Rommel, the "Desert Fox," was a tactical genius--his personal leadership and ability to improvise on the battlefield with minimal resources were exemplary. Yet lapses in Rommel's judgement, combined with Churchill's heightened defenses and Hitler's neglect, led to crushing defeat for the Afrika Korps at Alamein in 1942. As Rommel's success waned, so did his relations with the Fuhrer. Rommel was an exceptional commander--not only for his skills, but for the integrity with which he carried himself. This integrity, admired even by his adversaries, proved fatal. Unafraid to voice his objections to Hitler's military decisions, Rommel was associated with the 1944 plot to kill the dictator. In the wake of the plot's failure, Rommel was forced to take his own life. -- from publisher.

"This edition published by Barnes & Noble, Inc. by arrangement with B.T. Batsford Ltd" -- reverse of the title page. Includes maps of: Italian Front, 1917; Arras; Battle Area; Totensonntag; Frontier Battle; Gazala - Opening Moves; Cauldron; Attack on Tobruk; Alam Halfa; Supercharge; Pursuit; Kasserine; German Dispositions; France, 1940; First Alamein; Second Alamein; Retreat to Tunisia.

Birth of a Field-Marshal -- Blitzkrieg 1940 -- African Spring 1941 -- Plans and preparations: Summer and Autumn 1941 -- Crusader: the Winter Battle 1941 -- Advance and retreat 1941-42 -- Benghazi and beyond 1942 -- Gazala -- The hard Summer 1942 -- Alam Halfa: the turning point 1942 -- Second Alamein 1942 -- Alamein to the Alps -- The Atlantic Wall -- Murder of a Field-Marshal -- 'An ordinary German general?"