Rommel: Battles And Campaigns [Paperback]

Kenneth Macksey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1997

Although—like Hannibal, Napoleon, and Robert E. Lee—German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (1891–1944) met ultimately with defeat, his daring, tactical skill, charismatic leadership, and brilliant string of victories succeeded in placing him in the pantheon of great commanders. By 1942 Rommel and his Afrika Korps had converted a "side show" of World War II into a major offensive for the Axis powers. The British had been thrown back across the frontiers of Egypt until, at E1 Alamein, Rommel's army threatened Cairo, Alexandria, and the rich oil fields of the Middle East. Rommel: Battles and Campaigns provides a perceptive and incisive analysis of his entire military career, from his fighting in Rumania, Italy, and France during World War I, through his North African campaigns, to his command in Normandy and his fatal (though false) implication in the July 20 bomb plot against Hitler. Written by an expert in tank warfare, and illustrated with nearly two hundred photos and maps, this book presents a revealing, critical portrait of one of the most celebrated soldiers of World War II.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

An officer in the Royal Tank Regiment during World War II, Kenneth Macksey has written more than forty books on military history, including biographies of Kesselring, Guderian, and Hobart. He has also edited The Penguin Encyclopedia of Modern War, The Penguin Encyclopedia of Weapons and Military Technology, and The Hitler Options. He lives in Dorset, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306807866
• ISBN-13: 978-0306807862
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,484,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Military history at it's worst, January 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Rommel: Battles And Campaigns (Paperback)

In Rommel: Battles and Campaigns, Macksey (a British officer in WWII) continues his efforts to atone for British defeats in France and North Africa by painting the German military leadership as incompetent. This book is less of an objective review of Rommel's campaigns, but rather a poorly masked attempt to completly discredit any and all actions taken by Rommel in WWII. The strong bias in this account is evident within the books first few pages and continues throughout the volume. I have tried to read this book twice without success. The unbalanced nature of the account is so annoying that after my second attempt the book found it's rightful place in my circular file. Hence this review.

Avoid this one like the plague! There are too many numerous and well written accounts of Rommel's war record to waste time on this one.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The worst book ever written about Rommel, February 1, 2002

By 

"xenson1" (St Louis Park, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rommel: Battles and Campaigns (Hardcover)

The reader should don a pair of waders before opening this book because of the amount of mud that it slings. This book has little to do with examining battles or campaigns, rather it is an exercise in character assassination. It is another entery in the author's ham-fisted attempts to convince the reader that Rommel was a sham, and a mendacious simpleton.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Perspective, April 25, 2000

By 

Ashton Peters - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rommel: Battles And Campaigns (Paperback)

Kenneth Macksey, in his biography Rommel: Battles and Campaigns, is highly critical or Rommel. Macksey sees Rommel as a leader who changed little about his tactics from the First World War, despite massive technological changes. Macksey believed Rommel had a huge amount of luck in his battles. This differs from most historians' views, with David Frazer (Knight's Cross; HarperCollins) pointing out that war relies to a large extent on luck. There is also the cliché that `you make your own luck'. Macksey views Rommel's advance through France in 1940 critically, and is quick to move acclaim from Rommel to his superiors, fellow generals, and troops. Although Macksey does have examples to support this view, they are highly specific, and are lost in a general evaluation of Rommel's successes. Macksey sees Rommel's success in North Africa as due to the poor leadership of the Allied forces, not the skill of the `Desert Fox'. Frazer again has a different view, and states that in almost every single battle of his African campaign, Rommel was hugely outnumbered, but won some marvelous victories against vastly superior opposition. This was an interesting account, obviously from an anti-Rommel perspective, but giving excellent details on all of Rommel's battles, great maps and visuals as well.