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VID- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REi0lEQVVWs

Nice find POS.

Rommel had the ability to see the Big Picture at all times and know exactly what needed to be decisively done, eg- "Attack there! Defend there! Break through there! Reinforce there!"
This classic quote shows his tremendous strength of will-
"I decided to ignore my orders and to take command at the front with my own hands as soon as possible" (on arriving in Africa 1941)
His decisive body language says it all-

A shame of history that he did not survive the war.. I imagine his post-war stories would be a treasured collection.
I do wonder if the allies would have tried him on any war crimes tho... perhaps he got out in the best way after all.

At his best he was a brilliant and improvisational field commander whom his troops loved and his enemies feared. At his worst he was moody, sullen, subject to fits of despair and constantly out of touch with his staff which was left to command in his absence. He also couldn't spell logistics if you spotted him the log. ;)

The man was entitled to say much and be listened too, I just happen to think the Germans alone had a great many other generals who deserved to be heard more than he.

Steel God Wrote:At his best he was a brilliant and improvisational field commander whom his troops loved and his enemies feared. At his worst he was moody, sullen, subject to fits of despair and constantly out of touch with his staff which was left to command in his absence. He also couldn't spell logistics if you spotted him the log. ;)

The man was entitled to say much and be listened too, I just happen to think the Germans alone had a great many other generals who deserved to be heard more than he.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about him as well.

Good Hunting.

MR

I didn't say he was great, just that his stories would be some good reading :P

And really come on now.. we all know he was a great person.. after all James Mason's impersonation of him in The Desert Fox is 100% accurate right? Hollywood never lies...

Steel God Wrote:At his best [Rommel] was a brilliant and improvisational field commander whom his troops loved and his enemies feared.

And that's all that matters..:)
Same applies to Monty and Patton, moody arrogant egotistical strutting s.o.b's both of 'em but who cares; they did the job and that's all that matters..:)

PoorOldSpike Wrote:

Steel God Wrote:At his best [Rommel] was a brilliant and improvisational field commander whom his troops loved and his enemies feared.

And that's all that matters..:)
Same applies to Monty and Patton, moody arrogant egotistical strutting s.o.b's both of 'em but who cares; they did the job and that's all that matters..:)

It's all that matters at the tactical level, but at the operational level or the strategic level, his inconsistency would work against him in a BIG way.

Steel God Wrote:at the operational level or the strategic level, his inconsistency would work against him in a BIG way.

Give us some examples of Rommels goofs..;)