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Killing Rommel

by Steven Pressfield (Goodreads Author)

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 1,090 ratings · 157 reviews

BONUS: This eBook edition contains an excerpt from THE PROFESSION: A Thrillerby Steven Pressfield. On sale June 2011.

Steven Pressfield’s quintet of acclaimed, bestselling novels of ancient warfare— Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons, The Virtues of War, and The Afghan Campaign— have earned him a reputation as a master chronicler of military history, a supreme...more BONUS: This eBook edition contains an excerpt from THE PROFESSION: A Thriller by Steven Pressfield. On sale June 2011.

Steven Pressfield’s quintet of acclaimed, bestselling novels of ancient warfare— Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons, The Virtues of War, and The Afghan Campaign— have earned him a reputation as a master chronicler of military history, a supremely literate and engaging storyteller, and an author with acute insight into the minds of men in battle. In Killing Rommel Pressfield extends his talents to the modern world with a WWII tale based on the real-life exploits of the Long Range Desert Group, an elite British special forces unit that took on the German Afrika Korps and its legendary commander, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, "the Desert Fox."
Autumn 1942. Hitler’s legions have swept across Europe; France has fallen; Churchill and the English are isolated on their island. In North Africa, Rommel and his Panzers have routed the British Eighth Army and stand poised to overrun Egypt, Suez, and the oilfields of the Middle East. With the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, the British hatch a desperate plan—send a small, highly mobile, and heavily armed force behind German lines to strike the blow that will stop the Afrika Korps in its tracks. Narrated from the point of view of a young lieutenant, Killing Rommel brings to life the flair, agility, and daring of this extraordinary secret unit, the Long Range Desert Group. Stealthy and lethal as the scorpion that serves as their insignia, they live by their motto: Non Vi Sed Arte—Not by Strength, by Guile as they gather intelligence, set up ambushes, and execute raids. Killing Rommel chronicles the tactics, weaponry, and specialized skills needed for combat, under extreme desert conditions. And it captures the camaraderie of this “band of brothers” as they perform the acts of courage and cunning crucial to the Allies’ victory in North Africa.
As in all of his previous novels, Pressfield powerfully renders the drama and intensity of warfare, the bonds of men in close combat, and the surprising human emotions and frailties that come into play on the battlefield. A vivid and authoritative depiction of the desert war, Killing Rommel brilliantly dramatizes an aspect of World War II that hasn’t been in the limelight since Patton. Combining scrupulous historical detail and accuracy with remarkable narrative momentum, this galvanizing novel heralds Pressfield’s gift for bringing more recent history to life.(less)

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published May 6th 2008 by Doubleday (first published 2008)

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Jun 25, 2008 Joe rated it 3 of 5 stars

Erwin Rommel, the legendary panzer general wreaked havok on the British Army in North Africa as he pressed his advance toward Palestine and the oil fields beyond. A special British unit was tasked with taking him out. This is the story of their attempt.

Pressfield, who also wrote Gates of Fire about the Battle of Thermopylae, works hard to keep the story interesting while trying to adhere to a realistic portrayal of war. War has been described as mainly periods of boredom occasionally punctuated...more

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Sep 06, 2008 Koeeoaddi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: wwii

I wish I could give this three and a half stars. Parts of it were riveting and by the last quarter of the book, I was dusting the sand out of my hair, dreaming about sleeping under broken trucks and worrying about friendly fire. I deducted a half star because the characters were somewhat interchangeable and I never felt like I got to know any of them -- though to be fair, this really isn't a character driven book. Even though the experience of war was a little too glorified for my taste, the boo...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it

Moving away from the ancient world and into the 20th century seems to have served Steven Pressfield quite well. Many readers may be unfamiliar with the Long Range Desert Group (popularized in the 1960s TV series The Rat Patrol), but this powerful, thoroughly researched novel should change that. Pressfield creates the same edge-of-your-seat drama, remarkable battle scenes, and strong characters that populate his acclaimed novels of ancient warfare. Chapman contemplates war as he learns to fight a

...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Francis Gahren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, military, leadership

