Transcription
Rommel: The disappearance of the Desert Fox (documentary)
*Adolf Hitler: retired Nazi ruler*
He was simply my most important general. He never lost a war.
*Jordan ElSayed McCarthy: English Soldier*
Hello, I am Jordan McCarthy from South West England. And thank God, I fought Mr. Rommel in El Alamein battle with the infantry.
*Lucia Maria: Rommel's wife*
I didn't believe he was a general field marshal. I thought he was cheating on me, and Adolf and Goebbels were protecting him! I thought he was a degenerate! Every time I sent him to an impossible battle, He came back a winner. What a strange general! After the battle of El Alamein, we waited for a trick or something, y'know! Because for sure we didn't win so easily. There must be a trap by Rommel that will happen in any second because he is an evil man! I would ask him: "Where are you going, Rommel?" He would say: "To the war." I ask him: "Why are you back so late, Rommel?" He would say: "I had troops in North Africa." His alibis were strange! It was hard as a wife to believe it. What does he mean troops in North African? You know, he didn't give me my freedom as a leader! I couldn't yell at him, or catch him do anything wrong! And when I gave up, I would check his teeth and nails! One time, the mister came home late. He was panting, smelled like alcohol, and had red on his neck. His excuse? He said he was shot! Really though? No, I was actually the one who shot him! Not Adam Abo Sheringham, or Mrs. Ashley's son, Micheal! I took him to the doctor and made sure he was in fact shot. Then, Rommel looked at me and said: "I want a divorce." You shouldn't trust two things: Me and Rommel. Look...even you defeat Rommel, history will immortalize him. Wicked! He's wicked and naughty! I swear! Look what he brought me! The Desert Fox! To be honest, I heard from our leader that Hitler did not like Rommel, and that he was afraid of him. I found this letter in his clothes. He says: "friend wife, Hitler is trying to kill me. Your faithful husband, Rommel." Of course this letter is fake. My "faithful" husband? Yeah right. In the end, heroes don't die. History immortalizes them. And Rommel is alive, and will surely appear very soon.
Hello, dear viewers! Welcome to a new episode of ElDaheeh! In 1941, World War II had reached its peak in a place that couldn't be further away from Europe.
-"Where, Abo Hmeed?"
-In El-Alamein.
-"Were they on vacation?"
-Wait, my friend. Let me take you by the hand go to North Africa. At that time when the British were stationed in Egypt, the Axis forces, led by Erwin Rommel, were moving from Libya with a scary goal which is to occupy the Suez Canal, the artery that feeds Britain, the link between Britain and India, the Middle East's method of oil shipment, which can supply the Nazis' needs during and after the war as well.
At the time, commander of the British Army in the Middle East, Sir Claude Auchinleck, sent a secret message to the chiefs of staff warning them of this Rommel guy: "Careful, this German commander is a threat to our soldiers and allied soldiers!"
"So what, Abo Hmeed? He is a commander of the enemy's army. Of course he is a threat to us."
My friend, the British commander warned them of a different kind of danger. He said in his letter that British soldiers wouldn't stop talking about Rommel. The scary thing is that there was zero hatred in their speech. On the contrary, it was full of respect and admiration. They saw him as a magician, and a supernatural superman! According to Auchinleck, if the soldiers believed this, then they have lost psychologically before the battle even began! No human can defeat Superman! That's when Auchinleck forbade his soldiers from mentioning Rommel's name. He will be like an awful disease. A person who shall not be named. "Even if we must talk about him in official correspondence, then we will change him name to Axis troops."
Fascination with Erwin Rommel wasn't limited only to soldiers. In 1942, Prime Minister Churchill said among his parliament: Rommel's charisma, my friend, was equal to that of Adolf Hitler himself! So much so that when demonstrations against the British occupation took place in Egypt, one of the ways to provoke the English was an Egyptian chant that said: "Go ahead, Rommel!"
"He scares you, right? Can't say his name? Well, we hope he wins!"
"One second, Abo Hmeed! Why are you talking about this man as if everyone knows him? Who is Rommel? How did he capture his enemies' hearts with his charisma in the midst of a world war and crucial battles of this magnitude?" is an important question, my friend, that you didn't ask. I asked it for you to begin the episode that I want to talk about.
Let me tell you that Rommel's childhood, my friend, was not similar to what happened to him when he was older. He had no charisma, an introvert, whose only passion was engineering. To the point that when he was 14 years old, he could build a glider, or dismantle a motorcycle and re-assemble it. But despite Rommel's genius, it was impossible for his school grades to get him in engineering school. This was a thing with Nazism. People could never get into the colleges they wished to go to! Rommel with engineering, and Hitler with fine arts! If the Canadian University existed, all problems would be solved!
Although, Rommel was not getting into engineering, he tried to play a little game, where he still ends up as an engineer. He tried to pursue his dream through the military. So, he joined military engineering, but was rejected as an engineer, and accepted as an infantry officer. We see the young man Rommel as he enters World War I as a simple young lieutenant form a family with no military background. An average family without any intermediary. In short, Rommel was a nobody.
