Field Marshal Erin Rommel is remembered in history for his mastery of the Blitzkrieg tactics that were prevalent during WWII, having earned the nickname of “Desert Fox” (Harvey, 2008, p. 297) by demonstrating his ability while fighting in northern Africa. As with all the military leaders covered in our text, Rommel displayed many of the qualities necessary to reach and uphold maverick-tier leadership. His actions on the battlefield spoke for themselves; one of his character traits that directly connects to our book was his “outstanding and exemplary courage under fire” (p. xlvi), which is perhaps best exemplified by his persistence even after suffering a head injury from having his tank hit during the Battle out of the Ardennes. Further, some other traits he exhibited in that instance were …show more content…
The values he worked to impart on us seem basic in retrospect, but at the time were a massive clarification for many, myself included. Applying ideas like “gather as many facts as possible”, “overanalyze”, and, “ensure we do what’s best for our soldiers” to the less-than-empathetic various constructs and practices carried out in our military allowed for a much different perspective than my prior experiences - it was like having a lightbulb of common sense switch on.
I believe Rommel had a similar effect with his soldiers, fellow peers, and superiors. He was the team’s leading quarterback whose natural intuition was given consideration and acknowledgment by the coach, team, and crowd around him, knowing that the decisions he’d make were reliable as being best for the mission, soldiers, and ultimately the