Field Marshal Erwin Rommel: A Great Captain

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was a genius at the tactical and operational levels of war and is one of the Great Captains in military history. Although, he is generally regarded as a great tactician, even by his critics, there has been considerable debate on whether he was a great operational and grand strategist. In order to truly measure a commander's status in military history, one must look not only at his success or failure on the battlefield but also at the circumstances that remain outside his control. This paper demonstrates that on the operational level Erwin Rommel should most certainly be included with the great captains of the ages and there is also strong evidence that he had a deep sense of grand strategy. In order to demonstrate these points, this paper will concentrate on Rommel's leadership during his vaunted desert campaign.