Rommel's Lieutenants: The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, France, 1940

241 Pages·2006·2.18 MB·English

by  Samuel W. Mitcham

ROMMEL’S
LIEUTENANTS
PRAEGER SECURITY INTERNATIONALADVISORY BOARD
Board Cochairs
LochK.Johnson,RegentsProfessorofPublicandInternationalAffairs,Schoolof
PublicandInternationalAffairs,UniversityofGeorgia(UnitedStates)
PaulWilkinson,ProfessorofInternationalRelationsandChairmanofthe
AdvisoryBoard,CentrefortheStudyofTerrorismandPoliticalViolence,
UniversityofSt.Andrews(UnitedKingdom)
Members
ThelateViceAdmiralArthurK.Cebrowski,U.S.Navy(Ret.),formerDirectorof
ForceTransformation,OfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense(UnitedStates)
EliotA.Cohen,RobertE.OsgoodProfessorofStrategicStudiesandDirector,
PhilipMerrillCenterforStrategicStudies,PaulH.NitzeSchoolofAdvanced
InternationalStudies,TheJohnsHopkinsUniversity(UnitedStates)
AnthonyH.Cordesman,ArleighA.BurkeChairinStrategy,CenterforStrategic
andInternationalStudies(UnitedStates)
The´re`seDelpech,SeniorResearchFellow,CERI(Centred’EtudesetdeRecherches
Internationales,AtomicEnergyCommission),Paris(France)
SirMichaelHoward,formerProfessorofHistoryofWar,OxfordUniversity,and
ProfessorofMilitaryandNavalHistory,YaleUniversity(UnitedKingdom)
LieutenantGeneralClaudiaJ.Kennedy,U.S.Army(Ret.),formerDeputyChiefof
StaffforIntelligence,Headquarters,DepartmentoftheArmy(UnitedStates)
PaulM.Kennedy,J.RichardsonDilworthProfessorofHistoryandDirector,
InternationalSecurityStudies,YaleUniversity(UnitedStates)
RobertJ.O’Neill,formerChicheleProfessoroftheHistoryofWar,AllSouls
College,OxfordUniversity(Australia)
ShibleyTelhami,AnwarSadatChairforPeaceandDevelopment,Departmentof
GovernmentandPolitics,UniversityofMaryland(UnitedStates)
JusufWanandi,CofounderandMember,BoardofTrustees,CentreforStrategic
andInternationalStudies(Indonesia)
FareedZakaria,Editor,NewsweekInternational(UnitedStates)
ROMMEL’S
LIEUTENANTS
The Men Who Served
the Desert Fox,
France, 1940
Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mitcham, SamuelW.
Rommel’s lieutenants : themen whoserved the DesertFox, France,
1940/Samuel W.Mitcham, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references andindex.
ISBN 0-275-99185-7 (alk.paper)
1. Germany.Heer.Panzer-Division, 7—Biography. 2.Germany. Heer.
Panzer-Division, 7—Biography. 3.Germany.Heer—Officers—Biography.
4.Rommel, Erwin, 1891–1944—Friendsandassociates. 5.Germany. Heer.
Panzer-Division, 7—History. 6.WorldWar,1939–1945—Campaigns—
France. 7.World War,1939–1945—Regimentalhistories—Germany. I.
Title.
D757.56 Nr.7 .M572007
940.54’214092243—dc22 2006026012
British Library Cataloguing inPublication Data isavailable.
Copyright '2007bySamuel W.Mitcham,Jr.
All rightsreserved. Noportionofthis book maybe
reproduced, byany process or technique, without the
express written consent ofthe publisher.
Library ofCongressCatalog Card Number:2006026012
ISBN13: 978-0-275-99185-2
ISBN10: 0-275-99185-7
Firstpublished in2007
PraegerSecurity International, 88PostRoad West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprintofGreenwood Publishing Group,Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed inthe United StatesofAmerica
The paperused inthis bookcomplies with the
Permanent PaperStandard issuedby theNational
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ToBenJames
leader,mentor,andfriend

CONTENTS
ListofFigures ix
Preface xi
I TheSourcesofRommel’sOfficers 1
II KarlRothenburg:HeroofTwoWars 21
III RudolfSieckenius:TheScapegoat 27
IV KarlAugustHanke:NaziPolitician 43
V JoachimvonMetzsch:TheSupplyOfficer 59
VI Dr.WilhelmBaumeister:TheMedicalOfficer 63
VII HansvonLuck:TheCharmingAristocrat 65
VIII JoachimZiegler:TheSSGeneral 81
IX GottfriedFroelich:TheSaxonGunner 85
X GeorgvonBismarck:ThePrussianJunker 91
XI FriedrichFuerst:TheSecondinCommand 103
XII Friedrich-CarlvonSteinkeller:
TheMotorcycleCommander 107
Contents
XIII HansJoachimvonKronhelm:
TheHeavyArtilleryCommander 109
XIV EduardCrasemann:TheWarCriminal 113
XV FridovonSengerundEtterlin:
TheSnobbishAristocrat 123
XVI OttoHeidkaemper:TheChiefofStaff 137
XVII JohannMickl:TheAustrianMountaineer 147
Appendix1:TableofComparativeRanks 153
Appendix2:GermanStaffPositions 155
Appendix3:CharacteristicsofSelectedGerman
andAlliedTanksofWorldWarII 157
Notes 159
Bibliography 189
IndexofMilitaryUnits 193
GeneralIndex 197
Photoessayfollowspage84.
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
1.1 GeneralRegionsoftheThirdReich 2
1.2 MajorCitiesoftheThirdReich,1937 4
1.3 Europe,1920–38 6
1.4 TheWehrkreise,1939 8
2.1 TheGermanInvasionofPoland,1939 23
3.1 MajorBattlesofEncirclement,EasternFront,1941 32
3.2 TheStalingradEncirclement,1942 34
3.3 TheGermanRetreattotheGustavLine,1943–44 38
3.4 TheBattleofBerlin,1945 41
7.1 TheEasternFront 69
7.2 NorthwestEurope,1944 72
7.3 WesternFront,September5,1944 76
10.1 TheNorthAfricanBattlegrounds,1941–43 94
10.2 TheBattleoftheGazalaLine,Phase1 95