Rommel won fame by moving fast. David Irving follows the victories, supply failures and command quarrels behind that reputation, from France and North Africa to Normandy and his death in 1944. Personally thumbprinted hardback.
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Rommel’s victories made him famous; keeping an army supplied was another matter. David Irving’s biography follows the schoolmaster’s son from the mountain fighting of the First World War through the 1940 campaign in France, the struggle for North Africa and the defence of Normandy. It continues through his injury and death in 1944, then examines the reputation that survived him.
Battlefield decisions share the foreground with quarrels over fuel, reinforcements and the limits of obedience. Letters to Lucie and Manfred bring his family life into the account, while disputes with German and Italian commanders show the pressures behind the public image. Tobruk, El Alamein and Kasserine lead into the Atlantic Wall, invasion warnings and the argument over where to hold the panzer reserves.
First published in 1977, the book draws on war diaries, correspondence, personnel records and interviews identified in its source discussion. Irving argues that Rommel remained more loyal to Hitler, and less involved in the July plot, than his postwar reputation suggested. That interpretation, including his accusations against members of Rommel’s staff, is the author’s case.
A hardback copy bearing David Irving’s original right-thumb impression.
This carries David's original right-thumb impression; it is not a handwritten signature. Position, clarity, and impression vary naturally, so every copy is different. Product photography represents the book edition; the exact mark on the copy supplied will be unique.
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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