Booklist

[Desert Stallion]

Ah, here is the beginning of a hopefully long and fruitful list of Rommel books. I collected some information on several Fiction books dealing with Rommel, and here are the results.

Rommel and the Rebel Lawrence Wells

From Publishers Weekly
In 1937, a group of German officers toured Civil War battlefields. What if one of them was Erwin Rommel? And what if he was obsessed with rebel Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, unorthodox but successful cavalry leader? German-speaking U.S. Army Intelligence Lt. Max Speigner is sent to Oxford, Miss., as liaison. He becomes friendly with Rommel because of their mutual regard for Forrest. When the British later find his memo on Rommel's tactics (borne out in the blitzkrieg), they call Max to Cairo in late 1941 to help in "divining" Rommel's plans. The former friends eventually meet again, struggling as enemies. Part of the book is silly (Rommel in New York at a ballgame), part is very unlikely (Rommel on a drunken, midnight tour of Shiloh with "Bill Faulkner") and part is overblown (fanciful flashbacks to Forrest's behavior in battle). But there's real excitement, especially in the scenes of Rommel's drive on Benghazi and a good depiction of the "Desert Fox" as the "respectable" German warrior. First novelist Wells runs the Yoknapatawpha Press in Oxford, Miss. February 7
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
Military fiction category; historical speculation about the legend that German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel visited U.S. Civil War battlefields before WWII, studying cavalry tactics which he later employed in Europe and North Africa. His American guide and translator, Lt. Speigner, works with British Army Intelligence in Cairo and matches wits with the Desert Fox.

I would give my two right arms to read this one. Maybe I’ll dig up some money somewhere and buy it. Combining Civil War and World War 2, what a dream. And Rommel as a main character. Boy, I would love to get my hands on this one…





Disaster at D-Day Peter Tsouras

Book Description
This alternate history of the Allied D-Day landings is based very firmly on fact and is a brilliant study of how a campaign could lead to unexpected results. It is June 1944. The Allied armies are poised for the full-scale invasion of Fortress Europe. Across the Channel, the vaunted Wehrmacht lies waiting for the first signs of the invasion, ready for the final battle. What happens next is well known to any student of modern history - but the outcome could have been very different, as Peter Tsouras shows in this devastating account of a D-Day in which plans, missions and landings go horribly wrong. Peter Tsouras introduces minor adjustments at the opening of the campaign - the repositioning of a unit, bad weather and misjudged orders - and examines their effect as they gather momentum and impact upon all subsequent events. Without deviating from the genuine possibilities of the situation, he presents a scenario that keeps the reader guessing and changes the course of history.

I love this one too, a very believable alternate history I think, and one that would spawn an excellent Rommel fiction piece.



Eye of the Needle Ken Follett

Operation Fortitude was the massive counter-intelligence operation undertaken by the Allies during World War II. The goal of the operation was to divert German military troops from Normandy, the site of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France. If the German OKW (High Command, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) were convinced that the invasion was to come at Calais, those resources would not be able to reach the battlefield, blocked by the Seine river.
To that end, the Allies created the fictitious First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG), positioned in southern England, near the Pas de Calais. FUSAG looked like a massive concentration of troops -- at least, from an aerial photograph. At ground level, FUSAG could be made for what it really was: a charade. In Eye of the Needle, Follett explores the possibility of a German spy managing to take pictures of the faux buildup, and his journey to get those pictures in the hands of Hitler.

I’ve never read this one, but found it advertised online with Rommel talked about, so no idea if it’s much good. I’d like to check it out though.





Night of the Fox Jack Higgins

From Publishers Weekly
An American colonel who knows the secrets of forthcoming D day has washed up, wounded, on the German-occupied island of Jersey, off the coast of England, and must be rescued. Thus the basic premise of Higgins's most tingling thriller since The Eagle Has Landed. An ex-philosophy don of part-German descent is assigned to effect the rescue, disguised as a special envoy of the dreaded Himmler and accompanied by his "mistress." Enmeshed in this complex situation are the activities of Rommel, who sends a Jewish actor (somewhat improbably, also a Wehrmacht corporal) to impersonate him on an "inspection tour" of Jersey's defenses, while he secretly meets with other top generals bent on assassinating the fuhrer. Caught up in the deadly game of "who's-fooling-whom and for how long?" are an amorous Italian count, a Finnish air ace and a hero of the Irish cause, while in the background loom Eisenhower and Hitler himself. Speed, surprise and suspense are Higgins's long suit, rather than convincing characterization, but engrossed readers are not likely to mind. Paperback rights to Pocket Books; Reader's Digest and Condensed Books book club selections; BOMC alternate.

I have read this one, and thought it was pretty good. Nice to see a historical fiction book with Rommel in it now and then.





Triumph of the Third Reich Edward Cooper

Book Description
What would have been the outcome of World War II if Germany had succeeded in developing their Vengeance Weapons earlier in the war and had been able to mass produce them? This novel provides the answer in an action-packed story. One that came uncomfortably close to actually occurring. It was June 1944, a day that was to be the beginning of the end for the Third Reich-but Nazi Vengeance Weapons turn the tide of the war forcing the Allies to negotiate for peace. Suddenly Hitler is assassinated and Field Marshall Rommel becomes chancellor of Germany. Stunning events that follow change the entire post-war history as we know it. Joseph Kennedy becomes president of the US, Japan invades Russia and Molotov assassinates Stalin.

I would very much like to read this one, but I’m a little tight on money these days.





Fox at the Front/Fox on the Rhine

Douglas Niles/Michael Dobson

From Publishers Weekly
The second half of WWII takes a decidedly different path in this speculative historical novel, which picks up the action in 1944 with Nazi Germany on the verge of defeat. The first historical twist is the assassination of Hitler by a group of his own generals, but when Goering is also killed and the generals' attempt to assume power fails, Himmler takes the reins and quickly negotiates a peace treaty with the Russians. The second twist is the miraculous recovery of Rommel, who survives a near-fatal wound in North Africa and returns to the European theater to set the Allies back on their heels. With the war reduced to a single front, the Nazis have time to rebuild their shattered air force, giving Rommel the advantage he needs to press forward and capture critical Allied oil reserves. As the Desert Fox races to initiate a second blitzkrieg, American forces move to head him off before he can get to Antwerp, setting up a climactic final battle. The first-time authors have drawn on their background in war games to bring the tactical details to life (Niles designed the video game for Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising), but as a novel this book has several notable problems. Characters are introduced in rapid succession, with points of view ranging from foot soldiers to fighter pilots to generals, but many of the perspectives seem only marginally necessary. Moreover, the fast-paced action slows considerably once Himmler takes over and Rommel recovers, and for all the political machinations, the outcome of the war remains somewhat conservatively imagined. These issues aside, Niles and Dobson have crafted a vividly realistic study of a memorable time. Agent, Elizabeth Pomada. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
This World War II what-if novel picks up where Fox on the Rhine (an alternate history of the Battle of the Bulge) ended, with a disillusioned Field Marshal Rommel surrendering his armies to the Allies, but continuing operations against the Nazis under the tutelage of General Patton's forces. Soon President Roosevelt sees the value of founding a German rump state to help transfer power and reconstruct the country, just as the Allies did in Italy. As the new commander of the German Republican Army, Rommel operates alongside Patton's Third Army, creating a sort of WWII "Dream Team" for war gamers. Imagining how the dignified, sympathetic German commander might have reacted to the full revelation of Nazi atrocities, Niles and Dobson depict Rommel as shaken to the very core by his complicity in Hitler's final solution. The authors' attention to military detail and maneuvers would satisfy any drill instructor, and they imbue even minor historical characters with authenticity and personality, demonstrating how an individual's actions and reactions shape history. This is a thoroughly plausible what-if scenario, and as such will please and titillate alternate history fans, WWII buffs, war gamers and others.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

I loved these books, except for their rather abundant and colorful swearing. Solid Rommel in them.




