Infantry Attacks (ePub)
File Size: 17.1 MB (.epub)
Pages: 304
Illustrations: 32 pages of plates
ISBN: 9781784389864
Published: 4th September 2023
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel exerted an almost hypnotic influence not only over his own troops but also over the Allied soldiers of the Eighth Army in the Second World War. Even when the legend surrounding his invincibility was overturned at El Alamein, the aura surrounding Rommel himself remained unsullied.
In this classic study of the art of war Rommel analyses the tactics that lay behind his success. First published in 1937 it quickly became a highly regarded military textbook, and also brought its author to the attention of Adolph Hitler. Rommel was to subsequently advance through the ranks to the high command in the Second World War. As a leader of a small unit in the First World War, he proved himself an aggressive and versatile commander with a reputation for using the battleground terrain to his own advantage, for gathering intelligence, and for seeking out and exploiting enemy weaknesses.
Rommel graphically describes his own achievements, and those of his units, in the swift-moving battles on the Western Front, in the ensuing trench warfare, in the 1917 campaign in Romania, and in the pursuit across the Tagliamento and Piave rivers. This classic account seeks out the basis of his astonishing leadership skills, providing an indispensable guide to the art of war.
“For WWI buffs, this is a gold mine of small-unit tactics.”
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society
Read the full review here.
This book is a combination personal memoir and theoretical treatise. Rommel uses his extensive WW1 service on the Italian front with German mountain troops to formulate and present his theories on how infantry should behave on the then-modern battlefield, especially as regards to the command of smaller infantry units in the attack. A number of these theories would be taken up and used by the Wehrmacht at least at the beginning of WW2, but while many would be overtaken by the rapid advances in combined arms combat that developed starting during the Spanish Civil War and the opening months of WW2, his insights into leadership remained valid and instructive throughout the war and up to today… All in all, a very worthwhile edition to any serious student of military history or command… Highly Recommended for those interested in the infantry.
Armor Modelling & Preservation Society
About Erwin Rommel
ERWIN ROMMEL was a highly decorated officer in WWI, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite for his exploits on the Italian front. In WWII, he distinguished himself as commander of the 7th Panzer Division during the 1940 invasion of France, and his leadership of German and Italian forces in the North African campaign earned him his legendary status as the ‘Desert Fox’.
About Gary Sheffield
Gary Sheffield was educated at the University of Leeds (BA & MA) and King’s College London (Ph. D). He began his academic career in the Department of War Studies, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
In 1999 he moved to King’s College London’s Defence Studies Department, based at the Joint Service Command and Staff College. Awarded a Personal Chair in 2005, in 2006 he was appointed as Professor of War Studies at the University of Birmingham. Since 2013 Sheffield has been Professor of War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton.
Gary Sheffield has published widely on military history, including the best-selling Forgotten Victory – The First World War: Myths and Realities (2001; new edition 2018), and The Chief: Douglas Haig and the British Army (2011; new edition 2016), both of which were acclaimed in scholarly and popular circles alike.
Sheffield is a Vice-President of the Western Front Association and a past President of the Guild of Battlefield Guides.
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