Erwin Rommel Quotes
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Messages can't be intercepted if they aren't sent, can they?
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If I had to take hell, I would use the Australians to take it and the New Zealanders to hold it.
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I would rather be the hammer than the anvil.
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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.
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Training errors are recorded on paper. Tactical errors are etched in stone.
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One cannot permit unique opportunities to slip by for the sake of trifles.
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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.
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But courage which goes against military expediency is stupidity, or, if it is insisted upon by a commander, irresponsibility.
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In Tunisia the Americans had to pay a stiff price for their experience, but it brought rich dividends. Even at that time, the American generals showed themselves to be very advanced in the tactical handling of their forces, although we had to wait until the Patton Army in France to see the most astonishing achievements in mobile warfare.
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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.
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The battle is fought and decided by the quartermasters, long before the shooting begins.
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Manstein is a man of illusions. ... He believes Hitler will listen to facts.
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The German soldier has impressed the world, however the Italian Bersagliere soldier has impressed the German soldier.
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Which would your men rather be, tired, or dead?
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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.
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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.
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One must not judge everyone in the world by his qualities as a soldier: otherwise we should have no civilization.
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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.
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I didn't die nor win.
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In view of my services in Africa, I have the chance of dying by poison. Two generals have brought it with them. It is fatal in three seconds. If I take the poison, none of the usual steps will be taken against my family; that is, against you. They will also leave my staff alone.
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Mortal danger is an effective antidote for fixed ideas.
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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.
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War makes extremely heavy demands on the soldier's strength and nerves. For this reason, make heavy demands on your men in peacetime exercises.
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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.