhabited by hostile natives. In the environment of the Arabs, belonging to the European race is very close.
Not the least role played by the charisma of Rommel himself. Against the background of the other Nazi generals, he was extremely distinguished. Rommel was always at the forefront of the attack. Delil all the hardships with the soldiers. He was respected for his humane attitude towards the enemy: he often cut the water norm for his soldiers to provide her with prisoners of war.

Summarizing, it is necessary to recognize Erwin Rommel as an excellent field commander who bravely fights on the periphery of the "big war". His "corporate reception" - an unrestrained offensive despite everything in the end turned into a catastrophe in North Africa. As Albert Kesselring remarked maliciously:
"He was the leader of the blitzkrieg forces, but only the army level. Above this level, he was beyond his powers. "

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