Erwin Rommel

The Desert Fox

Erwin Rommel was one of many tactical geniuses in the German Army in WWII.   The German system of Mission Orders encouraged subordinate commanders to take initiative and act on instinct.  Rommel was a master of these tactics, and followed this policy with his subordinates as well.  It was Rommel's uncanny success in North Africa that made his a household name in England and the United States. 

This was not Rommel's only success.  In France, 1940, his unit, the 7th Panzer Division, was the first to cross the Meuse River and lead the race to the English Channel.  The leader of his Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Hans von Luck, was among the first to reach the coast.  

Rommel was one of the most successful proponents of Guderian's armored thrust theories.  Rommel took this one step further into what would be one of the most identifiable traits of Blitzkrieg-- exploitation of a weakend opponent.  Shortly after crossing the Meuse River in France, Rommel told von Luck, "Keep going.  Don't look left or right, only forward. . . The enemy is confused; we must take advantage of it."1

Rommel, on several occasions,  met with his subordinate commanders and explained the situation.  He would then expect them to fight for days without further instructions.  Another of his famous quotes sums up his ideas of initiative, mission orders, and exploitation: "In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it."  It was Rommel's firm belief that any form of aggressive action was better than inaction, which gave the initiative to your opponent.  

Learn more about:

Sources:

Panzer Leader

Rommel: In His Own Words

Clash of Chartiots

Strange Victory

back to main page

by Chris Shimp March 1, 2001