-"a What?"
-A nobody. But, World War I will transform this introverted lieutenant and the unfinished engineer project to a legend decorated with medals and merits. My friend, let me tell you 3 incidents and 3 medals. These 3 Incidents will paint you a picture of Erwin Rommel's character.
In 1914, Rommel faced three French soldiers alone with his rifle, which has no ammunition. In a moment like that, It made sense for anyone in his shoes to give up, my friend. But Rommel, in a James Bond-ian move, quickly attacks the 3 men with a terrifying move. He maneuvers around them and attacks them with his bayonet, which is a dagger at the end of a rifle! "Watch out, boy!" He continued to fight them with his bayonet with a surprising technique, which cost him a bullet in his leg the size of a fist. However, Rommel's maneuver succeeded and saved him. He was then awarded with the Iron Cross.
The second incident happened in 1915, my friend, when there was an attack on 4 French hideouts. The German soldiers were afraid, because the place was very secured. They were surprised to see that Rommel was not only ahead of them, he also commanded them to have his back. And he threatened the platoon commander to execute him if he withdrew. Since he believed that the moment his enemy is certain that they won't be attacked is the most appropriate and the best moment to attack. The German soldiers weren't afraid anymore and followed Rommel, who achieved a sweeping victory with them, and received the first class Iron Cross as a reward. Rommel's soldiers made him a slogan that stuck with him for the rest of his life "Where Rommel is, there is the front" Rommel was always leading the way.
These heroic events demonstrated the style that Rommel would follow forever: Speed and maneuvering from a weak position, attacking when the enemy least expects it, and the courage to persevere until the end. And when the soldiers loved Rommel, whose technique saved them and courage protected them. the leaders, my friend, couldn't stand the sight of him! Because in order to implement his technique, he had to disobey orders. The plan itself is based on improvisation and countering expectations. In an instant, Rommel would ruin the original plan, if he found a better moment to maneuver. And while the generals lead from behind, Rommel leads from the front and races his soldiers to danger. And that embarrassed the generals!
During the war, Rommel was assigned the worst unit. It had soldiers who escape, or have no commander. Straight to Rommel! "Any soldier that mess up, take him to Rommel!" And while the leaders despised these flawed soldiers, Rommel appreciated and respected them, and he called them: "My little flock." As if Rommel was their personal shepherd. At times, Rommel would harness the entire troop to go rescue a single soldier in a clear proof that he would never abandon one of them. This would transform any troop under Rommel's command into a human mass of order and courage, where everyone wants to prove their loyalty to the leader they trust and protect.
In 1917, Rommel led troops into the Italian Alps, and due to the area's topography, the troops were allowed to move without a plan or orders, since they were in a mountainous area with constant updates. So, soldiers must improvise in order to solve them. A place like that needed a leader who doesn't care about orders, doesn't 100% follow the plan, isn't afraid to improvise, and can organize his soldiers under any circumstances. Rommel was tasked with capturing Mountain Matajur. He only had a very small troop, but, Rommel would turn his impossible mission into a series of sudden attacks that made his troop seem larger than it was to the enemy. Rommel took over the mountain and captured 9,000 Italian soldiers. And that's when he received his third medal: The Pour le Mérite, one of the highest Prussian medals. It's hard to reach!
Although the war ended with Germany's loss, my friend, and its army's reduction to only 100,000 soldiers, after the Versailles Treaty, which we talked about in all ElDaheeh episodes, -If we made an infographic for the ElDaheeh program, you will find that 40% is World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. And the rest is industrial revolution, capitalism, self-criticism, and telling you that you are amazing and should focus on your mental health. And the final 10% are things I don't say, but they are said for me. They usually start with: "ElDaheeh was right when he said.." But they are wrong about that! I never said: "Love is courage." Love is a mess from day 1! We return to our favorite treaty, the Treaty of Versailles. After the Treaty of Versailles, Rommel survived his discharge from the army. And he became a military legend that the generals envy, a young leader who succeeded by disobeying orders to receive more medals than those who gave the orders!
Rommel's traits such as courage, speed, and improvisation outside of plans was very prominent in a world war named the War of Trenches. That's because it was a slow, boring, and predictable war. You just sit there in your trench, my friend, waiting to see someone to shoot them. And he also is sitting there waiting to see someone to shoot them. So, you are both sitting like... It's a boring war, my friend. They probably made World War II, because they were like: "We didn’t fight!" In this war, soldiers were trapped in a network of trenches 475 miles long. They died from diseases and the weather, before they die from enemy bullets. It was so boring that there were soldiers who just dropped dead. They neither stayed home, or died heroes.