Autumn, 1942. Hitler's legions have swept across Europe; France has fallen; Churchill and the English are isolated on their island. In North Africa, Rommel and his Panzers have routed the British Eighth Army and stand poised to overrun Egypt, Suez, and the oilfields of the Middle East. With the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, the British hatch a desperate plan -- send a small, highly mobile, and heavily armed force behind German lines to strike the blow that will stop the Afrika Korps...more Autumn, 1942. Hitler's legions have swept across Europe; France has fallen; Churchill and the English are isolated on their island. In North Africa, Rommel and his Panzers have routed the British Eighth Army and stand poised to overrun Egypt, Suez, and the oilfields of the Middle East. With the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, the British hatch a desperate plan -- send a small, highly mobile, and heavily armed force behind German lines to strike the blow that will stop the Afrika Korps in its tracks.

Narrated from the point of view of a young lieutenant, Killing Rommel brings to life the flair, agility, and daring of this extraordinary secret unit, the Long Range Desert Group. Stealthy and lethal as the scorpion that serves as their insignia, they live by their motto -- Non Vi Sed Arte (Not by Strength, by Guile) -- as they gather intelligence, set up ambushes, and execute raids. Killing Rommel chronicles the tactics, weaponry, and specialized skills needed for combat under extreme desert conditions. And it captures the camaraderie of this "band of brothers" as they perform the acts of courage and cunning crucial to the Allies' victory in North Africa.

As in all his previous novels, Pressfield powerfully renders the drama and intensity of warfare, the bonds of men in close combat, and the surprising human emotions and frailties that come into play on the battlefield. A vivid and authoritative depiction of the desert war, Killing Rommel brilliantly dramatizes an aspect of World War II that hasn't been in the limelight since Patton. Combining scrupulous historical detail and accuracy with remarkable narrative momentum, this galvanizing novel heralds Pressfield's gift for bringing more recent history to life.

From Pressfield:

The surrounding historical events in this book actually happened. There really was a Long Range Desert Group; there really is an SAS. The types of operations they performed are depicted truly. Almost all of the geography and protocol comes straight from actual combat reports of the time. Everything about Rommel's character and his history is factually accurate. And many of the characters are true historical personages, and they're depicted as they truly were.

Rommel himself wrote an account of his experiences in North Africa. He titled it Krieg Ohne Hass, "War Without Hate." Believe it or not, that assessment is accurate. Amid an otherwise monumental, brutal and pitiless war, the campaign in North Africa was characterized in large part by chivalry and by acts of astonishing self-restraint among the individual combatants. That's one of the two major and interrelated themes of this book.

Machine gunners of both sides routinely held their fire when crewmen bailed out of shot-up tanks; stretcher bearers were permitted to dash into the open to collect the wounded. In dressing stations and field hospitals, it was not uncommon for soldiers of the Axis and Allies to be treated side by side, often by German and British doctors working shoulder to shoulder. Rommel himself was one of the foremost examplars of this ethic. Here's just one story out of many: when Rommel's panzers overran a British field hospital where the staff had elected not to flee but to stay with their patients (who were German and Italian as well as British and Commonwealth), Rommel visited the site at once, shook the hand of every doctor and nurse and thanked them personally. He asked them to stay on until he could bring up his own Afrika Korps medical personnel (the British readily agreed), then made it a point of honor not to make them prisoners of war but to have them repatriated through neutral Switzerland. Can you imagine something like that happening today?

The moral dimension didn't end with the cessation of hostilities. The war lived with the men who fought it long afterwards, as all wars do. That's part of the question: can we retain our humanity? That's why it was important to include where these young men came from, what they went through in the war, and how those events changed them and played out throughout their lives.

It's hard to put that on a dust jacket, but that's the deeper story of this book, beyond the hardware and the action. Is it possible for men in war to maintain their humanity? What part do ethics, chivalry and self-restraint play in modern armed conflict? Are they some quaint holdover from a vanished past? Or can the honorable actions of officers and men actually help produce victory? Is the moral dimension a luxury that we discard when we find ourselves forced to go up against extreme and brutal opponents? Or is it something that can fuel us emotionally and actually produce success?

