A simple question that's been bugging me over the past few days: after his removal from North Africa, where should Rommel have been sent to make best use of his skills?
In a British POW camp?
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Except that many of the defences (the mines, most of the pillboxes, the flooded areas, the beach obstacles, etc) were there because of Rommel. If he was captured in Africa, the Allies would have a much easier time come July '44.That would be very good for Rommel and perhaps not so good for the Allies at Normandy as Hitler splitting up the command between the Field Marshals there did more then anything else (other then Hitler talking divisional control for himself) to make the Western Allied victory there so decisive.
Except that many of the defences (the mines, most of the pillboxes, the flooded areas, the beach obstacles, etc) were there because of Rommel. If he was captured in Africa, the Allies would have a much easier time come July '44.
They would if no-one else had come up with those ideas (and let's face it, he only really got a grasp of the situation in early 1944 so no-one else had), which would have made their job much easier.The defenses wouldn't likely be much different without Rommel.
Could he have orchestrated a successfull assasination, and if so how would affect the war.
More than one account refers to the great personal energy demonstrated by Rommel during the construction of those defenses. He drove construction crews and suppliers relentlessly and was constantly in the field, inspecting and revising the work. He had a special obsession with designing and planting mines, apparently. I think it is fair to at least say that without his presence, those defenses would have been less numerous, less extensive and less complete.The defenses wouldn't likely be much different without Rommel. Though who knows really.
You know what? That would be an interesting pod.In a British POW camp?
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I do see Rommel as a very clever and capable divisional commander.
I am not sure he was in the class of Manstein, Kesselring, Model, Steiner, etc etc.
The thing is that the German generals (and the Russian one's as well) were used to command armies counting in a million or more. Comparing Africa to that is a bit hectic.
I think Rommel was perfect in the role of architect of the Atlantic wall (although too late to really make it impossible).
Ivan
Except that many of the defences (the mines, most of the pillboxes, the flooded areas, the beach obstacles, etc) were there because of Rommel. If he was captured in Africa, the Allies would have a much easier time come July '44.
Not really, he spotted what they were almost as soon as he saw them, but what he didn't realise was that they were going to moor them off the beaches, he thought they were going to use them as replacement piers in whichever harbour they managed to capture.He expected the British to come up with their own engineering tricks, but the Mulberry harbours were in a class of their own.
Indeed so, but problem there was, Rommel wanted them close to the beaches in small groups and under cover, whereas Von Rundstedt wanted them all back out of air range so that they could be used in a later counter-attack. Typically, Hitler vacillated for a bit before awarding a compromise, neither side got what they were hoping for.Rommel invented at Normandy Rommelspargel and tons of other deadly and annoying things to delay the landings. But, that was all they were intended to do. As a delaying tactic to buy time until the troops and heavy weapons arrived.
Not really, he spotted what they were almost as soon as he saw them, but what he didn't realise was that they were going to moor them off the beaches, he thought they were going to use them as replacement piers in whichever harbour they managed to capture.
Indeed so, but problem there was, Rommel wanted them close to the beaches in small groups and under cover, whereas Von Rundstedt wanted them all back out of air range so that they could be used in a later counter-attack. Typically, Hitler vacillated for a bit before awarding a compromise, neither side got what they were hoping for.