How should history judge the life and career of Erwin Rommel, the most
famous German general of the Second World War, 70 years after his death
on 14 October 1944? In his own time and in the years immediately after
the war his reputation as a great and chivalrous commander grew to the
point where it took on almost legendary proportions, and the legend is
still with us today. His support for the plot to remove Hitler from
power in 1944 and the manner of his death, committing suicide in order
to protect his family from Nazi retribution, further enhanced his image
as an honorable, professional soldier. But does he deserve this
legendary status? Can his exploits as a soldier and commander and his
conduct of the war be separated from the aggressive aims of Hitler and
the Nazis whom he and the German army served? These are among the key
questions Ian Beckett and his team of expert contributors seeks to
answer in this stimulating and timely study of Rommel and his legacy.