These are big questions. And the example of Rommel himself -- the historical Rommel as well as the fictional personage in this book -- might have some valuable lessons to teach us.
(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 Sean Watson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

(3.5) This book falls far short of Pressfield's Gates of Fire, but that's gentle criticism since most books do. It's a novel of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), an early version of the Special Forces, in its war against the Germans in North Africa. The strength of the book is, as in Gates of Fire, how Pressfield captures the period. One feels transported to WWII England complete with all the trepidations and hopes that would accompany such a move. Similarly, though I believed prior to reading...more

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May 30, 2010 AdultFiction Teton County Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Teton County Library Call No: F PRESSFIELD
Brie's rating: 4 stars

Mr. Pressfield’s recent novel unfolds within the context of the 1942/early 1943 North African campaign during World War II. With the kind of historical accuracy for which the author is known, the crux of the plot (a top secret operation to locate and kill Field Marshall Rommel by the British special-forces unit, the Long Range Desert Group) is explored in fine and deliberate detail. The majority of the story is voiced through the f...more

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May 25, 2010 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

This historical fiction story takes place in the early 1940's when General Erwin Rommel's (The Dessert Fox) troops were intent on capturing the Mid East oil fields in order to support Germany's war machine in its attempt of world conquest.
Stopping the Eight Army was an essential and significant part of the Allies' counteroffensive plan.

The story in "Killing Rommel" is presented through the eyes of Lieutenant R. Lawrence Chapman (Chap) a fictional tank commander who was "loaned" to a famed comm...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Previous TCL Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mr. Pressfield’s recent novel unfolds within the context of the 1942/early 1943 North African campaign during World War II. With the kind of historical accuracy for which the author is known, the crux of the plot (a top secret operation to locate and kill Field Marshall Rommel by the British special-forces unit, the Long Range Desert Group) is explored in fine and deliberate detail. The majority of the story is voiced through the first-person narrative of R. Lawrence Chapman (”Chap”), a young En...more

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May 15, 2009 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm fascinated by World War II, but am not generally attracted to detailed descriptions of battle tactics and summaries. This book had quite a bit of that, but it was so well written that it mostly held my attention throughout. The author begins and ends the book by describing what is history and what is fiction; very helpful. (It's mostly thoroughly-researched history, with some fictional characters added to make the story flow better.)

One of the things that astonishes me about WWII is the way...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Tim Byers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-100

My attitude toward historical fiction is this: the story needs to seem true without impressing me with endless details that seek to prove the author knows the subject. That doesn't mean the author should make things up; it simply means that there's more to the genre than accurate facts. A quality historical fiction novel is at its heart a story. For this reason Killing Rommel is an outstanding achievement in historical fiction.

The story comes from the perspective of a member of a small unit of...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Michael.e.philpott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

The latest book (this was written in 2009) from Stephen Pressfield, the title immediately tells us that it's going to be a book quite different from what we're accustomed to receiving from him. No swords, no shields, no phalanxes or cavalry charges, this novel describes the exploits of the British Long Range Desert Group, a kind of precursor to what the modern US Army calls LRRS (Long Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance) companies. The idea is to kick a comparatively small element (though larg...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Tim Giauque rated it 3 of 5 stars

Killing Rommel is a short, easy read, and it's interesting enough, but as we are told in the first few pages, it's a fictionalized account of a real story. I couldn't help but wonder why the actual story wasn't just presented, without resorting to the fictional elements and the framing gimmick Pressfield uses.

The premise is simple – in 1943, an English soldier describes his career with the Long Range Desert Group, fighting in North Africa against German Field General Erwin Rommel. Their mission...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Bec rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books, military-war, read-in-2012

Killing Rommel was an amazing and very entertaining book. It is historical fiction, but you could tell that Steven Pressfield had done so much research that it felt like you were reading a non-fiction account of action in North Africa. I was glad that the book was set in the North African front, because I don’t really know that much about it, and only really started reading up on it last year.

