Knight's Cross: Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

An in-depth biography of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel written with the cooperation of Rommel's son, by a renowned military analyst and historian who is himself a general.

Characters

David Fraser (9)Erwin Rommel (2)

Take it with you. We don't want the enemy to find out all our tricks before we improve on them.

— David Fraser, amazon.com

Perspective

Rommel's personality: Brisk. Incisive. Intolerant of slackness or infirmity of purpose; inventive, questioning, businesslike, enormously energetic.

— David Fraser, amazon.com

strength

Rommel believed that in battle, success goes to the commander who seizes opportunity and exploits it and that only he, rather than his superior, can perceive opportunity in time.

— David Fraser, amazon.com

Seize The Moment

Readiness to assume personal responsibility as early and as decisively as possible... regardless of formal correctitude.

— Erwin Rommel, amazon.com

Obstacles

Over-insurance is the enemy of enterprise.

— Erwin Rommel, amazon.com

Obstacles

Good generals understand that tactical victories don't guarantee you'll win the larger war. But failing to win tactical battles guarantees the accomplishment of nothing.

— David Fraser, amazon.com

Obstacles

He leapt at every experience of battle, but he turned experience into military wisdom with his shrewdness and his objectivity. There thus emerged not only a superb man of action but a military philosopher. It was this gift of Rommel's for distilling experience, for translating individual achievement…

— David Fraser, amazon.com

Obstacles

Rommel's lessons: in an encounter battle, open fire with everything available, no matter the theoretic suitability of the weaponry. Open fire, blanket the enemy, and use speed and shock to confound him. In an advance, ignore threats to flanks or rear–march fast, march deep, throw the enemy off balan…

— David Fraser, amazon.com

Obstacles

No man has ever been more alive to the importance of opportunism in battle. No man has ever been more conscious of time, of the fleeting nature of opportunity, of the rapidity with which the command must act or react. Rommel has an instinctive feeling for where and when a chance of battle would pres…

— David Fraser, amazon.com

Obstacles

Uncertainty is relieved by authority–any authority.

— David Fraser, amazon.com

actions

Temperament may bring a necessary enthusiasm, knowledge may produce a sure, even an uncanny, insight into what should be done, but the victorious master of maneuver is he whose actions are so rapid, sure, and energetic that they set the pace and direct course of the battle.

— David Fraser, amazon.com

actions

WM W KM W KK M M W W W W &WW WWW& WWW W MM WM W WWW K M WMW WWM WWW WWWW WWM WWW WWW WW WWWW &W& WWW W W W WWW KWWW W W W W &W W W W W WWK WW K&W MW W W& WW W KW WK W W WWKWW K&W W W WM W KMW WWW W MW W W W& W W W WW W& W W W MW W W W W W WW W WW M W W WW WW W W WM W W WK W WW W W W W W& W MW W W W& W WW W & K M &WK K M WMK MW& WW MW WM & KWM KW & W W KW K K & K W& K W& WWK W& K & W & & M W&M& &M KM K & WW K KW& & KW KM WM&& && W KM && WK K M KWW W M K K& && K& M M& WW &W W W WW WW KW W W K WM W W W& W W W W W WW & WW WW W W W WK WW W W W&WK MW K W W& W K K W& MW W W MW &W W W WW M W W WK W&&W W WW W W W M WW WW W W W& W W W W W &W WK W W M W W W W W WWW KW WWWWW W W W W & MM W W & WM WK W W WKKM WW W WWWW KWWW WWWK WWWW W W W KWWW M WWW & W &WWW W WWW WWWW & W WWW W K& W MWKW WWW KK W WWW &K WWWW W WWW WWWW WW WMW WW & W WW W MWWM W W WW WMWWW WM &W W WK W&WW MW&WW WWMW WK W& W WMWW WW&W WW&W& KWKW W&WW WMWWWWW WWKW WMWW WW&W W&MW WMMW WKWW MW W & W KW W W W& KW WWK &WK&W MM W W &W WW WM& WM W&KW W W WMW W W W W W WKKMKW& W W MMKWK&W W MMWW&&W WW W W WWWW W WWWW &W W WW WMWW K WW W WWWW WW WW WWWW W&MW WK KW KW&W WMWM W W W MW&W WWWW W WW WMWW WWWW WMWM WW W W WW W W W W W KM W W WWW W WWWW MWWW WW WWWW WWW& WWW W W KWWW WWW WWWW WWWW WWW& WWW WW KM W WWWW W &W W W WWWW WWW &WW WWWW KWWW W WW W W W W WW W W W &W&&W W W W W WW& K&WW W W W W &&W W W &W W &KW W &W W WM W W WW&WW WW W&&W M&W W WK W WWKWW W W W W&KW W M W W& W W W W MW &W W W &W W W W W W W W MW W W W MW WW W W WW WW W W W W W W M K &W KM & W && & & K& & & & & K & & W & MK K& &K M M &WK MM W K KKK &KK&K KK &&MMMM&&&&&&&MMMMMMMM&&&&M&&&&K&&M WWWWWWW &KW K W K KKKKKK&&K K K KMWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWK WWWWK MWW &M&&KMMM&KKKKKKK KWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW KWK KW WWWWW MWM&W

