The Rommel myth, or the Rommel legend, is a phrase used by a number of historians for the common depictions of German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel as an apolitical, brilliant commander and a victim of Nazi Germany due to his presumed participation in the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler, which led to Rommel's forced suicide in 1944. According to these historians, who take a critical view of Rommel, such depictions are not accurate.
The description of Rommel as a brilliant commander started in 1941, with Rommel's participation, as a component of Nazi propaganda to praise the Wehrmacht and instill optimism in the German public. It was picked up and disseminated in the West by the British war-time press as the Allies sought to explain their continued inability to defeat the Axis forces in North Africa: the genius of Rommel was used by dissenters to protest against social inequality within the British Army and by leaders like Churchill to reduce class tensions.[n 1]
Following the war, the Western Allies, and particularly the British, depicted Rommel as the "good German" and "our friend Rommel", adhering closely to the tenets of the myth of the clean Wehrmacht. His reputation for conducting a clean war was used in the interests of West German rearmament during the Cold War and the reconciliation between the former enemies—the United Kingdom and the United States on one side, and the new Federal Republic of Germany on the other. The 1950 biography Rommel: The Desert Fox and the 1953 publication of The Rommel Papers added to the myth, which has proven resilient to critical examination.
This reevaluation has produced new interpretations of Rommel, including his relationship with Nazism, his abilities as an operational and strategic level commander, and his role in the 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. Historians and commentators conclude that Rommel remains an ambiguous figure, not easily definable either inside or outside the myth.
^Brighton 2008, p. 115.
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Rommelmyth, or the Rommel legend, is a phrase used by a number of historians for the common depictions of German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel as...
other authors have contested this assessment and called it the "Rommelmyth". Rommel's reputation for conducting a clean war was used in the interest of...
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The Rommel Papers is the collected writings by the German World War II field marshal Erwin Rommel published in 1953. The book included Rommel's writings...
S.), National Academies Press, 1999 Robinson, James R. (1997). "The RommelMyth". Military Review Journal. Retrieved 8 February 2016. This article incorporates...
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occurred, as Rommel never completed his tank book; although Patton may very well have read Rommel's earlier book on infantry. Rommelmyth The Rommel Papers...
that Rommel had agreed to demand for Hitler to step down, and if he refused, Rommel would join the other conspirators in deposing Hitler. Rommel was also...
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in North Africa commanded by Generalleutnant (Lieutenant-General) Erwin Rommel. The operation was intended to bypass Axis defences on the Egyptian–Libyan...
each month were deemed suitable. Adolf Hitler placed Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and developing fortifications along the Atlantic...
initially expressed doubt about armored warfare, such as von Rundstedt and Rommel. According to David A. Grossman, by the Twelfth Battle of Isonzo (October–November...
also carried a cyanide pill as a last resort. German field marshal Erwin Rommel was forced to commit suicide with a cyanide pill following his implication...
(2009, The Barnes Review) General Jan Christian Smuts: The Debunking of a Myth (2012, Bienedell Publishers) A History of Central Banking and the Enslavement...
Malta by invasion, and blamed Rommel, the OKW and the Italians for the failure to act. Things went well at first, with Rommel winning the Battle of Mersa...
November 1942, when the German Afrika Korps under the command of General Erwin Rommel was heading east towards the Suez Canal and Palestine. The question of whether...
the Rommel report had investigated dozens of mutilation cases, told investigator Christopher O'Brien that "during the six to eight months when Rommel was...
ISBN 978-3-412-08703-6. Lormier, Dominique (2003). Rommel: La fin d'un mythe: biographie [Rommel: The End of a Myth: Biography] (in French). Paris: Le Cherche...
Yahoo! Philippines via Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 13 March 2013. Gonzales, Rommel. "Amaya and Philippine Treasures recognized for showcasing Philippine jewelry...