Killing Rommel was so well paced, with the action pretty thick and heavy. However, the parts of the boo...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: war

It seems to me that as an author Pressfield has matured. This book is enthralling, moving and informative all at once. Unlike Tides of War and Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae not too much time is wasted setting up the main character backstories. Whilst I imagine the set up of a WW2 novel is much easier with the war still in living memory, the aforementioned Greek novels spend too much time dotting between past and present. Whereas, Killing Rommel structures the transiti...more

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Oct 13, 2009 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

For years Steven Pressfield has described the minute details of ordinary soldiers or officers from the ancient world. No doubt his influences on this type of historical fiction can be seen in the HBO series "Rome" and the movie "300." Now he has jumped into the 20th Century and World War II. Unfortunately it drops his rating down to 3 stars. Normally his story-telling is top notch, but WWII has already been written about in fiction as well as incredible non-fiction stories. Not that Steven Press...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

Every bit as good and non-put-downable as Pressfield's Gates of Fire. Both intricately detailed and emotionally satisfying account of the allies improbable push-back victory against the forces of Erwin Rommel, the "Desert Fox."

The book follows the exploits of a Long Range Desert Group patrol in the vast North African deserts in 1942-3. The group is tasked with a seemingly-impossible mission: infiltrate behind German lines and kill Rommel. It turns into a nail-biting saga of survival, as these se...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Don rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pressfield does his usual, solid description of the specifics of battle. His previous novels of the ancient Greeks at war have the advantage of dealing with simpler technology--spears, swords and armor, with simple transport. Killing Rommel is weighted down with detailed descriptions of over a dozen vehicles and a like number of weapons.

Pressfield's need to describe in great detail the technology slows the novel down. In addition, the action follows small groups of soldiers whose principal missi...more

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Feb 10, 2009 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

Extraordinary. This fictionalized account of an actual event rings true. However it is not a story about World War II, but one of World War II. It is part of the broader story about average everyday people, both men and women, confronting and overcoming a worldwide calamity. To borrow words from Frederick Douglas, the people's price for victory was paid by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and when necessary, by their lives, and the lives of others. While this story may be fiction, people like...more Extraordinary. This fictionalized account of an actual event rings true. However it is not a story about World War II, but one of World War II. It is part of the broader story about average everyday people, both men and women, confronting and overcoming a worldwide calamity. To borrow words from Frederick Douglas, the people's price for victory was paid by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and when necessary, by their lives, and the lives of others. While this story may be fiction, people like those in the book lived, fought and died. Their stories are a reminder of what people, such as we, are capable of. The challenges confronting us today pale in comparison to what WWII brought and it would be an insult to our forbearers if we fail to meet those challenges today.

Sadly, I suspect that I am separated culturally from younger reviewers and readers as I was born and raised against the backdrop of World War II and the Korean War. Close family members served in World War II with one uncle being a member of Merrill's Marauders (he was wounded), another a combat engineer in North Africa, Sicily, Europe, France and Germany (numerous battle stars), a third uncle was in the quartermaster corps driving a truck to deliver supplies to the front following D-Day, and a fourth was a battery commander in Europe (he was killed by German artillery).

As Boy Scouts we would sit and listen in the Homeric oral tradition to our fathers tell stories of World War II and other times. By the time I graduated from high school, I had read as many books on World War II and the Korean War as I could find, including first hand accounts of the Desert Rats. A few, such as "The Road Past Mandalay, "Those Devils in Baggy Pants" and "Up Front", I read several times.

I am suspicious of heroic fiction and usually dimiss it as entertaining propaganda. However, this story touched me because I know it is true. Perhaps this story is not exactly true in the context presented but it is certainly true within the scope of what my teachers, members of my family, and neighbors had to deal with.(less)

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Dec 11, 2009 Zenitram rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another amazing Pressfield novel, this guy is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Like the rest of his historical fiction, he combines ultra-realistic facts with his own artistic license, but nothing contradictory to the subject material.

