Customer Reviews

Infantry Attacks

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The principal players of the Second World War paid their dues in the First, and Erwin Rommel was no exception. The man who would later become "the Desert Fox" and win worldwide acclaim as one of the greatest generals of all time began his combat career as a young lieutenant in the army of Wilhelm II, indistinguishable from thousands of others who crossed the French or Belgian frontier in 1914. Four years later he was one of the most decorated soldiers in the Imperial Army, holder of the "Pour le Merite" (the highest Prussian award for bravery) and a firm believer that "positional [i.e. trench] warfare" was for fools. His credo could be summed up in the old Prussian maxim: "Never ask how strong the enemy is, only where he is -- and march to the sound of guns."

Rommel published INFANTRY ATTACKS in 1937, when he was a lieutenant-colonel in the Reichsheer and commandant of the military academy in Weiner Neustadt. At the time he was already famous in the German army for his 1914 - 1918 exploits, but INFANTRY ATTACKS brought him international acclaim, at least in military circles. In Germany the book made him quite wealthy, and in a sense one can see why: compared to the turgid, half-mystical reminiscences of some of his contemporaries, INFANTRY ATTACKS is entirely without introspection. It is simply a recounting of the innumerable small-unit actions in which Rommel participated in during the Great War. The book's methodical, matter-of-fact style reflects the personality of its author, who was not inclined to philosophizing. The "whys" and "wherefores" of war mattered to him not at all. Unlike Ernst Juenger, who also won the Pour le Merite and wrote postwar accounts of his exploits (THE STORM OF STEEL, COPSE 125, WAR AS AN INWARD EXPERIENCE) Rommel wasn't interested in the "inward experience", just the fighting. He was a soldier's soldier.

During the War, Rommel served extensively in France, Rumania and Italy, and INFANTRY ATTACKS recounts in great detail his many offensive exploits, where he distinguished himself not merely with his aggressive style but by his habit (repeated in World War II) of leading from the front. Utterly fearless, possessing unlimited physical stamina and seemingly immune to pain (his gunshot wounds are described merely as events, like losing the sole of a shoe; the only thing that seems to have caused him real discomfort in the whole war was getting a foot smashed by a boulder in the mountains) Rommel was the ideal junior officer under any conditions, and was rightly worshipped by his men - another trait he enjoyed in the '39 - 45 war. He was further distinguished by his nobility and chivalry, qualities which are more responsible than his military genius for making him beloved among his former enemies. Today, Rommel is the only one of the myriad generals who achieved fame in Nazi Germany who is officially honored by the present day German government.

The strength of INFANTRY ATTACKS lies not merely in the nature of what is being described (battle and more battle) but in the fact that Rommel has no artistic pretentions: he simply records what happened without sentimentalizing or succumbing to the Germanic curse of using 1,000 words when two hundred would suffice. This, however, is also the book's great weakness: all these skirmishes, raids, marches, countermarches, midnight conferences, attacks, retirements, hand-grenade fights, machine-gun duels, artillery bombardments, and climbs up mountain slopes in the rain, snow and blazing sun begin to wear down the reader over time. If it is possible for combat to be monotonous, Rommel occasionally manages to make it so, if only by the staggering amount of it he actually experienced. If Juenger was often turgid and romantic, he was also willing to discuss the lighter side of war - the pranks, the drinking, the philosophical bull-sessions and the endless war against rats, boredom and Prussian discipline. Such humanistic moments would have been welcome in this book, but Rommel was not inclined to dwell on them. (The closest thing he displays to a sense of humor is contemptuous jokes at the expense of the French and the Italians, neither of whom seem to have impressed him with their soldierly ability.)

So, if you are looking for a pure combat memior, penned by one of the greatest soldiers ever, INFANTRY ATTACKS is the very definition of the bill. But if you want a look "under the helmet" into the mind and soul of a great fighting man, I would suggest supplementing ATTACKS with Juenger's more layered STORM OF STEEL. After all, nothing is more Prussian than obtaining a "total view" of a military situation!

(Note: INFANTRY ATTACKS was published in Germany as INFANTERIE GRIEFT AN; in English this was originally translated as "ATTACKS" and under that title was published during WW 2. ATTACKS is also for sale on Amazon, but ATTACKS and INFANTRY ATTACKS are the exact same book, though they have different forwards and the translation slightly differs; so if you already have the one, there is no need to buy the other)

Rommel lays out his own tactiacal ideas and concepts as he creates them in combat in WWI. Rommel shows the benefits of surprise, speed and how to take massive numbers of prisoners without firing a shot. Rommel lays the foundation which will make him the most famous general of the 20th century

I imagine a good business lecturer would translate lessons from this book into 'Rommel on Business'. However, for me, it will suffice to say that Rommel writes an exciting account of the terrible and sometimes gruesome conditions of war in World War One. His clear examples of 'leadership by example', and 'be a bold risk taker' would seem self-confidence overblown, were it not for the historical reality of his successes in the battles named. There is also an element here and there of the blind nationalism that would lead him and many of his fellow officers into the follow-on fiasco a mere 20+ years later. A 'must read' for modern military historians and Rommel fans.

This book, written while Rommel was a lieutenant colonel in the German War College, is a recounting of his days as a young soldier during WWI. The secret of his success: As simply stated by the future Field Marshal, "Any offensive should combine much speed and violence." A nitty-gritty book which really captures of the essence of Rommel in his own words. A must read for military historians and Desert Fox buffs

This book chronicles Rommel's career as an infrantry officer of a Wurttemburg mountain brigade. Ends at the beginning of 1918 in Italy, well before the end of the war. Often displays the equipment inferiority of Germany's foes, mainly Romania and Italy. The French, whom Rommel also fights, are much better armed and led than the others, although the Germans, Rommel included, believe themselves to be superior. Interesting for its portrayal of fighting in the Vosges, a very quiet section of the western front.

This book shows the ingenuity of Erwin Rommel, with a wonderfully done intro by his son. With Erwin's devotion to his troops, its easy to see why he became the "desert fox". His service shows not only his character, but his sense of direction. Had the Allies had this general on their side in either world war, a swifter end would have been reached.

My son, a serving soldier in the National Guard, asked me for a good book on infantry tactics. I went right to the shelf, and pulled down this book.

Rommel served on a variety of fronts during the First World War, and even fought his future Italian allies, a fact he loved to point out to them during the Second World War. His stories, assembled in this book, made him something of a military celebrity between the wars. The book shows the rise of "fire and maneuver" infantry tactics by squads, platoons, and companies. This was a major change from the tactics of the 19th century, where maneuver elements were more often battalions and regiments.

If you watch the scene in the movie "Patton" where George S. Patton attributes his victory over the Germans to reading Rommel's book, this is the book he read.

I gave INFANTRY ATTACKS five stars. I thought I knew Rommel, but this book comprised of after-action reports and observations added a lot to my mental picture of him.

He dedicated his writing to the German soldier, the ordinary Landser he led in the Great War. Unlike other war memoirs, Rommel keeps the attention focused upon his men and their achievements under difficult circumstances. He's the kind of officer most soldiers dream of having.

His book is not literature, like Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, but it certainly gives you a detailed view of World War I and how it was conducted. It also shows aspects of Rommel I hadn't really expected to see.

He observes that there are times when you have to dig in and hold fast. There are other times when you should attack and still others when you should defer an attack because of inadequate reserves to exploit a breakthough.

Rommel's ability to size up a situation quickly and react appropriately is what struck me about this work. If you're interested in World War I, Rommel, or military history, you'll enjoy this book. I gave it five stars.