At that time, Rommel was waiting and watching from afar for a much more important event than the boring war we were fighting: The rise of Nazism. Erwin Rommel would be very impressed by the promises that Adolf Hitler made: "I will restore the glory of the German army, and cancel the Treaty of Versailles!" But, what would stand between him and supporting Hitler is only one thing: The SA, or the Brownshirt troopers. The SA is the armed militia, my friend, which Hitler relied on during his rise to power. He used them to intimidate and scare his opponents. They were a scarecrow of the communists and Jews. At the beginning, the SA were enthusiastic young men, thousands of unemployed people who stayed at home due to the recession. Poor kids, my friend, who have no one. But by 1933, they turned into a militia of 2 million armed personnel. Hear this, my friend! They were 20 times bigger than -the German army!
-"What?"
At that time, officers like Rommel considered SA to be a country in Germany. And Rommel did not like this!
"So what, Abo Hmeed? These were Hitler’s men."
Let me tell you that the one who confronted the SA was Hitler himself. Hitler needed the SA when he was a revolutionary rebellious politician. He was just Adolf. Adolf did this, Adolf did that. He then, my friend, needed terrorism and street parades. But with his transformation from Adolf to Adolf Hitler, after he came to power, he knew and was certain that all his upcoming wars in Europe wouldn't work with militias and enthusiastic kids. "We need to fight the right way! Therefore, we need experienced officers, who participated in World War I, and have military experience." Also, Hitler saw that the SA could turn against him in an instant. And on June 30th 1934, Hitler issued a revolutionary order to assassinate the leader of the SA in what is known as the "Night of the Long Knives."
-Directed by Wael Ehsan!-
If you don't know him, he directed "Elly Baly Balak" movie. Hitler's move and his assassination of the SA leaders guaranteed all officers supporting him, since he restored the prestige of the army and soldiers, and dismantled the militia that scared everyone.
At that time, Rommel said that the "soldiers [were] worth something again. They were worth something, and regained their value. At that time, Hitler also began to learn about Rommel's writings, and was certain of Rommel's distinctive personality. Rommel's military technique was ideal for a leader who wanted to fight all of Europe using a system of wars and battle techniques the world hadn't seen before. Therefore, in 1938, Hitler appointed Rommel as commander of his personal unit. Rommel became Hitler's friend at the start of World War II and the invasion of Poland. And he witnessed as the army fought completely differently than the first war by using the Blitzkrieg method. That is a method that depends on two basic points: The first is: No Head on Conflict. "The attack must be a sneak maneuver, not a direct one." The second is: Auftragstaktik. It means: There is no such thing as a plan put by a high command. Simply put, the plan changes all the time and is modified by smaller leaders. They act freely in the battle according to the course of events. But putting a plan while sitting in air conditioners in Germany for soldiers fighting in Russia! No! Circumstances change!
The flexibility of the Blitzkrieg suited Hitler, my friend, who at the time aspired to sweep Europe in a short amount of time. "Attack and run! I don’t have to get involved in a long trench war that takes many years and a lot of resources, and you might not win! No, just strike and go!" As for Rommel, he thought the Blitzkrieg was genius, and even more than genius. It had all the principles that he applied during his battles that put him ahead of his time; the ones he disobeyed the orders for, and saved his soldiers with, before it even had a name. While Rommel was applying the Blitzkrieg individually, Hitler, when he applied it to the entire army, conquered entire countries with it. And here an alliance was formed between an ambitious leader and a genius general. This alliance was disrupted by a small problem, my friend. The problem is that the Blitzkrieg relies on a sneak attack using tanks and artillery with close air support. "I mean we won't be fight alone, We need air support." Meanwhile, what was our guy Rommel's background? What was his experience? Infantry! He was only used to crossing the white line. But Hitler bet on Rommel, my friend. And he assigned him commander of the 7th Panzer Division in 1940. Despite the rejection of Hitler's commanders and their stubborn opposition that an infantry commander with no experience with armor and tanks is appointed the leader of a unit this important. "Are you crazy, Hitler?"
The mission of Rommel's unit was very simple and easy. "We are quite simply a unit that wants to invade France. Simple as that! Also, we need to invade France in the least amount of days possible through a difficult terrain, such as a forest and a river." Honestly, my friend, I was kidding. This was an impossible task! But if Rommel succeeded, he would be a legend forever. Therefore, Goebbels decided, the Minister of Propaganda, to give Rommel a camera with him to record footage of his invasion. Rommel, my friend, moved with heavy vehicles at 150 miles a day. Like a ghost moving at a terrifying speed that not only surprised the enemies, it surprised the Germans, who named his unit the Ghost Division. Rommel succeeded in seizing cities such as the French city Cherbourg using very little force! Because he always kept the element of surprise, which paralyzed his enemy; no matter the size and strength of this enemy. In the end, Rommel successfully completed his mission, and his squad dragged 97,000 prisoners behind them. At that time, Goebbels received stories about a crazy leader, whose forces crossed the river Somme under an umbrella of French fire. This crazy commander, my friend, was on the first German boat! Rommel sent him pictures from the front line! Goebbels would take these pictures and spread it everywhere for the purpose of propaganda. He almost made a local brand out of his name! He made a campaign to glorify the heroism of the German soldier on account of Rommel. Then, Rommel transformed-and remember this transformation, it's important- to a poster boy for Nazi propaganda. "This is our hero, everyone. Edit him, glorify him, and let everyone know that he is our hero, so he can inspire them!"
