The Desert Fox in Normandy: Rommel's Defense of Fortress Europe provides an in-depth analysis of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's strategic and tactical efforts to defend the coast of Normandy during World War II. The book explores Rommel's military leadership, defensive preparations against the Allied invasion, and the challenges faced in fortifying Fortress Europe.As 1943 came to a close,Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was given his most challenging and impor-tant assignment-to repel the impending Alliedinvasion of Normandy. The German high commandanticipated that 1944 would be the year for the longawaited amphibious cross-channel invasion. If theGermans could repel the attack, it would reaffirm theirstronghold, but a failure to do so would criticallyundermine their military superiority in Europe.Covering the Battle of Normandy from the Germanpoint of view, this book examines the impact the"Desert Fox" had on the build-up of German defensesin Normandy and elsewhere, dubbed by thePropaganda Ministry as the "Atlantic Wall." Rommelrealized how deceptive this term was upon his inspec-tion of German defenses in 1943. Convinced that theAllies knew more about the actual state of Germanreadiness than many of his officers did, the Desert Foxset out to fortify German positions.In the weeks prior to D-Day, Rommel analyzed Alliedbombing patterns and concluded that they were tryingto make Normandy a strategic island in order to isolatethe battlefield. Rommel also noticed that the Allies hadmined the entire Channel coast, while the navalapproaches to Normandy were clear. Realizing thatNormandy would be the likely site of the invasion, hereplaced the poorly-equipped 716th Infantry Divisionwith the battle-hardened 352nd Infantry Division onthe coastal sector, but his request for additional troopswas denied by Hitler. Mitcham offers a remarkable the-ory of why Allied intelligence failed to learn of this crit-ical troop movement, and why they were not preparedfor the heavier resistance they met on Omaha Beach.

• taal : Engels
• binding : Hardcover with dustjacket
• conditie : Goed
• pagina's : 230
• gewicht : 0.490 kg
• uitgever : Praeger
• auteur : Samuel W. Mitcham
• afmetingen : 2.5 x 16.5 x 24 cm