Rommel's War

The arrival of German troops in North Africa in February 1941 marked the beginning of a fast-moving campaign over thousands of miles of desert that began with a series of startling victories, only to end in a shattering defeat. At the centre is the controversial figure of Erwin Rommel, a swashbuckling, vainglorious tactician of genius, but a soldier of limited operational and strategic ability, whom Goebbels' propaganda machine converted into Germany's most famous soldier, and whose forceful leadership and initial victories gave him an almost mythical status in both German and Allied eyes. But this was more than Rommel's 'War Without Hate'. It was part of Hitler's global strategy for race, space and world domination. At the heels of the Afrikakorps were SS killers, eager to get to work in Egypt and Palestine in close collaboration with local Muslims.The story has often been told from the Allied side, for El Alamein was the first defeat inflicted on the Germans, but here for the first time is a detailed history, based on extensive archival research, of Hitler's 'other campaign'. Set within the context of Hitler's relations with Mussolini, as well as the floundering campaign in the Soviet Union, it further reveals the extent to which Nazi Germany's staggering ambitions were out of all proportion to the means available, so that its final defeat was almost inevitable.