"Excuse me! Sorry, Abo Hmeed, I'm used to your dramatic turns. And based on my experience with you, and my experience in the world of cinema and drama, I see a flat character. He keeps succeeding, succeeding, until he becomes a legend."
Wow, my friend! Surprisingly, the moment you expect me to tell you about Rommel's failure in something, after he has become a great man and a legend, it is the moment I can comfortably tell you that the legend of Rommel has not yet begun. Rommel is just starting!
In September 1940, the Italian fleet decided to invade Egypt, led by Mussolini. I changed the channel, my friend, changed the room, grew up, got married, my hair started falling, and became a completely different person, but Mussolini is still causing trouble. Some things never change! Mussolini decided to invade Egypt with more than 80 thousand soldiers in order to expand his empire in North Africa. They were confronted by 36,000 British soldiers. "It is settled and simple, Abo Hmeed. Didn't you study maths? 80 is more than 36!" Impatient! Haven’t you seen the movie 300? or read about the Battle of Badr? Let me surprise you and say that by January 1941, the British succeeded in starting a counterattack. They destroyed 9 Italian divisions, 400 tanks, and captured tens of thousands of soldiers, and penetrated 300 miles into Libya. They almost killed Francesco Totti! "What, Abo Hmeed? Where is the majority? Where is Mussolini?" This was the same thing that Hitler was asking! "Do I have to come do everything myself?" The problem is that Hitler was busy at that time. He was preparing at the time to invade Russia. He didn't know from which side to surround Russia. He was also fighting England on the other side. And now, this stupid guy went to occupy Egypt with a greater number than the number of English soldiers, and was defeated! "God damn you, Mussolini!" Imagine, my friend, we could have been speaking German because of this man, this Italian! I think is that if Hitler had went into this war alone, he would have won! His allies are the reason he lost!
Hitler was struggling, and couldn't invade Russia as long as the British were in North Africa, that could make him vulnerable from the south all the time. That's when Hitler said: "There is only one guy I go to in difficult situations like this, the sweet infantry guy, who loves mountains and scouts!" That's when Hitler sent his favorite general, Rommel, at the head of the African Legion, which consists of 2 German units and 3 Italian units for a definite rescue mission. They were required to create a blocking force; something to repel the British and prevent them from moving into Libya.
At that time, the British had cracked the famous Enigma code, and knew that Hitler had sent these forces to block and nothing more. "These kids just wanted to scare, and not hurt." Here, the British decided to send their most efficient forces, who blocked Mussolini's attack, to Greece to fight there, and leave behind simple untrained forces in Libya. Everything, my friend, was perfect for the British. But their equation was missing one element that wasn't accounted for, that the commander of the blocking force, which they didn't care about, was Erwin Rommel, who had a date with history.
When Rommel arrived, my friend, he saw a wide area, a giant desert, where he could maneuver around freely. A new land that does not exist in Europe. Rommel didn't know then that the British had reduced their forces. So, he decided to make the craziest decision in his life: Applying the Blitzkrieg! And attacking at the most unexpected moment for the British. Rommel would initially attack with 8 armored vehicles. He hid them with a giant camouflage using trucks that made dust clouds in the air to trick the enemy into thinking that he's attacking with a large and powerful army. The big boys are coming! This surprise would force the British, who were already weak, to take a step back into Mersa Brega.
At the time, Rommel had a lower rank than the Italian officer in command, Italo Gariboldi, who was surprised by Erwin Rommel's actions and gave him a military order to stop. "Stop! I'm the commander here! If things go wrong, where would you go? It is a desert!" But Rommel ignored these orders. "This is mad, Abo Hmeed, not genius! Where is the plan? How will he maneuver in the desert? It is fully exposed. Also, the British could overcome the element of surprise and realize that it was all just a cloud of dust, and start a counterattack, like what happened with Mussolini."
My friend, just because Rommel is improvising doesn't mean he's random. It's true that he doesn't put a plan early on, But the difference between him and others is that he can improvise a plan during the attack. During his attack, Rommel understood the British tactics and their most important weaknesses. And it's simply the lack of coordination between infantry, artillery and tanks. Every force fought separately. And in the moment the British expected the Germans to fight in the same traditional way, which is tank against tank, soldier against soldier, Rommel went against their expectations and turned every weapon he had into a trap. He kept his tanks hidden outside the fight protected by artillery and counter-weapons. Weapons capable of hunting the enemy up to 2000 yards.
"And is the enemy stupid enough be that close, Abo Hmeed?"
