Irving's classic account of the life of
Afrika Korps' famous General draws an interesting portrait of one of the
most prolific figures of World War 2: a brilliant tactician and inspiring
leader, often forced to improvise and often successfull against horrible
odds, but also a devout follower of the Führer, unable or unwilling
to see the dark side of the Reich's politics, Rommel frequently quarreled
with the more conservative members of the General Staff. Both Rommel's stunning
successes and glaring failures are analyzed in great detail, showing how
the desert fox frequently operated on sheer luck, ignoring all traditional
military logic. Irving went to great lengths to locate source material and
interview surviving eyewitnesses of Rommel's life, giving the whole book
a very dynamic and direct atmosphere, a feeling of really getting to know
the man behind Germany's African adventure. |