The Rommel PapersAn essential collection of the wartime writings and diary of World War II German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, edited with commentary by one of the great military theorists of our time When Erwin Rommel died-by forced suicide at Hitler's command-he left behind in various ingenious hiding places the papers that recorded the story of his dramatic career and the exact details of his masterly campaigns. It was his custom to dictate each evening a running narrative of the day's events and, after each battle, to summarize its course and the lessons to be learned from it. He wrote, almost daily, intimate and outspoken letters to his wife in which his private feelings and-after the tide had turned-forebodings found expression. To this is added by Rommel's son Manfred the story of the field marshall's last weeks and the final day when he was given the choice of an honorable suicide or an ignominious trial for treason. An engrossing human document and a rare look at the mind of the "Desert Fox," The Rommel Papers throws an interesting light on the Axis alliance and on the inner workings of Hitler's high command. |
Contents
The Story of the Rommel Papers by Manfred Rommel | xxiii |
Editorial Note | xxix |
II | 11 |
Copyright | |
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15th Panzer Division 21st Panzer Division 25th Panzer Regiment 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion 5th Light Division 6th Rifle Regiment 7th Armoured Division 7th Rifle 90th Light action advance Afrika Korps Agedabia aircraft Alamein already ammunition anti-tank guns Ariete armoured cars Armoured Division Army Group arrived artillery fire battle Bayerlein Benghazi British British armour British tanks Buerat captured casualties Cherbourg coast column command Corps Cyrenaica DEAREST LU defence desert Division's drove east enemy tanks enemy's fighting flank formations forward French front Fuehrer Fuehrer's H.Q. Gazala German halt heavy Hitler infantry Italian Kesselring large numbers launched lorries Luftwaffe machine-gun Meanwhile Mechili Mersa el Brega Mersa Matruh miles mobile morning motorised forces move night offensive officers operations Panzer Army Panzer III Panzer IV petrol position possible prisoners Reconnaissance Battalion retreat road Rommel round sector Sidi situation Sollum soon staff supply tactical Tobruk Tripoli troops vehicles yards