40 Quotes by Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel, known as the "Desert Fox," was a highly skilled German field marshal and military strategist during World War II. He gained fame for his leadership in the North African campaign, where he displayed innovative tactics and remarkable mobility in desert warfare. Rommel's ability to inspire his troops and adapt to challenging conditions earned him respect from both allies and adversaries.
His military philosophy emphasized flexibility, initiative, and a deep understanding of terrain and logistics. Despite his military prowess, Rommel is often remembered for his opposition to Adolf Hitler and his involvement in a failed assassination plot against the dictator. His legacy is marked by his contributions to military strategy and his complex role within the context of Nazi Germany.
Erwin Rommel Quotes
If I had to take hell, I would use the Australians to take it and the New Zealanders to hold it.
Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders.
Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, but brains saves both.
Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself, and let the troops see that you don't in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well-mannered and teach your subordinates to do the same. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of voice, which usually indicates the man who has shortcomings of his own to hide.
A risk is a chance you take; if it fails you can recover. A gamble is a chance taken; if it fails, recovery is impossible.
Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.
The German soldier has impressed the world, however the Italian Bersagliere soldier has impressed the German soldier.
In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it.
For me, soldiers are all equal. Those black people wore your same uniform, fought on your side, and so you will be in the same jail.
One of the most important factors, not only in military matters but in life as a whole, is ... the ability to direct one's whole energies towards the fulfillment of a particular task.
Winning the men's confidence requires much of a commander. He must exercise care and caution, look after his men, live under the same hardships, and-above all- apply self discipline. But once he has their confidence, his men will follow him through hell and high water.
There is one unalterable difference between a soldier and a civilian: the civilian never does more than he is paid to do.
The battle is fought and decided by the quartermasters, long before the shooting begins.
Training errors are recorded on paper. Tactical errors are etched in stone.
Always in a moment of extreme danger things can be done which had previously been thought impossible.
In a man-to-man fight, the winner is he who has one more round in his magazine.
I would rather be the hammer than the anvil.
When there's no clear option, it's better to do nothing.
The art of concentrating strength at one point, forcing a breakthrough, rolling up and securing the flanks on either side, and then penetrating like lightning deep into his rear, before the enemy has time to react.
One must not judge everyone in the world by his qualities as a soldier: otherwise we should have no civilization.
The commander must be at constant pains to keep his troops abreast of all the latest tactical experience and developments, and must insist on their practical application. He must see to it that his subordinates are trained in accordance with the latest requirements. The best form of welfare for the troops is first-class training, for this saves unnecessary casualties.
War makes extremely heavy demands on the soldier's strength and nerves. For this reason, make heavy demands on your men in peacetime exercises.
The best form of welfare for the troops is first-rate training.
But courage which goes against military expediency is stupidity, or, if it is insisted upon by a commander, irresponsibility.
One cannot permit unique opportunities to slip by for the sake of trifles.
Mortal danger is an effective antidote for fixed ideas.
Anyone who has to fight, even with the most modern weapons, against an enemy in complete command of the air, fights like a savage against modern European troops, under the same handicaps and with the same chances of success.
The future battle on the ground will be preceded by battle in the air. This will determine which of the contestants has to suffer operational and tactical disadvantages and be forced throughout the battle into adoption compromise solutions.
The peril of the hour moved the British to tremendous exertions, just as always in a moment of extreme danger things can be done which had previously been thought impossible. Mortal danger is an effective antidote for fixed ideas.
Messages can't be intercepted if they aren't sent, can they?
Which would your men rather be, tired, or dead?
The organization of supplies, the command of men, anything in any way constructive requires more than intellect; it requires energy and drive and an unrelenting will to serve the cause, regardless of one's personal interests.
The commander must establish personal and comradely contact with his men, but without giving away one inch of authority.
There are always times where the place of a commander isn't back with his Major State, but onward with his troops.
The battle is going very heavily against us. We're being crushed by the enemy weight. We are facing very difficult days, perhaps the most difficult that a man can undergo
It is often possible to decide the issue of a battle merely by making an unexpected shift of one's main weight.
The enemy must be annihilated before he reaches our main battlefield. We must stop him in the water, destroying all his equipment while it is still afloat!
Good soldiers, bad officers; however don't forget that without them we would not have any Civilization.
To every man of us, Tobruk was a symbol of British resistance and we were now going to finish with it for good.
It's better for one to die than for all of us to be killed in a shooting affray. Anyway, we've practically no ammunition.
― Erwin Rommel Quotes
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