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Rommel: Germany’s Flawed Champion
Few modern military commanders have caught the public’s imagination as much as Erwin Rommel, the panzer leader who constantly led from the front, achieving breathtaking success in France and North Africa, and to whose wounding and demise the German failure in Normandy is often attributed.
More than sixty years after his death, Rommel still personifies the exemplary ideal of the German soldier, a figure who not only inspires respect for his mastery of warfare but for his reticent relationship with the Nazi regime. In this book, however, Benoît Lemay sheds new light on the man. Based on new research and the discovery of Rommel’s private correspondence, Lemay places in question this legendary figure’s relationship with the Nazi regime. Contrary to the accepted belief that Rommel held serious reservations toward Hitler, Lemay instead asserts that the “Desert Fox” was in reality a dedicated partisan of the Führer, to whom he remained loyal until the very end. While Rommel’s fame and image is in part due to Nazi propaganda, which made of him a “god of war” and a “son of the people,” the British also did their part by hailing him as a “great general,” in part to excuse their repeated defeats in North Africa.
In this compelling and detailed narrative of Rommel’s career, Lemay offers the paradoxical history of an exceptional soldier enlisted in the service of a criminal regime. Relying upon international sources, he provides a balanced portrait of the man, discussing both his immediate post-war idolization and the later interpretations excoriating him. As Lemay “He shared in the larger German tragedy not only because he remained loyal to Hitler, but because, convinced he was performing his military duty, he ignored the non-military consequences of his acts.” After the war, his wife ‘Thus ends the life of a man who, throughout his whole life, was entirely dedicated to serving his country.”
The final irony of Rommel’s life was that he committed suicide after Hitler discovered that the German Resistance had hoped to elevate him as the new leader of the Reich, not realizing that Rommel himself remained loyal to his Führer. In this work, Lemay, author of the highly acclaimed Hitler’s Master Strategist, has once again illuminated an important aspect of World War II.
More than sixty years after his death, Rommel still personifies the exemplary ideal of the German soldier, a figure who not only inspires respect for his mastery of warfare but for his reticent relationship with the Nazi regime. In this book, however, Benoît Lemay sheds new light on the man. Based on new research and the discovery of Rommel’s private correspondence, Lemay places in question this legendary figure’s relationship with the Nazi regime. Contrary to the accepted belief that Rommel held serious reservations toward Hitler, Lemay instead asserts that the “Desert Fox” was in reality a dedicated partisan of the Führer, to whom he remained loyal until the very end. While Rommel’s fame and image is in part due to Nazi propaganda, which made of him a “god of war” and a “son of the people,” the British also did their part by hailing him as a “great general,” in part to excuse their repeated defeats in North Africa.
In this compelling and detailed narrative of Rommel’s career, Lemay offers the paradoxical history of an exceptional soldier enlisted in the service of a criminal regime. Relying upon international sources, he provides a balanced portrait of the man, discussing both his immediate post-war idolization and the later interpretations excoriating him. As Lemay “He shared in the larger German tragedy not only because he remained loyal to Hitler, but because, convinced he was performing his military duty, he ignored the non-military consequences of his acts.” After the war, his wife ‘Thus ends the life of a man who, throughout his whole life, was entirely dedicated to serving his country.”
The final irony of Rommel’s life was that he committed suicide after Hitler discovered that the German Resistance had hoped to elevate him as the new leader of the Reich, not realizing that Rommel himself remained loyal to his Führer. In this work, Lemay, author of the highly acclaimed Hitler’s Master Strategist, has once again illuminated an important aspect of World War II.
- GenresWorld War II
528 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
22 people want to read
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August 5, 2024
Du soldat audacieux au maréchal adulé par les foules, l'ascension du célèbre Renard du Désert ne fut pas seulement permise par ses talents de stratège. Cette biographie permet de nuancer sa réputation en démontant les mensonges de la propagande et offre un portrait contrasté vis-à-vis de sa figure dans la culture populaire.
Displaying 1 of 1 review