Get Rommel: The Secret British Mission to Kill Hitler's Greatest General

by Michael Asher

In summer 1941 Erwin Rommel was Hitler's favourite he had driven the British out of Libya and stood poised to invade Egypt. He seemed unbeatable. So the British decided to have him killed. The British opened their counter-attack with a series of special forces raids, the first ever operation by the newly formed SAS. Rommel was one of the targets. Michael Asher reveals how poor planning and incompetence in high places led to disaster in the desert-- and how fantastic bravery and brilliant improvisation enabled a handful of men to escape. Classic real life adventure, written by best-selling desert expert and novelist Michael Asher.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, World War II

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2004

About the author

Michael Asher is an author, historian, deep ecologist, and notable desert explorer who has covered more than 30,000 miles on foot and camel. He spent three years living with a traditional nomadic tribe in Sudan.

Michael Asher was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in 1953, and attended Stamford School. At 18 he enlisted in the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, and saw active service in Northern Ireland during The Troubles there in the 1970s.

He studied English Language & Linguistics at the University of Leeds. at the same time serving in B Squadron, 23rd SAS Regiment. He also studied at Carnegie College, Leeds, where he qualified as a teacher of physical education and English.

In 1978-9, he worked for the RUC Special Patrol Group anti-terrorist patrols, but left after less than a year. He took a job as a volunteer English teacher in the Sudan in 1979.

The author of twenty-one published books, and presenter/director of six TV documentaries, Asher has lived in Africa for much of his life, and speaks Arabic and Swahili. He is married to Arabist and photographer Mariantonietta Peru, with whom he has a son and a daughter, Burton and Jade. He currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

Reviews

[Ruth Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The old English SAS are tough bastards...
A good read

[Allyson · Rating 1 out of 5]

So far, a little tedious....

It got a little better but not significantly. Too many needlessly detailed descriptions of who did what, when. The best parts were about undercover agents.

[Robin Braysher · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you've just watched James Mason in the 1951 film, 'The Desert Fox', with its 'cold open' of the failed mission to kill Rommel, this is the only book to read - assuming it's lurking unread on your book shelf. The book covers much more than just the mission itself, with the background of the commandos, the SAS, more than walk-on parts for the LRDG and the SBS, and the situation in the Western Desert. I wonder how much of this - and the background details of lots of personnel - was really necessary to the story of the mission, which was where things livened up a bit. There is quite a strain of class critique throughout the book, which isn't a problem for me given that I have no 'Guardees', landed gentry or members of 'White's' in my family tree! It's one of those books that makes you think: how ever did we make it through to 1945 on the winning side? The ethos of the book is summed up in this sentence: "The raid was born of one man's ambition to achieve glory and, as so many times in British history, it was rescued from ignominy by the valour and determination of the ordinary enlisted man."

I know this is pedantic, but I was irritated by references to the 'Yorkshire & Lancashire Regiment' - it should be the 'York & Lancaster Regiment', or , if you wish to give offence, the 'Cork & Doncasters'!

[Toby White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this with an open mind after reading some of the other reviews. I love history but this is written like a history essay (studied history back at school). Overall, the book is around 50 pages too long in my opinion. Although I found this book interesting, it became increasingly tedious the more I read on. For those not interested in history or following military acronyms or terminology, have google at the ready… I needed to reference it often all the same!

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating page in history, but rather difficult to read the prose..

[Steve G**** · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s only hubris if I fail”…I’m not too sure whether Julius Caesar did actually say this or it’s the work of some Hollywood scriptwriter! Either way, it pretty much sums up the failings of OPERATION FLIPPER and sheds an interesting light on what was eventually to become the finest Special Forces unit in the world.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

627 - 2015

Operation Flipper was simply a disaster that good enough to be written in confusing details.

Skenario penculikan/pembunuhan Rommel ini boleh dibilang kebalikannya cerita The Eagle Has Landed-nya Jack Higgins deh :P

[Miroslav Fiala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knížka provází hodně vymezeným úsekem druhé světové války v Africe. Popisuje zformování SAS a atentát na Rommela. Hodně zajímavé téma, které mohlo být provedeno o trošku lépe. Ovšem i tak mám tuto knížku hodně rád.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK but a bit long winded.

[Michal]

Basically just history, no first person account (in other Asher's books he actually tracks the history himself and describes his experiences. This book lacks this perspective).