A quick look at the man behind Axis success in North Africa 1941-1942. Maybe the only Nazi general to come out of the war with his reputation intact, this episode does a flyby on the life of Erwin Rommel.
Born in 1891, General Erwin Rommel, known as the Desert Fox, became one of Nazi Germany's most successful and famous field marshals. Highly decorated in World War One for bravery on the Italian Front, Rommel, even won the Pour le Merite. In the inter-war years, Rommel became a respected military theorist. With the invasion of France Rommel showed his brilliance, love of speed, and need for action early on. Once in Africa Rommel dazzled and befuddled the Allied armies he faced even when outgunned and undermanned. Rommel displayed a sense of chivalry and honor for his enemies that earned the Africa campaign the name "war without hate". After the collapse of the North Africa Front Rommel was recalled and put in command of Fortress Europe. By 1944 Rommel was in charge of fortifying and defending the entire Atlantic Coastline. A Nazi, Rommel, was never an ardent antisemite and there is still a heated debate on how much Rommel knew of the death camps. When the 20th July Plot failed to kill Hitler Rommel became a suspect. Given a choice between a trail and the murder of his family or suicide and their safety, he chose the later. Postwar Rommel became one of the few former Nazi symbols that was fairly clean. Rommel's legacy helped rehabilitate West Germany's image in the eyes of NATO and the West.
The song we used is Awaiting an Arrival by Blue Dot Sessions
This weeks book sources - Young’s “The Victors”, The Great Commanders Series
This weeks web sources - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Rommel#Between_the_wars
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