The Desert Fox in Normandy: Rommel's Defense of Fortress Europe

(Hardback)

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This work covers the Battle of Normandy from the point of view of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from December 1943, until he was critically wounded on July 17, 1944, examining the effect the "Desert Fox" had on the toughening and evolution of the German defence in Normandy and elsewhere. It describes how and why Rommel's absence on D-Day significantly weakened the German reaction to the Allied landings, and how he temporarily checked, though he could not repulse, the Anglo-American invasion and ultimate victory. In addition, the work documents the reinforcements Rommel wanted to pour into Normandy in the six weeks prior to the D-Day landings, after he had analyzed the Allied bombing pattern and discovered that they were trying to make Normandy a strategic island - to isolate the battlefield. The author also provides a theory of why Allied intelligence failed to learn that the excellent and well-equipped 352nd Infantry Division took over most of the coastal sector from the poorly-equipped 716th Infantry Division. French intelligence sent messenger pigeons to inform Allied armies of the stronger German presence. But Rommel had ordered soldiers all along the coast to shoot pigeons! The Allies never got the message and thus were not prepared for the heavier German resistance. This study contains Admiral Friedrich Ruge's rebuttal of David Irving's portrait of Rommel and his chief of staff, published in Irving's best-seller "The Trail of the Fox", a rebuttal which casts serious doubts on the validity of many of Irving's highly coloured and distorted conclusions. This book also makes use of a number of rarely used primary sources, including "Foreign Military Studies", which contains the manuscripts of General of Panzer Troops Baron Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg, the commander of Panzer Group West and one of Rommel's principle subordinates. Among the topics von Schweppenburg discusses are the evolution of panzer tactics in Normandy, his assessment of Rommel and his leadership, his memories of the battle (including the air attack on his headquarters), and his surprisingly candid evaluation of the other commanders and staff involved in the Normandy campaign.

Reviews

.,."provide[s] amazing insight into the invasion of Normandy from the German perspective."-The Midwest Book Review
"In a welcome change...the author provides an in-depth account of the World War II invasion of Normandy from the Axis point of view....[T]his book would be a valuable addition to any collection of World War II works, both for its masterful coverage of Axis military organizational, operational, and tactical activities, as well as for its excellent minibiographies of important German military and naval officers..."-The Journal of Military History
...provide[s] amazing insight into the invasion of Normandy from the German perspective.-The Midwest Book Review
In a welcome change...the author provides an in-depth account of the World War II invasion of Normandy from the Axis point of view....[T]his book would be a valuable addition to any collection of World War II works, both for its masterful coverage of Axis military organizational, operational, and tactical activities, as well as for its excellent minibiographies of important German military and naval officers...-The Journal of Military History
In a well-balanced examination, Mitcham 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 effect 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.-Library Journal
The book does a good job of presenting the battle from the German operational view. It showed how desperately the Germans - Rommel in particular - tried to defeat, then to contain, the Allies in Normandy.-Armor
..."provides amazing insight into the invasion of Normandy from the German perspective."-The Midwest Book Review
..."provide[s] amazing insight into the invasion of Normandy from the German perspective."-The Midwest Book Review
"The book does a good job of presenting the battle from the German operational view. It showed how desperately the Germans - Rommel in particular - tried to defeat, then to contain, the Allies in Normandy."-Armor
"In a well-balanced examination, Mitcham 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 effect 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."-Library Journal

Author Bio

SAMUEL W. MITCHAM, JR. is an internationally recognized authority on Nazi Germany and the Second World War and is the author of more than 15 books on the subject, including Crumbling Empire (Praeger, 2001), Retreat to the Reich (Praeger, 2000), and Why Hitler (Praeger, 1996), as well as several dozen articles./e A former army helicopter pilot and company commander, he is a graduate of the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College. He has been a professor of geography and military history since 1984. He lives in rural Louisiana.