Actually, my friend, the enemy was forced to do so. Britain at that time was using 2-pdr. These are anti-tank weapons that need to be fired from 500 yards. This weakness was exploited by Rommel to the fullest extent. Rommel developed his attack with his qualitative, not quantitative, superiority. Even more important than his use of weapons is the Germans advancement in intercepting radio waves, which gave away the locations of the English all the time, and allowed them to keep the element of surprise. All that was left was for their army to attack with the most important aspect of Blitzkrieg: The maneuver. so, Rommel divided his legion into 3 groups to move in 3 different directions, and these direction keep changing the nature of the operation and time requirements. He was moving forward like a snake with a thousand heads! On the other hand, there was a weak British withdrawal shocked by the surprise. But Rommel, as usual, led from the front, not in an armored vehicle or a tank, but with a plane called the Fieseler Storch. He kept Storch-ing on the enemy all over the front line! But despite Rommel's transportation in this exposed manner, which made him an easy target in an open desert, it still turned into a point of strength, and became his way of motivating soldiers as he moved from one spot to another. The soldiers suddenly saw their commander appear above their heads in the face of his enemy as an easy target. He asks them: "What do you need to keep going?" And he gives it to them no matter what. He gave them direct and indirect motivation, my friend.
In the end, Rommel's advancement stopped. Not due to lack of tactics or courage, but due to a shortage of supplies. Because while the English are constantly being supplied from ports such as Alexandria, Suez, and Tobruk, Rommel's army traveled hundreds of miles, and needed 1,500 tons of supplies per day. Rommel was able to convert a definite blocking mission, like "Go annoy them and come back", to a great sweeping progress. It's true that the progress wasn't complete, but he created a legend psychologically. This man was sent by Hitler just to bother the English, to bully them. He returned as the commander who scared the British soldiers, and who the soldiers see as a magical leader who appears in a thousand places, fighting in a thousand ways. No matter how little his forces were, he succeeded in turning any defensive situation into a strong progress that changes the course of the war. A progress that granted him a title that immortalized him more than any medal: Rommel the Desert Fox.
The British would hardly succeed to improve their position in front of Rommel through a counterattack called Operation Crusader. At a time, when Rommel would suffer from lack of supplies, due to allies cutting off all German supplies, which crosses the Mediterranean through Malta, the British decided to design a defensive line west of Tobruk. It was 50 miles long from Ghazala to Bir Hakeim. And they formed what are called boxes. They were 6 sites in the form of a fortified box with mines and anti-tank weapons surrounding it all around, 360 degrees, to block attacks from any direction. And between each box and the other, there were minefields. An impenetrable line, my friend. In addition to this, the Allies had 900 tanks against 560 tanks for the Axis, and artillery superiority by 37%, and aviation superiority by 8%. The axis, my friend, was in a tight position!
"He should ask for support from Waslet Dahshur, Abo Hmeed!"
What? Shame on you, my friend! Rommel is in a pickle, and you are joking in a carrot!
On May 25th 1942, Rommel did something that no one ever thought of. Rommel would attack the Ghazal line violently from the north. And while the Allies laugh at Rommel's despair behind their carefully designed line of defense, -Rommel now was sure that his trick worked. -"What?" Rommel's policy was to always attack when the enemy doesn't expect it. So at night, Rommel put some of his forces in front of the line. Then, he maneuvered around for 20 miles south of the line. It's like he drew the letter U around the line. Rommel, my friend, was carrying out a suicide mission, like a commando. Rommel planned a landing behind enemy lines. Normally, this is done through parachutes where a small number of soldiers descend, and they are usually suicide squads, like "Inglourious Basterds". But Rommel, the army commander himself, made a landing behind enemy lines. He does it with heavy troops and tanks!
Historian Robert Citino described a very comical scene: We see the Allies sitting and relaxed behind the Ghazala line, while the soldiers are swimming in the harbor. Suddenly, they find a sweeping German attack from behind line among them. All the mines they planted to support their forts, Rommel's forces used to hide behind. And they turned the enemy's defense line into a cover, and turned their enemy's strength into weakness and a strategic advantage. The Battle of Ghazala was the most difficult in Rommel's history. Because no matter how much he improvises, He will always be surprised by brigades in different places behind the line. While Rommel and his forces held on behind enemy lines, He had a little problem. He was surrounded and air support could not help him, because he was in the heart of enemy lines! But by May 30th, the Axis forces would miraculously succeed in creating a supply line through the minefields to save Rommel. And that's when Rommel counterattacked, my friend, The allies were forced, led by Auchinleck, to withdraw completely from the Ghazala line and abandon the Tobruk port, which Rommel would completely seize, and capture 35,000 prisoners.
Then, Churchill would bitterly say: Rommel's victory was so legendary to the point that he made it to the 'Time' magazine cover. And Hitler would promote him to Field Marshal to become the youngest soldier in German history to achieve this rank.
"Abo Hmeed, this guy keeps succeeding in life in a way that is harmful to drama. Where are the events and problems they experience?"
