Rommel's close calls and tricks

[Qualerei]

Our favorite Field Marshall was nicknamed the Desert Fox because... ?
Well, all of us know the answer to that question, of course ; because he was unbelievably lucky, and he used incredible tricks to get to the Allies. Therefore, I suggest that we list here his tactics to trap the Allies, or anecdotes about how he came out alive of dire situations. And to begin with...

Quotes from the website Achtung Panzer :

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"Erwin Rommel deployed and dug in his 88mm Flak guns in the U-shaped formation.They were dug in so deep, that the barrel looked only 30 to 60cm over the ground level.They were dug in, because they had no wheelsand stood very high on large pods and had a high profile. Then a low tent was erected over the position of every gun and evenwith field glasses it was impossible to distinguish them from sanddunes. Since the British saw a lot of sanddunes, they were not disturbed by them as well as that they didn't know of any German weapon with the profile as low as the small sanddunes. Then Rommel sent his light tanks to fake an attack on British positions. The British Crusaders saw an easy prey and followed Panzers to attacked, while Panzers withdraw in the U-shape. At point-blank range, sometimes requiringnerves of steel for the 88mm Flak gun crews, the trap sprang and they opened fire."

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"The Desert Fox in action"
Rommel ordered to attach bundles of wood and bushes on long ropes to all the supplytrucks and some Italian light tanks. The Italian light tanks drove in thefirst line, one after the other, behind them all the supply trucks. The attached bundles of wood and bushes made an immense clouds of dust. For the British, it looked like the real full-scale attack. They not only withdraw, but turned their delaying forces in the wrong direction. At the same time, Rommel attacked from the otherdirection with his German Panzer Division. The British were completely outwitted and defeated.

[Wing]

Heheh, sounds like something you see in Hollywood...but Rommel rather liked the movies, didn't he...

I like the flak one. You know, I think there's actually a movie of that somewhere...I just remember vaguely that it had to do with Rommel and it was extremely cool. I probably downloaded it, now I must go find it!

[Qualerei]

Whatever it is, I want it ! By the way, I was thinking maybe we should have a topic for that movies and books list we started, what do you think ?

[Wing]

Ooh, good idea, why don't you make it?

And I think the video is on here:
ww2incolor.com

Hey, post on the new Cbox at the bottom, we can talk faster that way.

[Qualerei]

How the h*** does that cbox work ? I never used anything like that before, lol, I'm kinda lost.

[Wing]

Just go down and type in your name in the name box and your message in the message box, and then hit Enter or the "Go" button.

[Qualerei]

Hey, I understand how it works now *amazed at her own ingenuity* OK then, next time we try it

[Desert Stallion]

This is quoted from Rommel: The Desert Fox, by desmond Young.

"For the Germans as well as for ourselves, the breakthrough had moments which are more amusing in retrospect than they were at the time. In the evening of Nov. 24th, Rommel with General Bayerlein and General Cruwell, commanding the Afrika Korps, crossed the frontier wire, Rommel driving 'Mammut,' the Elephant, his British armoured command truck, a souvenir of an earlier battle, to which he was much attached. It was dark when they tried to turn back and they could not find the gap in the wire, which marked the gap in the mine belt that guarded it. (I remember giving up the attempt to find that gap myself and sleeping peacefully in my station-wagon, to discover next morning that my two front wheels were in the minefield.) Rommel and party slept, perhaps not so peacefully, in the middle of Indian troops and slipped out unchallenged at first light."

Now that's pretty lucky.

[Qualerei]

I'm starting to wondering if he wasn't a superman after all... Monty half concedes it in the movie : "even if he was a superman..." lol.
This one's not an anecdote exactly, but shows his brilliance as a commander. That's set during WW1, in Italy.

Quoted from the website "house of ice"

If Rommel ever truly shined during World War I, it was in Italy. After a short leave, Rommels battalion moved to the Italian front in October, 1917. On Octover 24, 1000 artillery guns opened up on the Italians.

After a huge advance, Rommel was stopped by a Bavarian superior and told to stay behind him and join the Bavarians. Rommel exchanged a few words and left him. On October 25, Rommel decided to deviate the attack plan and outflank his opponent. He did so, and in effect, captured Mt. Matajur, and Kolovrat Ridge. Rommel took several hundred prisoners at Kolovrat Ridge with no shots fired.