Storm Force: Recon Front Charles Ryan

In this second novel of Ryan's World War II series, Rommel is to be arrested for conspiracy in the plot to kill Hitler. Lt. John "Red" Parnell and his elite Blue Team are deep in occupied France when they receive order to escort an American officer to Rommel's HQ to see if the Desert Fox will join the Allies. Original

Never found this one either, but also one rumored to have Rommel in it.





The Rising Tide Jeff Shaara

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Shaara (To the Last Man; Gone for Soldiers), who has written bestselling and critically acclaimed historical novels covering the American Revolution through World War I, takes on World War II in the wonderful first volume of a planned trilogy. As the book begins, Hitler's forces control western Europe, and U.S. troops face off against the Germans in North Africa. From fall 1942 through spring 1943, the Allies battle Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. Shaara evokes the agony of desert warfare and the utter chaos of an airborne assault through the experiences of Pvt. Jack Logan, a tank gunner, and Sgt. Jesse Adams, a paratrooper. The challenges—and frequent frustrations—of command are seen through the eyes of such luminaries as generals Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and Rommel. The Allied victory in Africa is followed by the conquest of Sicily and the invasion of mainland Italy in 1943. With the Italian campaign sputtering, the Allies turn to planning for the decisive event of the European theater, the cross-channel invasion of France, which is where Shaara concludes this sprawling, masterful opening act. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I love this one and own it, so high reviews from me.


So that's my fiction collection so far.

[Qualerei]

Okay, my turn to contribute then. It's a rather lengthy list, with books, movies and series, as far as I can tell (I made this list quite a while ago). Hope you'll find interesting stuff in it. Most are about WW2 in general, a few feature Rommel.

Oh, and DS - you mentioned giving both your arms ? Here's the address : www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=5808441&matches=67&qsort=r

Nota : Darn, it's too long for the forum... I'll have to break it in several posts.

Rommel and his art of war (Erwin Rommel and John Pimlott)

Rommel himself, one of the most successful and well-known commanders of World War II, writes about his views on the philosophy of warfare, battles, leaders, and the progress of both World Wars. A complete picture of how a military genius grappled with the actuality of war is presented through Rommel's accounts of his experiences. Carries the reader from the Alps in WWI to North Africa in WWII and includes many photos taken by Rommel himself.

Tobruk 1941 : Rommel's oppening move (Jon Latimer)

In March 1941, with Wavell's British troops having routed the Italians from Cyrenaica, General Erwin Rommel arrived in Tripoli to command the Deutsches Afrikakorps. Over the next two years the Afrikakorps and its commander would become legendary. In his first offensive, Rommel swept across the desert, driving the British back to the Egyptian frontier and capturing much of the 2nd Armored Division in the process. One thorn remained in his side--the vital port of Tobruk continued to resist. If it could hold out Rommel's offensive might be halted. Wavell instructed General Morshead and his garrison of 30,000 determined Australians to hold at all cost. The scene was set for one of the epic struggles of the desert war.

Alamein (Jon Latimer)

An exhaustively researched and comprehensive academic book, Latimer's excellent account may be too finely focused for nonspecialists, yet the inclusion of veterans' recollections and memoirs will grab the interest of generalists looking for something more than simple war stories. Latimer's critical but balanced view of Rommel, British general Montgomery and others is welcome; the inclusion of their opinions of, and dealings with, each other are in keeping with the best professional military history. A former officer in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Latimer (Deception in War) examines the tactics used by both sides in detail, something that will appeal greatly to military historians. All aspects of the battle are covered: the effect of Operation Ultra (Allied intercepts of encrypted Axis signals) and other intelligence on Allied strategy and the conduct of the battle; operations designed to deceive the Axis about details of the coming attack; accounts of small unit actions within the battle-all well presented in a carefully crafted and exciting style. Also included are 16 halftones, 14 maps and a 20-page order of battle for the forces engaged on both sides. Painstaking yet gripping, this should be the definitive account of the battle itself for years to come.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Triumphant Fox : Erwin Rommel and the Rise of the Afrika Korps (Samuel W., Jr Mitcham)

Triumphant Fox traces Erwim Rommel's rise from obscurity to the vaunted position of Hitler's most able general.

Fighting the Desert Fox : Rommel's campaigns in North Africa April 1941 - August 1942 (John Delaney)

230 b/w illustrations! One of World War Two's greatest generals took on Britain's most powerful forces in one of the world's severest terrains. Historian Delaney, armed with new information only recently seen in the West, provides a fresh, concise, and authoritative account of the dramatic desert campaign. Lavishly illustrated with 230 photos from London's Imperial War Museum, the riveting narrative covers the darkest hours of Allied fortunes in North Africa. It offers an astute analysis of British and German generalship, and highlights the massive logistics problems of desert warfare. The fateful battle for Tobruk and the advance to El Alamein receive day-by-day, blow-by-blow accounts of a time and place where quick thinking and surprise action mattered more than deliberate plan and careful calculation. Trim size: 8 1/2 x 10 3/4. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

The Armies of Rommel (George Forty)

Brilliant tactician, daring commander, and strong-willed leader, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's battlefield maneuvers remain unsurpassed. A noted historian probes the legendary fighter's military life, forces, armaments, and strategies. With a wealth of archival photographs. "...describe(s) each and every posting and its units...and...Rommel's actions and reasons. Everywhere you turn...there are detailed tables and descriptions of organizations and equipment....diverse and voluminous knowledge of the German Wehrmacht...Recommended reading and also excellent as a reference source..."--Axis Europa.
--Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Rommel's Greatest victory : The Desert Fox and the Fall of Tobruk (Samuel W. Mitcham)

From School Library Journal
YA?By early 1942, although the Germans were victorious on almost every battlefield in Europe, their drive in North Africa to seize the Suez Canal had been stopped in its tracks. More importantly, the Germans and their Italian allies were in such a perilous position that they were in danger of being pushed out of Africa altogether. Hitler sent General Erwin Rommel, soon to gain fame as the Desert Fox, to Africa to reverse the situation. Within two months, in a series of brilliant counterattacks, Rommel had forced the British back to Egypt, inflicting massive casualties and destroying or capturing thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, trucks, and artillery pieces. The success of his efforts allowed the Germans to keep their toehold in Africa for another year and prevented the Allies from using the troops on another front. Mitcham's readable narrative blends first-hand accounts with official histories to capture the confusion and chaos of the campaign. The numerous maps and illustrations enable readers to follow the narrative. The book closes with a short synopsis of what happened to the officers mentioned. This is a quick read that will appeal to casual readers, but it has enough detail to sustain the interest of history buffs.?Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield,
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rommel's Year of Victory : The Wartime illustrations of the Afrika Korps by Kurt Caesar (James Lucas, Kurt Caesar, Barrie Pitt)

70 illustrations Superb drawings by a German war artist who traveled with the Afrika Korps The story of the campaign from the German soldiers perspective Detailed military history of the major actions of the campaign The German offensive in North Africa, coupling the prowess of Rommel, The Desert Fox, with the superb lan of the German Afrika Korps, is widely regarded as one of the most astonishing military achievements of World War II. Rommel had been sent to Libya in February 1941 to bail out the Italian Army, whose short-lived invasion of Egypt in the fall of 1940 had been repulsed by the British. His ability to adapt his troops to desert warfare is a textbook example of training and tactics in harsh conditions. German war artist Kurt Caesar traveled with the Afrika Korps and illustrated the campaign with evocative and detailed drawings. Rommels Year of Victory combines these illustrations with a new, gripping narrative by James Lucas that captures the day-to-day life of the German soldier in the desert. James Lucas served as an infantryman in the Tunisian campaign in World War II. He is an acknowledged expert on the German military history of the period, as well as a widely published military author. Rommel, accepting the definition that the North African battlefield was a tacticians paradise but a quartermasters hell, evolved battle drills to meet a given tactical situation. . . . [He] was deeply aware that the Axis armies in Africa would always lack supplies and believed that he could partly overcome this deficiency and gain victories through his style of intensive training.