* * } } } } * } * } } } } } } } } * } } } } * } * } } } * }} } * } }} } * * } } * } } } } } * } } }} } } } } } } } } } }} } } } } } } } } * } } } } } } } } * } * } * * } * * } } } } * } * * * } } } * } } } } } } * } } * } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } * * } } } * }} } } * } **}}} }***}}}}}*}*}*}}}}}}}*}}}}}} }} } }}}}}}}*}}}}}}}}} }}}}}}}}}}}}}} } }} } }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} } }}}

o V j o U j j j j o U U o j U o o U V o U o U o o j o o Uj U Uo U V o U j Uo UU j U o U j UjU o o o oUo j j U o j UV jU o oV Uj o o U UV U oU oo U V U oo UVj o j o U j jV Vj Vj j jU UU j U j j U V U j U U U U o j oV j oV j j V V U Vj oj U VU oj j V U V V Vj V jV U j V U UU j V U VU V j U j UU j j o V U V V V VVV o V VU j j VU j o U V VV V U V V V oV U U V o V UV o V j U U VV j U V jo j j j j ojjjo U j U UV o j o U V V o o U U j j o U V o jVj U U V j j jV j o o V j jU o o U V V V j U U U U V o V V o U j o U j U U o o U U U V o o V V oj VU Vj VU Uo j U V jj o U V V U jU U o o V oj UU j V UU V o j o o V U j j oU U jV U o o jU o jV U o U V jV j oU o jo oU o jj j o V j o o oU UU UVVUUUUVoU U VVUVUUVVUVUVVjj Uj U j jj jjjjj j jU UUVUU VVU UU VoV jjjV j j jjooojjj jjjjj jUjjj VjjjjoV jj jj jjjjjjjj jjjjjjjj jjjjj

W & M M M & M M & & K M & K & M K K K &M M M K &K & KW K & W & M & K K W W W M W & K K K K K M K M & K K K KM& M M W K WM &&& &WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWM K WW W WWWMWWWWWWWWWW&WWWWW&WWWWWWWWWK WWW WK K M&W&WWMWWW WW& KWWWW MWWWW WWMM MM&MWWWW KK & WWWW MWWW MMK&K & WWW& &WWWWW WWWM M KM K K& KM& KMWWW WWWWWWWK K WWWWWMW & &WW& KMMM& K&K&MK WWWWWWWW WWWWWWWW&W KKM WKMKMM&&WMK&M&WWWM & WWWWWWWW& WWWWWWWWM MWKK K K &WWM M MM&KKW& &WWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWMKW W MWMKKK W WW WWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWW && &W WWW &MMWWWWWW MWWWWWWWWWM KWMWM M W KWWWWM WWWWWWW K&WWWK K KWW MK WWWWWM WWW W W WWW WWWW &WM MWW WWK & WWW WWWK WM

, , , : . . , : , ., . : :: ,, : : , , : . , : , : ,,...,,,,,,,,,::, , .,,,,,:,::::::,.,, , . , ,,,,,,.,,,,.,,. . : ., . ........,... :: : ,,.,,. . ....... , : . .,,,,,:. ....... : ,::: ,, ...... : :: ,,:,:, , .... . ,:,,, :, .:.. .. ,::. : : : .:. ., : . : :, ..,,:..,: :. ,. :.. , ,:::, ,,, : . . :.,,: . ,,,. , ,,.. ., , . , :,:,,. ,: . . . ,, :::::.,.. , : .. . ,. .

}<} * < *~ } }< **<*~*~ * *< }~}} <* } < * < < ~ * *}*** ~* }} * *} ~ < } < < ~ * } < * } } } } } }~ ~ < * } } } ~ ~ } <~ } * }}}} } } ~} } } }*} } * }* < }<< }} * * ** } < * < *~}*} } < * * } * * } <*~~ <*}<*<<<<~< }}}< }} ~~ } ~ * < } } ~ <} ** <~ ~ < ~ < ~~ <} * < } ~ <~~ < ~~ ~ <* } * <<~ < ~ * < < } ~ < ~ <~ } ~ * < } ~* < ~~ ~~~ } < ~ * ~ * <<<<~ ~ * ~ } ~ <*~<~~ }* * } ~<<~~~ < ~ } * < ~ <<<< ~* ~* * <

o o Vj o o j VV V o o j UjUoVVUUU U VV V VVV Uo j UUjooj U oU jVV j o V j U V o j oo V oU jo j j j U o j o UjU j UUUoVo UVo jjo ooVojVU VUo o V U oV jo oUUj V o U oj Uj o jo U j UVojU jjj Vj o U Vo UU V ooooUj jVjooj o o j oj VV jV V UVo V o VV jjVo Ujo Ujj o Ujo Vjo V Uoj U o V V Vj o j j jo V oV V o j ojojj j V j o Vo j VUVVVUUUUUUU V V o VVV o U j V V V oV U o j j o UU UU V j V o o U VU V j o UU V j VU V j UU Vo V o V j j U U U U U o VjU U U j Uj VU jU o jUUo j U V UU U U U Voj j o UUV U U U V UU j o V