desert fox essays

desert fox essays Erwin Rommel was born in 1891. As field marshal he was known best for his capture of 9,000 allied forces during World War I. On the Germans invasion of France in 1940, Rommel commanded the well-known Ghost Division or otherwise known as the German 7th Panzer Division. Pushing every machine and every man to extreme limits, Rommels forces moved 350 miles in six weeks. Never had tanks moved so far in such little time. Rommel joined the German army in 1910. He won awards for his bravery in WWI. After he pushed to the English Channel in 1940, and received the many victories in the Ghost Division he was made lieutenant general and placed in command of the Africa Corps in North Africa, where he earned worldwide recognition. Rommel was a popular military leader even though his tactics were unconventional to other leaders. Other than sit in command rooms located far from the battle field to direct the troops, he instead lead his troops from the front lines. He was also known to help the soldiers build a bridge or if the convoy was in trouble was there to give a helping hand. In 1944 the Western front was the only area that hasnt had full allied assault. Hitler put Rommel in command of the defense of the western front. He then went to survey the coastal defense from the north to the Mediterranean, and was discouraged at the sight. The defense was widely scattered, none of which could withstand a full scaled allied attack. The infantry were in the worst condition. They included POWs and German soldiers exhausted from fighting with the Russians. The men were poorly trained, had hardly any artillery, and some even lacked the physical strength to endure military action. Although the situation seemed bleak, Rommel set out to bring order to the western front. Just the sight of Germanys great hero raised the spirits of the poorly trained forces. He organized the troops and set them ...