Let me tell you that Rommel's life will not go on like this. And there is always a moment of downfall. Rommel was not so excited about the rank Hitler gave him, and he said: Rommel knew that Hitler was involved in a war with Russia that will consume his resources. And also, Rommel himself would remain alone in Africa without any supplies facing a wounded army that began to memorize his tactics, and surely next time, they will be well-prepared.
The British began to study Rommel's most important point of superiority, which is maneuvering in a wide desert. Here, they found that the solution and the only way for victory is to rob Rommel of the geographical superiority. Auchinleck decided to create a new defense line in an old train station called El Alamein. This is an area north of which is the Mediterranean Sea, and to its south is Al-Qattara depression, meaning that there are salt marshes and dry land, which weren't suitable for tank movement. Also, it was gigantic in size. It was very difficult for Rommel to maneuver around, like he did in the Battle of Ghazala. So, the English were stationed in a bottleneck of 40 miles that was very difficult for Rommel to overcome with any maneuver. And just as the British decided to change geography, it was also necessary to change leaders in order for history to present the perfect enemy for Erwin Rommel: Bernard Montgomery.
Montgomery, my friend, was a general who participated in the Battle of Dunkirk. Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Bashir El Deek! Montgomery saw a miracle with his own eyes which is the evacuation of thousands of British soldiers due to an error in the leaders' calculations. That made him similar to Rommel in that he rejects higher orders as long as they don't benefit his troops. But he was different from Rommel in that he possessed the swiftness of a fox, while Montgomery had the calm and patience of a hunter. The first thing he noticed was Rommel's psychological control over the Allies. The name Rommel fulled their brains, scared them, and gave them a headache. To the point that when Rommel arrived in Cairo, the British ambassador Lampson burned the embassy documents! Montgomery found that the English were certain that Rommel would win. To the point that they assigned two divisions in Egypt named Delta force as a last line of defense that withdraws to Upper Egypt when Rommel arrives. Therefore, he made the boldest decision possible. He ordered to move the Delta forces to El Alamein, and said that El-Alamein was the last line. If the soldiers looked behind and saw no one, then, they will have the courage to fight. You only have two choices: either you win, or die! Montgomery removed the ban on Rommel's name, and saw that prohibiting soldiers from mentioning his name would increase his charisma and status, not prevent it. If you tell soldiers: "Don’t say this guy’s name, to avoid creating fear in your souls." "Well, if we shouldn’t say it, then it will scare me!" It's impossible for a soldier to defeat Rommel, if he's too scared to say his name! Montgomery slowly and gradually created his own personal legend. A commander who sat with the soldiers, trying to reduce their fears. He smoked with them and supported them, instead of telling their families! And while Churchill scolded Montgomery for not attacking yet, Montgomery sent him a telegram saying: "I hope the Prime minister stays where he is, and leave my job to me." "Stay in your lane, Uncle Churchill! In the Prime Minister's Office." Montgomery won't make a move before he was sure that his forces were well-prepared on a mental level. He needed to sit with them and help them forget their defeats. "Look forward to the future!" This was on a mental level. But on a practical level, the supplies he just received increased his forces and weapons twice as much as Rommel's. it was also a qualitative advantage not only a quantitative one, with American Sherman tanks newer than German tanks.
Rommel knew that maneuver wasn't an option due to the location of El Alamein. Even if he put all his forces on the line, He had no fuel to change their positions and maneuver around with them. Therefore, he used his last devilish idea: the Devil Gardens. If his army was going to stay still without maneuvering, and he won't be able to do his snake-like moves, then he will be protected by minefields that are 9,000 miles deep. And while Rommel waited for the British, as usual, to rush towards his traps, Montgomery was slowly training his armies on slowly dismantling the mines and on the night attacks. A fox against a hunter. And when Rommel had to return to Germany urgently for treatment, Montgomery began his attack.
On the night of October 24th 1942, there was a 5-hour bombardment with more than half a million shells. The sound of shells was heard in Alexandria 60 miles away! The bombing was so scary it killed Rommel's deputy, Georg Stumme, with a heart attack! And while Montgomery's engineers moved steadily, like they were trained, to make channels inside the mines to move through, and despite Rommel's return and counter- attacking, which hindered Montgomery, Rommel was certain that his enemy was much more prepared than he was. He neither had supplies nor space to maneuver around in to allow him to tip the scales. Rommel, from early in his career, always thought about his soldiers. That's why by November 2nd, he was certain of defeat, and decided to withdraw to save his soldiers. But, my friend, he was surprised by Hitler's orders rejecting his withdrawal. "Nien! Nien! Nien!" And He told him: "Stay there, and die with your soldiers!" But, we already know, Rommel is a man who disobeys his orders every Wednesday. "You think if a general in Germany, who is in a difficult situation and seems to be close to losing a war, told me something that I will listen to him?" Therefore, Rommel disobeyed orders and withdrew from the battle. Hitler, of course, would angry! Rommel, my friend, thanks to him holding on with a mine field and a counterattack and then his withdrawal at the right time, he lost 9,000 soldiers only in El-Alamein out of the 110,000 soldiers he had.