Then Rommel surprised an Italian offensive from behind and captured 12 officers and 500 men, bringing the total to 1200 prisoners. He was now facing troops in front and rear. In face of this, he embarked on the boldest feat in his career. He rushed his battalion 2 miles behind the enemy front lines and cut off their supply line.

Then Rommel confronted an entire brigade- 50 officers and 2000 men, with only 150 men. The brigade surrendered thinking this was a much larger force.

Then Rommel doubled back and captured the town of Jevszek and was rewarded with 1000 more prisoners-5000 now.

Then Rommel approached the crown of the Mrzli Mountain. After some thinking Rommel decided to do something very bold. He walked up to the Italians with a white hankerchief in his hand and shouted for their surrender. At 150 yards away the 1500 defenders layed down their weapons, lifted Rommel to their shoulders and cried "Evviva Germania!" 6,500 prisoners were now captured by Rommel's 2000 soldier battalion!

[Qualerei]

My, poor, poor Erwin... I'd be mad too if it had happened to me... Here's the sequel, kinda, from the same website.


Then, with his major objective, Mount Matajur, still ahead, Rommel's commanding officer, Major Sprosser, ordered Rommel to withdraw, thinking that his major objective had already been taken. This came to Rommel's men before it came to Rommel, and Rommel was left with 100 men and 6 machine guns.

He decided that, because of Major Sprosser's ignorance of the correct orders, he would disobey these orders and go to the summit. He ordered the 6 machine guns to fire at the Italian positions at the base of the mountain, and shortly thereafter, Rommel approached with a white hankerchief. 1200 men immediately dropped their weapons and Rommel continued to the summit.

At the summit position, Rommel again fired his machine guns, and once again approached with a white hankerchief. The remaining 120 Italians surrendered and at 11:40 a.m., October 26, Rommel signaled the Commanders that he had captured Mount Matajur.

Rommel's campaign resulted in 9,000 prisoners to Rommel's 6 dead and 30 wounded. Rommel later learned that another officer, Schorner, was credited with the capture of Matajur, and consequently, Schorner received the highest military award for bravery, the Pour le Merite. Rommel was extremely displeased. He could be lenient with prisoners, and even to enemy soldiers who weren't captive, but he was a proud man, and he was reasonably mad about this award being given to someone else.

[Qualerei]

This website's really good... this one's another sign of his luck. Can't believe this single man had this amount of luck.

"Then, Rommel was almost captured by a spirited group of one thousand Italian soldiers that he thought were surrendering. However, he jumped over a hedge and avoided capture. This group of 1000 was stopped by a firm Rommel and his thin line of soldiers at the town of Fae, one mile from Longarone."

[Qualerei]

My, did he attack my country with efficiency ! The numbers are just unbelievable. Here, have a look (still same website)

"At this point Rommel had captured 10,000 prisoners, destroyed over 100 tanks, 30 armoured cars and twenty-seven guns, and had lost only 35 men killed, 59 wounded, and one tank rendered useless."

And he wasn't only nicknamed the Desert Fox... here's another cool nickname (well, not really his, but his division's).

"Because of Rommel's elusiveness, and his lack of communications with headquarters throughout the French campaign, both the Allies and the Axis powers coined his division "The Ghost Division" or "Gespensterdivision."

And he also had a bullet repulsive hidden somewhere, I'm sure... :

"Then Rommel moved South toward St Valery. Rommel rode behind the leading three tanks, until they came to a lone anti-tank gun. The gun took out the leading tank, the commander exited and the two undamaged tanks moved off the road without returning fire. Rommel was left alone in his armoured car, and was shot at seven times without a hit. Rommel dismounted, organized return fire, took out the gun, and scolded the commanders of the tanks for cowardice."

[Desert Stallion]

That is pretty amazing. I think his tank once got stuck in sand and put out of commission and the French were coming up to capture him when another German tank came up and held them off while Rommel climbed out of the tank and escaped. That was either the Polish or French invasion.

[Qualerei]

I think I've heard of this one too, but can't remember where. Makes me think of this picture with him pushing his car, which is stuck in the mud. That's pretty hilarious. Guess the tank was a bit too heavy for him to push it - especially under ennemy fire...

[Desert Stallion]

That might be a good drawing idea. Rommel pushing his tank out of the mud while the French, or Polish, are raining fire down on him. You know, we think of some pretty odd images...