The Desert Fox In Normandy : Rommel's Defense of Fortress Europe (Samuel W., Jr. Mitcham)


From Library Journal
In a well-balanced examination, Mitcham (Why Hitler?, LJ 12/96) presents the battle of Normandy from the viewpoint of German Army Group B commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, covering the period from December 1943 to July 14, 1944, the day Rommel was wounded by an Allied fighter-bomber. Mitcham describes Rommel's impact on strengthening German defenses in anticipation of the Allied invasion and the affect of his absence from France during the invasion. He also shows how Rommel executed one of his most brilliant campaigns in defending France's Cotentin Peninsula with next to no reinforcements or resupply. Using little-known or ignored primary sources, the author contradicts other published accounts not only of Rommel but also of his officers and his connections with the Hitler assassination attempt of July 20. A worthy study that should interest all readers.?David Lee Poremba, Detroit P.L.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
As 1943 came to a close, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was given his most challenging and important assignment to date--to repel the impending Allied invasion. The German high command anticipated that 1944 would be the year for the long-awaited amphibious cross-channel invasion. This invasion could be a critical strategic opportunity if the Germans successfully repelled it, but a failure to do so would severely hinder their ability to reestablish military superiority in Europe. Covering the Battle of Normandy from the German point of view, this book examines the impact that the "Desert Fox" had on the strengthening of German defenses in Normandy and elsewhere. Dubbed by the Propaganda Ministry as "The Atlantic Wall," Rommel realized how deceptive this term was upon his inspection of German defenses in 1943. Convinced that the Allies knew more about the actual state of German readiness than many of his officers did, the Desert Fox set out to fortify German positions.


Knight's Cross : A life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (David Fraser)

Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) was the most celebrated German general of WW II, in large part because of his campaigns against the British but also because of his personal magnetism. Relying on speed and shock, his style of maneuver is a standard subject of study in most war colleges. Fraser, a historian and retired British officer, shows that Rommel's uncanny aptitude for maneuver warfare was evident even when he was a junior infantry officer in WW I. Promoted to field marshal in 1944, Rommel commanded German troops defending the coast of France against the Allied invasion, abandoning the proven precepts of mobile warfare for an uncharacteristically rigid defense, a change in tactics which Fraser explores. Implicated in the July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, Rommel was given the choice of suicide or facing a people's court. Fraser explains why he took a fatal poison draught, though his only crime was to question Hitler's leadership. Fraser's superb biography reveals Rommel not only as a warrior who ranks with Napoleon and Lee, but also as an unpretentious man who found much contentment in the company of his wife and son. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The paradox of a great general serving an evil cause looms over the reputation of the Desert Fox, bridged somewhat by Rommel's forced suicide after the anti-Hitler plot in July_ 1944. Would that he had survived to write his memoirs, for his influence on military thought to this day (his 1937 book Infantry Attacks is still in print) would certainly be felt in doctrines on armored maneuver. In lieu of such, Fraser presents what definitely will become the standard biography (only the second since 1950), as the author astutely traces the qualities of leadership which Rommel embodied. A retired British general himself, Fraser brings a cerebral tone to his analysis, noting Rommel's almost animalistic warrior quality--his zest for war and ability to master its fears, tempered by knowledge of its art and the critical necessity of independent decisions to attain victory. He was thrice wounded in World War I, in actions here meticulously described, and spent the interwar period training new officers. Essentially a patriot, he was ostensibly apolitical but rose meteorically as commandant of Hitler's personal guard, then of a division in France and of the Afrikakorps in the desert. The question of whether his tactical brillance carried over into strategy divides military opinions, but opinion in general--or rather Fraser's convincing work might mold it so--is that he was brilliant, brave, even chivalrous. Technical text in places, but engaging throughout for the library readership. Gilbert Taylor

Rommel's Lieutenants : The Men Who Served The Desert Fox, France, 1940 (Samuel W., Jr. Mitcham)

The first booklength treatment to detail the colorful cast of characters who supported Rommel's campaigns, this study looks at who these men were, where they came from, and their contributions to Rommel's efforts.

The Rat Patrol (series)

Set in North Africa during World War II, this series chronicles the adventures of a 4-man team of commandos within the Long Range Desert Group. (In utter defiance of historical accuracy, the team consists of three Americans and one Brit.) Armed with jeeps equipped with .50-caliber machine guns--and endless chutzpah--they wage a highly irregular war against Rommel's Afrika Korps. Their most common nemesis is Hauptmann Dietrich, though Dietrich and the Rats join forces from time to time against a common enemy.

Personal note : I have watched this one and I was somewhat disappointed. It's all right - but nothing that can be compared to "Hogan's Heroes". With only half an hour, there is no time to explore all the possibilities in each episode, and that makes for a rather feeble scenario... If you want to make an opinion though, I can bring it too, Wing.

Entre les mains de l'ennemi (movie)

Bon film quelque peu entaché par des plans mélodramatiques rappelant Les Feux De L'Amour (!!!!). Les deux équipages se battent pour leur survie et doivent mettre de côté leurs différences culturels et politiques au sein de la bataille de l'Atlantique. Où l'on s'aperçoit que le véritable ennemi n'est pas celui que l'on pense... Découvrez-le !

Personal note : Forgot I had this one in French, and quite frankly it's too late for me to check the name in English. Here's the translation, though :

Good movie, a bit spoiled by overly melodramatic plans. Two crews fight for their survival and must put aside their cultural and political differences during the Atlantic battle. When we find out the actual enemy is not the one we thought.

Coulez le Bismarck (movie)

L'histoire de l'un des plus célèbres combats navals de la seconde guerre mondiale. Durant le printemps 1941, le Bismarck, le cuirassé le plus célèbre de l'Allemagne nazie, est coincé dans un port Norvégien. Il parvient à s'échapper et est pris en chasse par la Navy anglaise.

Personal note : Raaah, again ! Never mind, another translation here : the history of one of the most famous naval combats of WW2. During Spring 1941, the Bismarck, the most famous German battleship, is stuck in a Norvegian port. It manages to escape and is hunted by the British Navy.

Torpilles sous l'Atlantique (movie)

Deux capitaines de bâtiments de guerre pendant la bataille de l'Atlantique. L'un est un sous-marin allemand et l'autre un destroyer américain. Les deux hommes rivalisent d'ingéniosité dans leurs tactiques et la poursuite devient une véritable partie d'échecs ou chaque erreur peut-être fatale et à l'issue de laquelle il ne peut en rester qu'un.

Personal note : I think that one is the last in French... Two warship captains during the Atlantic battle. One is a German submarine, the other an American one. Two men rival with ingeniosity in their tactics, and the hunt becomes a real chess game where each mistake might be the last one, and at the end of which there can be only one.

Combat (series)

Plot Synopsis: Combat!, a one-hour WWII drama series on television, followed a frontline American infantry squad as they battled their way across Europe. With mud-splattered realism, the show offered character studies of men striving to maintain their own humanity in the midst of a world torn by war.

12 O'Clock High (series, not on dvd)

Left behind : Etat de guerre (movie)

Colditz (movie)

How Private Goodman Made It Through World War II Without Firing a Single Shot Except Once While Fishing

The title is rather funny... wonder how good it is.

