Opponents' view
Ironically, one of the reasons for his towering reputation was due to his opponents. While most enemy generals had only ever received short shrift from British leaders, the British built up a myth around this man as a 'genius'. Churchill even went so far as to name him in the House of Commons.
At one point, Auchinleck became so frustrated by what he considered the Rommel 'bogeyman' that he forbade his troops to mention the German commander. Not surprisingly, such an order simply increased Rommel's status in the eyes of British soldiers.
This development had a clear purpose for the Allies. The image of Rommel as an extraordinary general helped take the edge off the numerous failings of the British army in the desert. It was, after all, easier to explain away the numerous defeats by highlighting their enemy's strengths, than it was to face up to British shortcomings.
The myth took on a life of its own. Rommel was the one German commander to receive sympathetic treatment in a number of biographies written by British officers after the war. Ultimately, this led to his immortalisation in the masterly film portrayal by James Mason - 'The Desert Rats'. Irony indeed.
'The Rommel myth took on a life of its own.'
There were some undoubted underlying truths behind the myth. Rommel was indeed a daring commander who took huge gambles to bring victory. And he never hesitated to punish the mistakes of his opponents. He was an inspirational leader, who led his men from the front and frequently drove to the right place at the right time on the battlefield.
Published: 2004-05-10
Bookmark with:
What are these?