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.
Physical hardback book
Packed by Irving Books and dispatched from stock.
In stock and dispatched in weekly batches
Estimated dispatch: within 7–10 working days
Most orders for books held in stock currently leave within 7–10 working days.
Carrier delivery after dispatch
Carrier delivery begins after dispatch. Tracking is emailed when available. Customs delays outside our control may occasionally extend international windows.
Buying ten or more for a shop, library or group? Trade terms →
In stock · packed by Irving Books
30-day returns on physical orders
You can buy this edition without joining. Paid Circle membership offers book discounts; a free account earns reward points.
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.
Available in the public research corpus
Research Rommel: The Trail of the Fox with WinstonAsk questions and follow the cited source trail.
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.
View all books by David IrvingBe the first to know about new releases, exclusive offers, and archive discoveries.
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.
Irving Video Archive
Related lectures play here, without taking you away from the book page.
Selected lecture
HardcoverDavid Irving · Hardcover
The detailed Göring biography from primary archives Drawing upon personal papers, Luftwaffe records, and Nuremberg documentation, this comprehensive biography examines the Reich Marshal from fighter ace to condemned war criminal. Hardcover edition.
Check availability
HardcoverDavid Irving · Hardcover · 724pp
Drawing from 80,000 pages of Goebbels diaries and six years of archival research, David Irving's biography examines Hitler's propaganda chief, the machinery of National Socialist politics, and the documentary record of the Third Reich. 724 pages. Hardback.
Check availability
HardcoverDavid Irving · Hardcover · 1103pp
David Irving examines Adolf Hitler’s conduct of the Second World War through official records, diaries, correspondence and interviews with members of his staff. This hardback edition presents his account of military and political decisions within Nazi Germany.
Check availability
HardcoverDavid Irving · Hardcover · 444pp
The Luftwaffe from 60,000 primary documents The biography of Field Marshal Erhard Milch, drawing upon his personal archive of correspondence and records to document the German air force from secret origins to final destruction. Hardcover edition.
Check availability