Raid on Rommel

Captain Foster plans on raiding German-occupied Tobruk with hand- picked commandos, but a mixup leaves him with a medical unit led by a Quaker conscientious objector. Despite all odds they succeed with their mission. On the way they pick up and drug the mistress of an Italian general, blow up the entire fuel supply for the Afrika Korps, and swap philatelic gossip with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

Comment : The history is wrong. The props are inaccurate. The story is over the top derring do nonsense. It was the presence of Richard Burton that drew me to this turkey. Alas, it must have been his worst role. I fail to see how any film maker can be so careless with his subject and so contemptuous of his audience. The Germans did not use flying boats and certainly not in the desert. The Wehrmacht did not use the type of campaign ribbon shown on the German uniforms. There are no puffy white clouds over the Libyan desert. Edward R. Murrow's CBS broadcasts could not have been heard in Africa. And on and on and on. Nor have we even approached the absurd plot, complete with an Italian bimbo and a philatelic Erwin Rommel. Or the very chintzy special effects. Nope. My one line summary says it all. A really bad movie!

Personal note : A flying boat, hehehe.

Rommel and the plot against/to kill Hitler

Plot Outline: How Field Marshal Erwin Rommel became implicated in the July 20, 1944 officers' plot against Hitler. A morality tale highlighting the dilemma of the modern soldier forced to choose between obeying orders and following his conscience.

Paris brûle-t-il ? (Is Paris Burning ?)

In this sprawling, star-laden film, we see the struggles of various French resistance factions to regain control of Paris near the end of World War II. The Nazi general in charge of Paris, Dietrich von Cholitz (Fröbe), is under orders from Hitler himself to burn the city if he cannot control it or if the Allies get too close. Much of the drama centers around the moral deliberations of the general, the Swedish ambassador (Welles), and the eager but desperate leaders of the resistance.

Patton

"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination. Faults which would, eventually, lead to his being relieved as Occupation Commander of Germany.

Personal note : Yeah, perhaps I shouldn't have included that one... but I wanted to have as thorough a list as possible, so...

The Plot to Kill Hitler

"The Plot to Kill Hitler" is a historical recreation of the 1944 attempt by several German High Command Officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and take control of the German government. Lead by Wehrmacht Colonel Count von Staufenberg, this group of brave men managed to plant a bomb in Hitler's battlefield headquarters. By sheer luck, Hitler survived the blast and the SS quickly arrested and executed all those involved in the affair.

There is a good mix of action and dialogue throughout the film and a tense soundtrack which does a lot to add to the atmosphere. The performances of many of the actors are first-rate. Ian Richardson as General Beck and Ken Colley as Field-Marshal Keitel are characteristically convincing. The presence of Helmuts Lohner and Griem as General Fromm and Field-Marshal Rommel respectively help to give the film a greater feeling of audio authenticity which adds to the effect of excellent costumes and sets. Jonathan Hyde is a convincing Goebells and demonstrates a wonderful range. The best performance by far is that of the little-known Welsh actor Mike Gwilym who puts in a masterly portrayal of the fast declining Hitler.

[Qualerei]

Attention ! Bandit !

This film tell the story (invented but based on the real situation) of a group of partisan near Genova during the nazi occupation of Northern Italy that have to recover some weapons in a factory (with the help of the workers) and the dilemma of a group of italian "Alpini" soldier (mountain special troops) that was in doubt if is better to follow the order of the nazi ally/occupants or to join the partisan Resistance and fight for the freedom of Italy.

In this film appear a young Gina Lollobrigida, not at the maximum of her playing ability.

The film, that now has a great historical value, was first boycotted and then censored and retired from the distribution for many years by the italian cattolic government, because the partisans near Genova was quite all of Communist or Socialist ideology, so they think that the film can be used as a form of propaganda.

Using a good B/W the film show the city of the immediate post-war period, with some clip taken from documentaries of the time, and the mountain territory near Genova.

My Crimes After Mein Kampf

Blood & Iron: The Story of the German War Machine

Les Bidasses s'en vont en guerre

Personal note : Dunno what this one is about, but the title doesn't sound all that, uh... exciting...

The Big Blockade

OK the spoiler first, Germany looses! Now I am sure if John Cleese was around at the time he would have written something like this. 1940 and the Phoney War was over, but Britain still had years of hardship ahead. This is a quaint view of things with the totally useless Hampden bomber flown nonchalantly over Germany with John Mills munching sandwiches whilst ably directing Michael Rennie to the target and actually hitting it. In reality the film contains a fundamental truth, the economic blockade of Germany did have a very real impact on the final outcome. Now it is a classic piece of propaganda that only the British could do. Amusing and of historical interest.

Bon Voyage (1944)

A young English RAF pilot is debriefed by French officials about his escape from occupied territory, and in particular one person who may or may not have been a German agent.
"Bon Voyage" is a short, French-language film, one of two such features that Alfred Hitchcock made during World War II as a tribute to the French Resistance. It will be of special interest to fans of the great director, but it is also an interesting, exciting story that is worthwhile in its own right.

As the story opens, we meet a young Scottish pilot from the RAF who has successfully escaped German-occupied territory with help from the resistance. He is being de-briefed about his experiences by intelligence officials, and he goes back and relates for them (and for the audience) his exciting story. Then, in the second half, the officials take him back through the same events, to reveal some astounding surprises.

It is all nicely done in fine Hitchcock fashion. It is very much like a good episode from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", and is about the same length.

Hitchcock fans should not miss "Bon Voyage", as there is nothing else quite like it in his movie credits. It is also a good story that should be of at least some interest to anyone interested in World War II films or spy dramas.

Bon Voyage (2003)

In Paris, a few months before the Nazi invasion, the manipulative actress Viviane Denvers (Isabelle Adjani) uses her former sweetheart Frédéric Auger (Grégori Deràngere) to hide the body of a man killed by her. Frédéric hits the car, the dead man is found and he is sent to prison. When the Germans invade France, Frédéric escapes with another prisoner, Raoul (Yvan Attal), and they become friends. In the runaway to Bordeaux, they meet in the train Camille (Virginie Ledoyen), the young assistant of the physicist Professeur Kopolski (Jean-Marc Stehlé), who is trying to leave France with his research of heavy water. Once in Bordeaux, the group meets Viviane with her new lover, the minister of state Jean-Étienne Beaufort (Gérard Depardieu), and is chased by a German spy, the journalist Alex Winckler (Peter Coyote), while Paris is falling and the population is confused.

Clash of Warriors

Codename: Panzers, Phase Two

Pity there's no summary for that one, it really sounds interesting...

Codename : Emerald

In april 1944, an allied agent is sent to France in order to rescue an "overlord" captured by the Germans. (An "overlord" is one of the few men who knew the date and place of the "D" day). To achieve this goal, he will be supported by a secret friend of the allies, a very important German officer and the French resistance. But the nazi SS is not resting...

The Coldest Winter

The Coldest Winter is a WWII Battle of the Bulge story that tells the tale of an American Soldier, and a German soldier, both left for dead, who awaken on the battlefield only to find themselves fighting for survival against their wounds, the weather and each other. A second storyline follows a naïve, frightened, Captain, sent out to track down missing intelligence with a newly demoted Sergeant turned Private from the Black Army, and a battle-hardened and battle-hungry Sergeant. Constant in-fighting, racism, and power struggles ensue when the troops get lost in the Ardennes forest.

Command Decision

General Dennis of the US Force in England in World War II finds that he must order his planes deeper and deeper into Germany to prevent the production of military jet planes that will turn the tide of battle to the Germans. He must fight congressmen, and his own chain of command to win the political battle before he can send his planes out. His problem is complicated by a very narrow window of good weather necessary to allow his effort to be successful. Adapted from a stage play, it attempts to look at the challenges of command in the political arena.