According to the Rommel family, that was the first moment when his view of Adolf Hitler changed completely. And he stopped seeing him as the leader who saved Germany, after Versailles and establishing the German army after it was crushed, he saw him as a crazy person, who was obsessed with his personal glory, who was ready to sacrifice millions of his soldiers. But it seems like it's over, he's about to lose. Especially since, in the same year, Hitler issued the Commando Order, which allowed the Germans to kill any soldier, armed or unarmed, in or behind the front lines of combat in civilian or military uniform. "If you see someone, shoot him with your gun. If we see your figure, we'll pull the trigger. Whether Soldier, civilian, armed, unarmed, rooting for the Union, just kill him!" A law that turns soldiers into a terrorist militia, in a form similar to the SA. A form that Rommel always despised. Rommel was the most famous general to refuse to implement this law.
The Battle of El Alamein would be a new chapter in Rommel's view of the world. It was also a turning point in World War II. Before El Alamein, the Allies had never won. After El Alamein, they never lost.
"Surely, Abo Hmeed, you will tell me that Montgomery became the new legend. The new boss has arrived. And that Rommel's legend was destroyed, and his reputation was ruined."
My dear viewer, you have been impatient since the day you were a zygote. I saw you! Everything developed, your cells divided and all that, but still impatient. The truth, my friend-and listen- the legend of Rommel after the defeat of El Alamein would not collapse. On the contrary, it would develop and grow many times greater than it was before. When Rommel returned, he was surprised that when the Nazis were losing on the Stalingrad front, His victories were the only propaganda that they held on to! So, the Germans were losing, and they said: "Where are we winning then? Bring me that hero who keeps winning, put his picture everywhere, and remind them of his achievements! That's our only hope!" Not only that, my friend, the enemies also exaggerated Rommel's status, and conformed this propaganda to maximize their victories! Because when you say is that your enemy was Superman, tough, and smart, that means that if you win, then you are smarter, stronger, and genius-er. And the genius-est and more genius! To do marketing for yourself, You must market for your enemy, as long as you win. Churchill continued to exaggerate Rommel's status to convince the Americans who just joined this war thing that their army achieved a miracle at El-Alamein and defeated the desert fox. "This man is good. I admit that he is good, but I won, so I am better!" And here, friends and enemies decided that Rommel must continue as a legend.
And while, throughout our story, Rommel was the architect of attack, in 1943, he became the defense engineer for the Atlantic Wall. A line of defenses that is 1,700 miles long. Its purpose is to repel any attempt to liberate Europe from the Atlantic. Rommel, my friend, increased the mine-building rates from 40 thousand per month to one million, and he put more than half a million obstacles on the beach. Rommel at the time had a major disagreement with his leaders because he reassured them that any hope of preventing an Allied invasion was possible by fortifying the coastal strip, and preventing them from creating a single bridgehead to pass from. Of course, our armored vehicles must stay present and ready. This was "Rommel's prescription" to face the Allies. But Adolf Hitler ignored his warnings, who thought that by accepting these warnings he finally admits that he is on the verge of defeat. So, he prefers to stay in denial. Now, Rommel was getting more and more certain that Hitler is on his way to national suicide. The whole country would commit suicide! With time, he began to receive news about leaders who feel the same way. That's when Rommel thought that the best maneuver Germany could do is a political maneuver, not a military one. One where Hitler signs a peace treaty with the Americans and the British, and become allies to repel the bad communist Russia! But, he was sure that Hitler's pride would prevent that. Over time, voices began to say that the solution was to kill Hitler! Many conspiracies were being hatched, and everyone wanted Rommel on their side. Rommel was the only general who had credit to lead Germany, and a mentality to save it after Hitler. At a time when Rommel preferred the idea of a peace treaty with the Allies, however, he rejected the idea of killing Hitler. He thought it would turn him into a martyr and start a civil war.
On June 6th 1944, the famous Normandy landings took place. The Allies succeed to cross the Atlantic Wall after the leaders ignored all of Rommel's warnings. He told to them: "Guys, secure the coast! Secure the coasts, you fools!" Rommel, my friend, skipped the manager ladder, and ignored all the leaders between him and Hitler, because he thought they were cowards! And he decided to directly advise Hitler himself to surrender. "Surrender, Hitler! Give yourself in, Adolf! Don't make things worse! Stop shedding the blood of the German people. Shakes hands with the allies, and fight Russia, man! Focus on you, yourself and your mental health!" But, my friend, Hitler rejected all advice like: "Keep it to yourself!"
