The landmark Rommel biography from primary sources Drawing upon the long-lost Rommel Diaries and previously untapped Wehrmacht records, this comprehensive study examines the Desert Fox through contemporary documentation rather than post-war reconstruction. 494 pages. Hardcover edition.
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By David Irving | First published 1977 | Hardcover edition
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel remains among the most studied military commanders of the twentieth century. This biography, first published in 1977, established new standards for Rommel scholarship by drawing upon previously untapped primary sources, including the long-lost Rommel Diaries dictated daily during his North African campaigns.
Irving located and utilised materials overlooked by previous biographers: the complete Afrika Korps war diaries, Rommel's personal correspondence, and an early personnel file documenting his attempts to gain army commissions as a young officer. The Rommel family granted access to private papers held since 1944.
The work traces Rommel from his First World War service through his command of the Afrika Korps, the Normandy defences, and his death in 1944. The biography examines both the tactical commander whose battlefield decisions became subjects of military academy study and the private individual—husband, father, and correspondent.
Standard reference for military historians, tactical studies scholars, and those researching the North African campaign. The comprehensive documentation makes this Of particular interest to advanced study of Wehrmacht command structures.
Hardcover binding. 494 pages with photographic plates. designed for institutional and private collection durability.
Published by Focal Point Publications. The detailed biography in its complete scholarly form.
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Author profile
David Irving is a renowned British historian and author of over 30 books. Known for his meticulous primary source research, he has spent decades in archives across the globe, unearthing diaries, documents, and first-hand accounts that have reshaped our understanding of the Second World War and its key figures.
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A practical route through David Irving's catalogue, from the essential foundation titles to Churchill, Rommel, Nuremberg, Dresden, and the later specialist works.
From adjutant notes to Moscow diary microfiches, these primary sources show how David Irving built his major Second World War books from documents rather than summaries.
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