This is one of the best WW2 movies. The acting and writing are superb and rather subdued at that. With Clark Gable you expect BIG ACTING AND BIG ACTION but in this one he does a very credible job portraying a very troubled man who is put in charge of the bombing campaign against the Germans. So, this movie is a bit of a stretch for the usually glib Gable, as it focuses on the emotional toll of war.

The movie is VERY similar to the great 12 O'Clock High (starring Gregory Peck). 12 O'Clock is a slightly better movie (and it gives Peck more room to hash out his character as the man in charge of sending airmen to their deaths), though they are so good I recommend seeing both.

Commandos

Sgt. Sullivan puts together a group of Italian-Americans into disguise as Italian soldiers in order to infiltrate a North African camp held by the Italians. After the soldiers have knifed the Italians in their beds, they find a hooker living at the camp. Sullivan's commandos are to hold this camp and its weaponry until an American battalion arrives, all the while these Italian-Americans pretend to be Italian soldiers, often hosting the enemy. Lt. Valli is a young, "green," by-the-book officer who constantly argues with Sgt. Sullivan, who tells his superior that he has no idea what he is doing. One man on the base, probably a touch from Argento, is an entomologist who is needlessly killed. Things go terribly wrong after that.

The Conspirators

Vincent Van Der Lyn, a Dutch freedom fighter in WWII, is forced to neutral Lisbon to escape the Nazis. There he meets a small band of underground conspirators. The group's leader, Ricardo Quintanilla, knows that one of their number is spying for the Nazis, and needs Van Der Lyn to help identify the traitor.

Creatures of the Night

In 1941, Field Mashal Rommel sends a group of German soldiers to Romainia under the command of Colonal Drexler to investigate a stream of mysterious disappearances. Once there, they are greeted by the mysterious Count Rasnov and his family who welcome the soldiers into their castle. As night falls, the men find themselves pitted against shape shifting carnivorous monsters and other creatures of the night.

Personal note : That one sounds like utter nonsense. That being said, I'll sure watch it if given the occasion, if only to spend the whole time moaning about how bad it is. Dreadful movies are funny that way...

Cross of Iron

The film opens with a squad of seasoned German soldiers, led by a disillusioned but skilled corporal, on a patrol on the Russian front in WWII. They return to base to find a new commander, a traditional Prussian officer who wants only one thing from his command - An Iron Cross to maintain his family honor. The scene is set for a graphic portrayal of the horrors of war and of the conflict between two men of differing backgrounds.

Comments : Steiner carries a Russian PPSh-41 submachine gun originally chambered for 7.62x25 Tokarev, a round the Germans did not (officially) use. However, the 41 was easily rechambered for 9 millimeter Parabellum, which the Germans did use, and the weapon was, in fact, adopted by the Germans as the MP717(r). However, the drum magazine Steiner uses was not adaptable to the 9mm, so stick magazines from the issue MP38/40 had to be used. Steiner's weapon, therefore, has to be in the original caliber.

Goofs: Factual errors: The Soviet planes that bomb the German trench system are actually U.S. Navy Vought F4U Corsairs. You can even see the U.S. military markings on them.

The Desert Rats (movie)

Rommel has the British in retreat on his way to the Suez Canal. All that stands in his way is Tobruk, held by a vastly out numbered force of Australian troops. Richard Burton leads these troops on daring raids against Rommel, keeping him off balance as they earn the nickname 'The Desert Rats'.

Desperate Journey

When Flight Lt Forbes and his crew are shot down after bombing their target, they discover valuable information, about a hidden German aircraft factory, that must get back to England. In their way across Germany, they try and cause as much damage as possible. Then with the chasing Germans about to pounce, they come up with an ingenious plan to escape.

Ennemy at the door (series)

Drama about the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

The Eagle Has Landed

In 1943 sixteen German paratroopers landed in England. In three days they nearly won the War.
Oberst Steiner, a German parachute unit commander, is sent to England on a covert mission to kidnap Prime Minister Winston Churchill and bring him to Berlin. The seemingly impossible assignment becomes more and more feasible as the mission grows nearer with Steiner and his men arriving in England to a very real possibility of success.

The Edge of Darkness

It's two years after the Nazi's invasion of Norway and in a small fishing village that is headquarters to 150 German soldiers, the 800 locals are stewing, waiting for a supply of arms so they can revolt. Leaders include Karen Stensgard, whose father is the town's doctor and not all that sure that an open revolt will accomplish much and whose brother has proven disloyal to Norway previously, and Gunnar Brogge, a fisherman who was planning to sail to England to fight but changed his mind on hearing of English arms being delivered. Although the Nazi's cruelty is evident, the townspeople bide their time, until one incident causes the stewpot to boil over.

Education for Death

A Walt Disney wartime propaganda look into the mind of Hans, a boy born into a German family. Watch as his attitude about the value of human life degrades as he is exposed to Hitler Youth and other Nazi organizations and attitudes.

Personal Note : That one, if properly dealt with, would certainly be extremely interesting. How children can be bred to kill...

El Alamein (2002)

War seen through the eyes of Serra, a university student from Palermo who volunteers in 1942 to fight in Africa. He is assigned to the Pavia Division on the southern line in Egypt. Rommel and the Axis forces are bogged down; it's October, the British prepare an offensive. At first, boredom, heat, hunger, and thirst bedevil the Italians; then the Brits attack, and there's no luck or heroism in death. Finally, it's retreat in confusion. Serra, his sergeant Rizzo, and his lieutenant Fiori take a last walk toward home. It's said that each soldier gets three miracles; when Serra's are used up, what then?

El Alamein (1953)

Two engagements in Egypt during World War II were called "Battles of El-Alamein".

In the first battle, British forces stopped a German advance across Egypt at 'el-Alamein'; in the second, the British attacked the German at 'el-Alamein' and finally forced them to retreat to Libya...

Scott Brady played many tough-guy leading roles, mostly in Westerns and other low-budget productions like "El Alamein," photographed in Black and White... Brady is cast here as a 'man of action' under fire with his men and suffering the attacks of Nazi soldiers...

The Enemy Below

Set during the Battle of Atlantic during the Second World War, "The Enemy Below" tells the story of the cat and mouse Destroyer escort/U-Boat hunt. For the Americans, a former Merchant Mariner who saw his wife killed when his freighter was torpedoed by the Germans. For the Germans, a veteran U-Boat commander who sees no honor in the German aims of the war. Both of these highly experienced men must now battle each other, knowing that only one will survive.

Ennemy of Women

Young Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (Paul Andor), an unsuccesful playright, is forced, in order to support himself, to take a position as tutor in the household of Herr Quandt (Ralph Morgan.) His first attempt to force himself upon women comes when he becomes interested in a young actress, Maria Brandt (Claudia Drake), daughter of Colonel Brandt (H.B. Warner)at whose home he is lodging. He is driven from the house by Colonel Brandt. That night, acting as an usher for a meeting of the new German Socialist Party, Goebbels hears Hitler speak, and becomes an ardent follower. He is made propaganda head, becomes known as the "Scoundrel of Berlin", and his machinations strike terror into the hearts of innocent girls. Maria Brandt, who is working as a bit player in a theatre in Hannover, again meets Goebbels. Through his efforts, although unknown to her, Maria is made an overnight star. He then procures a contract for her at the famous UFA studios of Berlin. Maria, who has become interested in a young doctor, Hans Traeger (Donald Woods), shuns Goebbels' attentions.

Eye of the Dictator

A documentary look at the German film service during the Second World War. These often brave men were sent into front line combat to film and record the so called glorious victories of the Third Reich. The film makers hardly ever saw their work again as the German Propaganda Ministry exercised total control of all press and news releases under the authority of Dr. Joseph Goebbels.