A British Army officer is assigned to the Long Range Desert Group, part of the Desert Rats during World War II. His unit's mission is--you guessed it--killing "The Desert Fox" himself, Erwin Rommel. The book is written from the view of a young friend a...more

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Jun 05, 2010 Erikhart Hart rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was disappointed in this book. If you are a fan of Pressfield and his repertoire of historical fiction a la "Gates of Fire," avoid this book. If you are looking for an enjoyable, pulpy read about the actions of the Commonwealths LRDG in WWII North Africa, this might be for you. The unfortunate counterpoint to the well researched action was the unnecessarily campy and cliched character development. This read like the first draft of a mediocre screenplay. "I am an untested leader" or "the horro...more

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Jun 10, 2008 Mary Kathryn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Second novel in a row that I did not finish, after "Child 44." This one was well-written, but entirely too military-history for me. The only dialogue was of the "Right ho, there chap!" variety.

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Jul 18, 2008 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Spencer

Recommended to Mary by: Tia

What I learned - what it must be like to be in combat - chaos, sickness, death, valor, comrades, decisions one must live with.
Wow! is all I can really say about this book.

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May 11, 2010 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Killing Rommel is about a small force of elite troops, Or the LRDG, who were tasked with the mission of killing General Erwin Rommel of the Nazi forces. Its historical fiction based on events that occurred during World War II between Allied and Axis forces. Killing Rommel taught me that though perseverance and determination you can complete your goal or task. I think my favorite part of the book was how detailed Pressfield got with the specifics of every little engagement and vehicle. Overall t...more

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Dec 06, 2009 Ty rated it 4 of 5 stars

having read a couple of other books by Pressfield, i was very surprised by "Killing Rommel". this book takes the form of a novelization of a memoir written by a member of the "Desert Rats" group in the British Army that went after Rommel in North Africa. the story is very focused on a the purported author of the memoir and follows his heroic although ancillary actions during the reversal of fortunes that sees Rommel's Afrika Korps thrown back from Alexandria to Tunisia. the writing is excellent...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, audio

First, I'll admit to being a big fan of Steven Pressfield. Gates of Fire is one of my favorite books, so I was inclined to want to like Killing Rommel. But the novels are so different from one another, that I feel I can safely review this one without being influenced by Pressfield's other works.
Getting to know the British LRDG was a fascinating study, and the protagonist was a sympathetic character, despite the fact that he's enlisted (well, recruited for on mission) in what is essentially Briti...more

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Oct 01, 2010 David Spencer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another time where I wish for a 3.5 star rating. It's a solid book, but it drags in spaces. When it's good though, it's brilliant. I had the audio book and the narration was outstanding, with distinct accents used for speakers from England, Ireland, Scotland, America, Germany, and New Zealand.

It suffers from what many other war novels suffer from; a large cast of characters as soldiers shift and out of the story. Like in "Band of Brothers" you identify with a few characters and the rest form a...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Patty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reader-choice

I admit I didn't read all of this. Normally I like technical details, but for some reason I didn't in this book.

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Jul 05, 2010 Eduardo rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you're looking for a book about Desert War, this is not really it. Yes, besides the first section of the book, the plot is developed during the desert campaign of the Allies, especially the New Zealanders and the British, the book is more about the man that lived and died in the desert and their love/hate relationship with it. It is about the moral and physical challenges faced by those man who rather be with a few trusted companions, than the regular grunts sent to battle in masses. Yeah, at...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book would make an excellent movie. The only drawback is the excruciating detail the author provides of the vehicles used by the Brits and Germans during the north Africa campaign. An observation made by one of the Germans characterizes what has been written about the British during WWII. To paraphrase...you Brits think of yourselves as amateurs masquerading as warriors when in fact you are first class warriors. On a personal note, what I have to live with in terms of my chronic illness pal...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Simon Salt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This book is simply incredible. I have read other Steven Pressfield books and I have to say this is by far my favorite. Having read many real accounts of combat in WWII this book, though mostly fiction, reads as well as any of the real accounts.
His characters are engrossing and believable. He describes combat in period correct language never straying as some authors do, into more modern phrasing.
Even incidents which are quite obviously fictional are written in a thoroughly believable manner tha...more

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About Steven Pressfield

I was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943 to a Navy father and mother.

I graduated from Duke University in 1965.

In January of 1966, when I was on the bus leaving Parris Island as a freshly-minted Marine, I looked back and thought there was at least one good thing about this departure. "No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, no one can ever send me back to this freakin' place a...more

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