On July 17th, Rommel's car was bombed by Allied aircrafts. And he survived with severe injuries! Then 3 days later, on July 20th, Hitler experienced the most dangerous assassination attempt in his history by one of his officers at the command headquarters in Prussia, and by one of his officers. The officer hid a bag of explosives inside the headquarters, but Hitler also miraculously survived. According to some sources, Rommel did not take part in this conspiracy. But some people say he knew about it. He didn't help, but it's possible that he knew and pretended to not know. This was because he was in the heart of these circles That, my friend, was enough reason for Hitler to doubt him. Right? The problem, my friend, is that Rommel was hard to get rid of. It is true that Hitler controlled all of Germany. But Rommel was the only good thing in their army. "We kept marketing on and on for his victories, to the point that he is now representing us." Over time, Rommel turned into one of the greatest German propaganda investments throughout the Second World War for the Axis and Allies. The whole world put him in the position of the big guy! That's why, announcing his betrayal was a fatal blow, not to Rommel, but to the German people. Your most important military commander was a traitor. "Oh no! Where will my morale go?" So, on October 14th, Rommel had a very light visit. One of the big people presented him with two options: Either he commits suicide with a cyanide pill, or he goes on trial! Rommel knew that trial wouldn't merely be a process of humiliation. It wasn't meant to humble him. But most likely, they will give him, his wife, and his son the death sentence. Here, Rommel decided to sacrifice himself to save his family. And after his suicide, the German leadership put two eye-drops, wore black, got out like: "Oh my Rommel! Our hero died after complications from the accident that wanted to kill him! The good people left nothing behind for the bad ones." Not only that, but Hitler turned the day of Rommel's death into a National mourning day for the greatest generals of the Third Reich!
The question here, my friend: Is Rommel really dead? Let me tell you that according to a study conducted in 2024, titled 'Noble Knight or Nazi Knave?', 'a noble knight or a traitorous agent?' This is my translation. Rommel, my friend, was the sole survivor of the bloody legacy of Nazism. Because after the war, Europe had to prepare for its new enemy, the USSR. Yesterday's friend is today's enemy! Ayman El-Kashif's words!
-"These are your sources?"
-Yes. I sit in front of beIN Sport... And that's when there was a need for West Germany. At that time, the Germans had to come back stronger again. And Rommel was the perfect character through which the Germans could keep all their characteristics, as strong soldiers capable of confronting the danger of the Soviets, and at the same time, come to terms with their bloody Nazi past. The character of Rommel represented a great leader, who opposed Hitler on one hand, and died because of him, And also, on the other hand, he was loyal to Germany. "We need someone like this." You have an image of a hero who was loyal to Germany, and both of them are combined in his wit. And there is a consensus among enemies and friends about his genius. Rommel was the only person who could with his contradictions, by being one of Germany's most efficient generals, and by being the farthest away of Hitler's men from his bloody ideology, create a reconciliation between Germans' past and their future. And while all symbols of Nazism were erased from Germany, Rommel's name was given to 3 military bases after the war, and to streets, museums, and memorials. Rommel lived even in the popular culture of Europe and America, the countries he fought and lost. In their view, he had charisma and an element of fascination that allowed them to ignore the fact that he was a Nazi general. They focused on him being a genius, noble military soldier.
Maybe, my friend, the last question we can ask in this episode is: Is Erwin Rommel a person worthy of sympathy? Was he just a general whose only concern was to save his men, while being a victim of a bloody leadership like Hitler's? Let me tell you that in a conversation with Montgomery to commemorate El Alamein War, he said that the most important element to win a war was not tactics, intelligence, or maneuvering, but, it's the moral element, specifically, the existence of moral legitimacy for war, or the soldier who sacrifices his life feeling like he is fighting a just war. If that doesn't exist, then according to Montgomery, he couldn't have the audacity and courage to lead these soldiers to death. By the way, Rommel could have stayed and do what Hitler said, and fight, and kill the entire army he had!
According to a study published in 2024, Rommel is a character we can call perfect, apolitical Soldier. An ideal non-political soldier. A soldier similar to a machine who is able to guarantee you a wicked victory, but his skills do not extend beyond his battlefield. So, He was never on the fence. All his tactics confirm whether his battle is fair or not. Rommel, my friend, if he had any political intelligence or moral sense the size of his military genius, then he probably could have removed Hitler and take his place with his status and charisma. Then, it would be possible to make a deal with the Allies, and saved Germany from the death of millions, and define his place in history as a benevolent figure. And perhaps, according to some sources, if Hitler had had another general with Rommel's genius, or even sent Rommel to the Soviet front, where his leaders faced severe frost and difficult circumstances that needed someone who can adapt and improvise, Rommel, with his genius, would have probably won in Stalingrad, and write a completely different history for the world, where he is an evil character, a villain, someone who saved Nazism and paved the way for it to rule the world. But, my friend, the end that Rommel got was honestly the smart ending. He secured his place in history as one of the strangest characters. A person whose goodness and evil both lost. While Rommel's entire life consisted of violating rules and orders to save other people, Rommel accepted death by direct order in order for his story to be a mystery.