Eye of The Needle

A German spy carrying information that will reveal the target of Operation Overlord becomes involved with the wife of a crippled man on an isolated island off the English coast while he waits to be picked up.
Eye of the Needle is an oddly structured but nonetheless extremely effective film which in many ways is quite old fashioned in tone and feel,with the addition of a little 'modern'sex and violence. For almost the first half,the film is a fairly conventional but quite gripping spy thriller,as a German agent causes havoc in World War 2 England. There are few surprises,but Donald Sutherland is mesmerising to watch {even if his accent wavers} and the plot at least sounds almost plausible. The keen eyed,however,may spot mistakes in the period detail.

Then Sutherland is washed up on a Scottish island inhabited by a crippled man and his frustrated wife,and the film changes into an incredibly tense mixture of romance and thrills. Sutherland and Nelligan's affair may be basically sexual,but there is real chemistry between them and a real sense of desperation,of two lonely people throwing themselves together. The last half hour is real edge-of-the-seat stuff,perhaps almost bordering on psycho-thriller,but it really works.

Throughout the film Sutherland remains the villain and does do some nasty things,but it's a measure of his performance that occasionally we do come close to sympathising with him. Acting-wise though the film really belongs to Nelligan,a tragically underused and beautiful actress who has to go through the motions of loneliness and frustration,than lust,then fear,and eventually heroism,and does so superbly.

Aided tremendously by the last ever score from the legendary film composer Miklos Rozsa,who provides a moving love theme and some especially thrilling music for the last section of the film,Eye of the Needle perhaps shouldn't really work as well at it does,but that's a measure of it's quality.

Fabrik Der Offiziere

Personal Note : This one didn't have a summary, but I read the book by Kirst, and it was great. Pity it's only in German.

Le Facteur s'en va-t-en guerre/The postman goes to war

Five Graves To cairo

June, 1942. The British Army, retreating ahead of victorious Rommel, leaves a lone survivor on the Egyptian border--Corporal John Bramble, who finds refuge at a remote desert hotel...soon to be German HQ. To survive, Bramble assumes an identity which proves perilous. The new guest of honor is none other than Rommel, hinting of his secret strategy, code-named 'five graves.' And the fate of the British in Egypt depends on whether a humble corporal can penetrate the secret...

What's not to like in this suspense filled WW II picture. Franchot Tone does some of his best work ever as an allied soldier who finds himself thrust into the position of being a spy. Fortunio Bonanova (my all-time favorite actors' name) plays a somewhat cowardly Italian officer. But, the real star of this show is Erich Von Stroheim who, as Field Marshall Rommel plays the part with his typical style of Prussian arrogance. He is at once both the perfect gentleman yet also an senior officer to be feared by all who surround him. This movie is great fun and I highly recommend it to one and all......

Personal Note : Tried to buy this one on the net. The seller never sent it... pity. Either that or it was stolen, because I certainly never received it.

Fooling Hitler

This film tells the true story of how a bunch of writers, artists, set designers and back room technicians pooled their talents in order to outwit the German High Command and fool Hitler. Espionage, counter espionage, decoy airfields, inflatable tanks, guns and soldiers are all deployed in the run up to D Day to create a massive diversion and the strongest possible indication that the landings will be in Calais rather than Normandy. A whole invisible army is conjured up: FUSAG the First US Army Group. General Patton is placed in charge of this army, such is its importance he is detained in Britain for several weeks after the Normandy landing in order to (successfully) convince Hitler that a second and larger set of landings will be staged in Calais. A true story.

Force 10 from Navarone

In the darkest days of World War II, Hitler's armies are storming through Europe, annihilating all opposition in their path. But U.S. Colonel Barnsby (Ford) plots to strike a crippling blow to the brutal Nazi forces. To succeed, he'll need the help of the most skilled and lethal soldiers in the world: the Force 10 squad, fresh from its triumphant mission at Navarone. But when the team's plan goes awry in a firestorm of blistering battles, Barnsby and the squad's hard-driving Major Mallory (Shaw) are forced to devise a new and even more dangerous scheme to attack the Nazi war machine . . . or risk losing the rest of Europe to its awesome, destructive power.

The Foreman Went To France

Based on the true story of Melbourne Johns, an aircraft factory foreman sent to France to prevent the Nazis getting hold of some vital equipment.

[Qualerei]

Foxhole in Cairo

The movie is based on a true story. Rommel has planted two German spies in Cairo. They are his "ears and eyes" in the British eight army. Rommel is looking for information which can help him plan an attack on Cairo. The plot is good and interesting and the film holds the story together. It is quite clear that the budget is low, most of the scenes are shot in studios. The story is told in a slow pace, sometimes to slow- it never gets exciting! The acting is quite good all over, despite a few minor roles. Actor Michael Caine acts in a minor role as a German; Hans. Foxhole in Cairo is a nice little film, nothing more, and add up to 4/10

Freedom Radio

Hitler's doctor is gradually realising that the Nazi regime isn't as good as it pretends to be when his friends start to "disappear" into the camps. His wife is courted by the party and accepts a political post in Berlin. Meanwhile Dr Karl decides to try to do something to counteract the Nazi propaganda and with the help of an engineer and a few friends he sets up the Freedom Radio to counteract the Nazi propaganda.

Der Fuchs von Paris (german only)

One of the few WW2 films that indeed had something to tell. And probably it still has to tell something,as it concerns a subject that is not very well publicly known. Although for drama's interest the story must have been more elaborated with a love's interest added, the core of the subject is fascinating: the plans of in France stationed German officers to withstand ideas of Nazi HQ in Berlin to prepare for what later would be known as D-Day. The German officers wanted to give up any defence because they felt too many lives would be lost. Meticulously the films shows the whole process of involving French resistance and the very careful way the officers have to use as they have to prevent any suspicion. Certainly worth a look.

Germans

A wealthy German family is divided by the immorality of Nazi Germany, circa 1944. Former professional colleague, Joachim Peters, escapes from a Nazi concentration camp, and seeks refuge with his friends, the Sonnenbruchs. Torn between their duty as German citizens, and their greater humanitarian sensibilities, the family is divided in how to deal with Joachim's presence.

The Great Escape

Based on a true story, "The Great Escape" deals with the largest Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp during the Second World War. The first part of the film focuses on the escape efforts within the camp and the process of secretly digging an escape tunnel. The second half of the film deals with the massive effort by the German Gestapo to track down the over 70 escaped prisoners who are at this point throughout the Third Reich attempting to make their way to England and various neutral countries.

The Guns of Navarone

Two powerful German guns control the seas past the Greek island of Navarone making the evacuation of endangered British troops on a neighboring island impossible. Air attack is useless so a team of six Allied and Greek soldiers is put ashore to meet up with partisans to try and dynamite the guns. The mission is perilous enough anyway but are the Germans on the island getting further help too?.

Personal Note : I watched this one when I was a kid, over a decade ago, and I only dimly remember it. It's all right, not ground-breakingly so but all right. It's old, though, and it shows.

Hell's End

Germany, 1944. The allies have crossed into the Rhineland ever tightening the grip on the Nazi war machine. Elite Hitler youth groups are formed to strengthen Germany's defenses. Some say that many of these young men were products of early German biological engineering. The super soldiers. Unfortunately for mankind these evil Nazi experiments would spawn a future race of beings destined to destroy all of mankind. One man is sent back from the 21st century to 1944 to stop this from ever happening. In a desperate attempt to change the past he must travel back in time and hunt down the horribly mutated creature which is the vessel of mans demise. Great creature effects from Toby Sells Creature FX studios.

