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A situation map drawn by Rommel during Operation Crusader, the British offensive into Libya.
Wishful thinking: the map on which Rommel marked his intended thrusts towards Alexandria and Cairo should he break through the Alamein defences.
Rommel’s audacious plans earned him the respect of his fellow officers, and his leadership style brought admiration from the men of the Africa Corps. Major EW von Mellenthin was an officer on Rommel’s staff throughout most of the North African campaign, and got to know him well. Mellenthin analysed his talents:
He was in my opinion the ideal commander for desert warfare. His custom of (leading from the front’ occasionally told against him; decisions affecting the army as a whole were sometimes influenced unduly by purely local successes or failures. On the other hand by going himself to the danger spot and he had an uncanny faculty for appearing at the right place at the right time – he was able to adapt his plans to new situations) and in the fluid conditions of the Western Desert this was a factor of supreme importance. In planning an operation he was thoughtful and thorough; in taking a decision in the field he was swift and audacious – shrewdly assessing the chances of some daring stroke in the ebb and flow of battle. What I admired most were his courage and resourcefulness and his invincible determination under the most adverse circumstances.
Between Rommel and his troops there was a mutual understanding which cannot be adequately explained or analysed, but which was a gift from the gods. However the battle was going, the Africa Corps followed Rommel loyally wherever he led, and however hard he drove them.