Personal Note : That one sounds like a bad idea for a very surreal video game. If I was to ever watch it, it would be out of sheer curiosity. The same kind of curiosity as when observing a particularly hideous bug.

The Hill

WWII, in a British disciplinary camp located in the Libyan desert. Prisoners are persecuted by Staff Sergeant Williams, who makes them climb again and again, under the heavy sun, an artificial hill built right in the middle of the camp. Harris is a more human and compassionate guard, but the chief, S.M. Wilson, refuses to disown his subordinate Williams. One day, five new prisoners arrive. Each of them will deal in a different way with the authority and Williams' ferocity.

Hitler's Madman

This film story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (titled by the Nazis as Reichs Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, by the Czechs as "The Hangman", and also one of the architects of "The Final Solution")and of the subsequent annihilation of the village of Lidice by the Nazis, really does not do justice to the subject. Although released by MGM, it was actually produced by poverty row Producer Releasing Corporation (PRC). Some of the cast members are old familiars and rather good, but none give a feeling that these are Czechs being murdered by Hitler's minions. As war propaganda, it is a success, and it at least gives the spirit of the tragedy of Lidice, if not historically detailed facts. John Carradine is effective as Heydrich, especially in his deathbed scene.

The facts about the assassination briefly are that two Czech partisans were parachuted into Czechoslovakia from an RAF plane. They managed to ambush Heydrich's open Mercedes, throw a bomb under it, and escape to a church. Heydrich died a few days later from complications arising from the penetration of his spleen by bomb fragments and debris from the car upholstery. Using torture, the Nazis discovered the whereabouts of the two partisans and the SS killed them at once. Lidice was picked more or less at random from among villages known to have anti-German leanings. On Hitler's orders, the men were shot and the women and children removed to camps, while the buildings of the site were levelled. When it became known in the allied world, this made excellent anti-Nazi propaganda, and more than one film was made of the subject. It may be that the massive retaliation backfired somewhat on the Nazis also by stiffening Czech resistance to the occupation.

How I won the War

An inept British WWII commander leads his troops to a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.

In Ennemy Hands

At the height of Hitler's infamous U-boat war, the crew of the U.S.S. Swordfish were heading home after months at sea. They never made it. Now prisoners of war aboard U-boat 429, a small group of American survivors will find their loyalties put to the ultimate test when they're forced to join their German captors to fight for their very lives.

Personal Note : If you've made it that far, you'll agree that it doesn't sound original at all... But, well. Might be fun.

In Ennemy Country

In Enemy Country is an OK time filler about undercover agents trying to stop the Germans from developing a super torpedo during WWII. The action is a bit bland for much of the picture, but the final sequence is quite taut. Anthony Franciosca heads the cast and delivers a tolerable performance, but he lacks the range of expression to do anything really interesting with the role. Anyone who is interested in WWII will probably enjoy it, and anyone who likes impossible mission flicks set deep behind enemy lines will be well satisfied.

Joyeux Noel

In 1914, World War I, the bloodiest war ever at that time in human history, was well under way. However on Christmas Eve, numerous sections of the Western Front called an informal, and unauthorized, truce where the various front-line soldiers of the conflict peacefully met each other in No Man's Land to share a precious pause in the carnage with a fleeting brotherhood. This film dramatizes one such section as the French, British and German sides partake in the unique event, even though they are aware that their superiors will not tolerate its occurrence.

Personal Note : Not a WWII movie, but I heard of it and it seems to be a really great movie.

Kelly's Heroes

During World War II, Lieutenant Kelly learns of a German bank located behind enemy lines containing 16 million dollars in gold bars. His platoon, led by Big Joe, has three days of R&R coming, so, with the aid of hustler Crapgame, anachronistic hippie Oddball, three Sherman tanks and a touch of irreverence, Kelly leads his men deep into French territory to steal the gold for themselves.

Killing Hitler

Part documentary and part movie, this joint BBC/History Channel Mini-Series examines "Operation Foxley", a real SOE (Special Operations Executive) plot to kill Adolph Hitler in World War II that was never carried out. This 2 part mini-series uses actors and narration, mixed with archival footage, to tell the story of the development of the plan in November of 1944. It also utilizes a modern panel of experts who hash over the entire plan, dissecting and discussing the whys and wherefores and ultimately come to their own personal decisions as to whether or not the plan should have been carried out, and why. Additionally the program draws on some personal recollections of people who were alive at the time, both British and German. The film also touches on the cross-agency conflicts between the SOE and the SIS (Secret Intelligence Service - aka MI6). The entire story is told from the point of view of "LB/X", the code name for the British Staff Officer responsible for developing "Foxley".

The production is up to the usual BBC standards with accurate costuming and sets for the recreation of past events. For Americans the British documentary style can be occasionally jarring as the production switches from the modern panel of experts to the recreations and back again. Once you get used to it, though, the transitions are easy to take.

If you're looking for spies and war-time shootouts this is not the program for you. If you're interested in the historical facts, and educated "what-ifs", then this is for you and will keep your interest for the approximately 90 minute running time.

Laissez-Passez

In occupied France, German-run Continental Films calls the shots in the movie business. Assistant director and Resistance activist Jean Devaivre works for Continental, where he can get "in between the wolf's teeth and avoid being chewed up". Fast-living screenwriter Jean Aurenche uses every possible argument to avoid working for the enemy. For both, wartime is a battle for survival.

The Last Blitzkrieg

This story of a German commando team operating behind American lines during the Battle of the Bulge has a fair amount of potential, but it never quite comes together, partially due to some less-than-stellar performances (Larry Storch, I'm looking in your direction) and a silly Hollywood ending.

The Last Days

The year is 1945 and the Germans have just surrendered. An airborne unit is ordered to a nearby way-station to help process German surrenders. Along the way, they cross paths with a broken Werhmacht unit that's been cut off for days and does not know the war is officially over. With no translators in either group, they must overcome the language barrier before it's too late.

The Last Drop

In a daring attempt to end the war by Christmas, Winston Churchill and the British High Command hatch an extraordinary plan - Operation Market Garden. 35,000 British troops are dropped behind enemy lines in German occupied Holland. In the midst of the largest airborne invasion in history, one small unit of men, codename "Matchbox" has it's own agenda. When Matchbox are shot down short of their landing zone, the odds of their success seem hopeless. Seven very different British soldiers find themselves separated from the Allied invasion, on a collision course with three renegade German soldiers who also want to lay claim to the horde.

The Last Escape

The end of WW2. Allied forces enter a well-guarded German rocket base and kidnap among others the rocket scientist Dr. von Heinken. When they try to get away they are followed both by Germans and Russians who both want to get their hands on the doctor.

The Last Patrol

Sgt. Ron Marrick of the 101st Airborne is forced into leading a ragtag group of soldiers after their lieutenant is killed in action. The squad is ordered on a routine mission into the forests along the outskirts of Carentan, July 1944, in midsts of World War II.

Lifeboat

In the Atlantic during WWII, a ship and a German U-boat are involved in a battle and both are sunk. The survivors from the ship gather in one of the boats. They are from a variety of backgrounds: an international journalist, a rich businessman, the radio operator, a nurse, a steward, a sailor and an engineer with communist tendencies. Trouble starts when they pull a man out of the water who turns out to be from the U-boat.

La lumière des étoiles mortes/The light of dead stars

June 1940. The Wechrmacht appropriates the houses in which are living Pierre, his wife Magdeleine, their son Charles, their two servants Louise and Lea, and Mademoiselle, the beautiful jewish governess. Far from the horrors of war, a strange cohabitation begins, a mixture of fear, friendship, love and hate.

Young Warriors

In World War II, a tough sergeant is put in charge of a squad of young recruits and assigned to lead them on a mission against the Germans.

Mais où est passée la 7ème compagnie ?/Now where did the seventh company get to ?

1940: During the chaotic running fights of the French army the 7th company disappears - nobody knows they've been taken captive. Only their scouting patrol, three witty but lazy guys, can escape and now wanders around behind the German lines. They'd like to just stay out the fights, but a Lieutenant urges them to use a captured truck to break through to their troops.

Personal Note : I watched this one... I have it (only in French, sorry Wing), it's an all right movie and pretty funny.

The Master Race

When allied troops liberate a small battle-scarred Belgium town in 1944 the American and British commanders do all they can to help the war-weary people back on their feet. There are mental and physical wounds to heal, fields to plough, the church to rebuild. But a top Nazi, knowing the War is lost, has infiltrated the town and is fostering dissent and disunity.

Mother Night

Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American living in Germany since childhood, is recruited by the United States to become an informer during the upcoming Second World War. What he does become, is one of the leading anti-semetic news broadcasters of Nazi Germany. After the fall of Hitler's Germany, Campbell's government friends arrange for a quiet life in the United States. His life is quiet until a complex web of spies and neo-Nazis draws him back into the life which he once lead. Eventually captured by the Isralies, Campbell's one defense was: "I was an American Spy."

Mystery Submarine

Posing as an ex-German medical officer, a U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer sets out to rescue a kidnapped scientist, and sink a Nazi submarine, hiding off the coast of South America.

Night of the fox

An American officer on a Landing Craft carrying plans for the Allied invasion of Europe in Normandy takes part on landing maneuvers, his craft was attacked and sunk by German EBoats. and he finds himself on German occupied Jersey Islands. The Allies hatch a plot to rescue him by sending a British SOE agent impersonating an SD officer.

The Night of the Generals

The murder of a prostitute in Nazi occupied Warsaw draws Wehrmacht Major Grau into an investigation where the evidence points to one of three high ranking Generals. The trail leads Grau from Warsaw to Paris and straight into the 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, of which two of the Generals are deeply involved. Grau's case goes unfinished and it is not until 1965 when the true killer is brought to justice.

No Time To Die

Daniel Thatcher is an American sergeant serving with a British tank corps in North Africa. He and most of his unit are captured by the Germans, who learn his identity as a man who once tried to assassinate Josef Goebbels, Hitler's right-hand man. Thatcher's wife was killed in the concentration camps, and now, after his failed attempt to kill the Nazi leader, Thatcher is a real prize for his captors. But Thatcher prefers not to go back to Germany as a prize, so he leads his fellow tankers in an escape attempt.

Operation Daybreak

In 1942 Czechoslovakia, SS-General Reinhard Heydrich is appointed to become the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. The terror and oppression that follow cause Allied authorities in London to authorize a secret mission to kill the man who has come to be known as "The Butcher of Prague". The film explores shows the operation leading up to Heydrich's death as well as the massive German reprisals that followed it.

Operation Amsterdam

During WW II, British commandos visit occupied Holland to help the Dutch underground keep a fortune in diamonds out of Nazi hands. Tense action follows as Anna, Jan and their colleagues play cat and mouse with the Gestapo, knowing that one of their number may be a traitor.

The Rats of Tobruk

Tells the story of three men--Bluey, a tough two fisted drover (Taylor), Milo, a laconic dingo trapper (Rafferty), and Pete, an intellectual English "new chum" (Finch). Together they serve in North Africa, fighting against the forces of Rommel in what has now become one of Australia's greatest wartime legends--The Rats of Tobruk.

Which Way To the Front

Brendan Byers III, one of the richest men in America, has been pronounced 4-F and can't serve his country in it's fight against Hitler. However, Byers is not the kind of man who takes "No" for an answer and so a recruits other 4-F's to fight against the Axis powers.

The Second Front

In the midst of World War 2, intelligence services from England, Germany and Russia collided in a fierce fight for the mind of Nicky Raus, a genius German Jewish scientist who's developing a weapon of tremendous power. An American agent, Frank Hossom, enters the game when German agents undertake a daring operation stealing the scientist. Frank has to get the scientist back - dead or alive. His mission is complicated by his developing relationship with Olga Ryabina, Nicky's lover, an actress forced to work for KGB. The love triangle and the international intrigue weave into a deadly net.

The Secret Invasion

The Nazis imprison an Italian general who was planning to switch sides and turn over his army to the Allied side. Allied headquarters sends a small, somewhat misfit group of soldiers to spring the general from prison and carry out his plans.

Stauffenberg

In 1944, a group of high command officers plot an attempt against Hitler, and one of the leaders of the conspiracy, Stauffenberg (Sebastian Koch), goes to a meeting with the Fuhrer in charge of exploding the place. However, Hitler survives and the officers are executed. This unsuccessful operation was called "Valkyrie Operation", and this realistic movie discloses this true event.

U-571

In the battle front of espionage and code cracking of World War II, there remains but one task on the Allied agenda: the capture of a German "Enigma" machine which will allow the Allied naval forces to locate and track submerged German U-Boat submarines. When one such German vessel breaks down after a battle with British forces, a secret mission is dispatched to take over the U-Boat by commando American forces and retrieve an Enigma machine intact. The raid goes well, at first, yet following the destruction of the American mothership and the arrival of reenforcement German ships, the Americans trapped on the U-Boat must use their training and wits to pilot U-571 in order to save their lives.

Taxi for Tobruk

Now comes a nice movie. Not the greatest of all times, but not bad. Four french soldiers in north Africa end up lost in the desert with a german prisoner. While they fight to survive, their relationship slowly changes from captors/prisoner to friends...

Victory

In World War II, a group of Nazi officers come up with a propiganda event in which an all star Nazi team will play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War in a Soccer (Football) game. The Prisoners agree, planning on using the game as a means of escape from the camp.

Here you go ! This is the result of an extensive search in the imdb. Hope you'll find it useful. If you watched one of these movies, or watch them in the future, I suggest you post here you appraisal of the thing so we know what is worth watching or not.

[ErwiiRommie]

"Codename: Panzers, Phase Two"

Thats a video game, the sequel to Codename: Panzers, Phase One.


There is also another video game centered around the Afrika Korps and Eighth Army. Its called "Afrika Korps vs Desert Rats" or "Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps". My siggy comes from the cover and concept art of that game. IMO, the best portrait of Rommel and Monty come from that game.

[Qualerei]

A video game ? That's weird... I didn't plan to add video games to the list. Well, never mind. About this game, "Afrika Korps vs Desert Rats", what kind of game is it ? Strategy, I reckon ?

[ErwiiRommie]

Its like Age of Empires but centered around WWII and the North African Campaign. I have been unable to find it anywhere, unfortunately. I want it so bad!

Another video game that Rommel is a centeral character in is "Axis and Allies". You can choose him as your General and if you click on his headquarters, he'll quote himself! You also get a special attack that is just for him. Dummy panzers! Its useful when you're horribly outnumbered and you want to draw attention from your dying forces. Funny as heck when the British keep attacking the dummy panzers despite the fact that they aint doing a ---- thing to em!

I once had a battle between Eisenhower and Rommel. My headquarters got nuked and that was only AFTER I was kicking Eisenhower's butt! Sore loser!

[Qualerei]

I'm not good with strategy games - my preference goes to RPGs. And unfortunately, there never was any about or including Rommel... Unfair, isn't it ?
As for Afrika Korps vs. Desert Rats, my little bro just told me he had a demo of the game, once. He says it's a RTS, whatever that is. In any case, I'm sure you could find that game on the net. Even though it's an old game (according to my aforementioned little bro)

[ErwiiRommie]

RTS means Real Time Strategy I think. So its an old game eh? Hmm