Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic. A must read.
Review: A soldier's review of one of the greatest military tacticians of the 20th century. David Fraser brings the full weight of his military background to this work and does it in a way that doesn't overwhelm the novice reader.
Rating:
Summary: The best work about Rommel written thus far...
Review: An informative, well researched, fascinating and descriptive book about one of the 20th centuries greatest Generals. The author definitely did his "homework" when he wrote this work about Erwin Rommel. Knight's Cross not only gives you Rommel's military strategy but also an insight to his character and motivation in both military and personal life. An ultimate tragic ending to an honorable and chivalrous (sp) man. Rommel's background in battle during World War I definitely influenced his strategy during World War II. His ultimate flaw was seeing the way Adolf Hitler was when it was too late. If Hitler would of given Rommel the supplies and ammunition that he need for his Afrika Korps the outcome of the North African theatre of battle would of turned out quite differently, with Rommel as the ultimate victor over Montgomery and Patton. Historian's more often than not put the ultimate blame on Rommel for the allied victory at Normady. Yes, he should have part of the blame of the German defeat at Normandy. However, blame should also be given to Hitler for not releasing the Panzers that were needed at Normandy. Overall, the author goes over these points very well and also gives a much needed analysis about Rommel's military career, personal-family life and the ultimate fall of the Field Marshall who finally realized that Germany's only of hope survival was disposing of Adolf Hitler. Overall a fascinating read!
Rating:
Summary: The best work about Rommel written thus far...
Review: An informative, well researched, fascinating and descriptive book about one of the 20th centuries greatest Generals. The author definitely did his "homework" when he wrote this work about Erwin Rommel. Knight's Cross not only gives you Rommel's military strategy but also an insight to his character and motivation in both military and personal life. An ultimate tragic ending to an honorable and chivalrous (sp) man. Rommel's background in battle during World War I definitely influenced his strategy during World War II. His ultimate flaw was seeing the way Adolf Hitler was when it was too late. If Hitler would of given Rommel the supplies and ammunition that he need for his Afrika Korps the outcome of the North African theatre of battle would of turned out quite differently, with Rommel as the ultimate victor over Montgomery and Patton. Historian's more often than not put the ultimate blame on Rommel for the allied victory at Normady. Yes, he should have part of the blame of the German defeat at Normandy. However, blame should also be given to Hitler for not releasing the Panzers that were needed at Normandy. Overall, the author goes over these points very well and also gives a much needed analysis about Rommel's military career, personal-family life and the ultimate fall of the Field Marshall who finally realized that Germany's only of hope survival was disposing of Adolf Hitler. Overall a fascinating read!
Rating: 
Summary: Well written and insightful biography of military genius
Review: As a military commander himself, David Fraser brings well balanced analysis and concise insight to this biography of Erwin Rommel, one of the most skilful generals of the second world war.
Although at times the book seems weighed more towards placing Rommel in the overall military and political contexts of his time, at the expense of more personal details, the author still manages to convey a vivid profile of the man without unnecessary conjecture.
While mainly drawing on secondary sources, Fraser presents Rommel as decent, chivalrous, patriotic, humane. Mindful always of the lives and well-being of his troops, as all great generals are. Not a gambler but a calculated risk-taker, a great tactician and inspirational leader, who had a singular ability to learn, adapt and improvise. Persuasive arguments are also presented against the popular view that Rommel lacked strategic insight.
The chapters on his involvement in the July plot against Hitler are particularly good, concentrating on what concrete reliable evidence there is and only drawing conclusions where they are supported by precedent. It's refreshing to contrast this approach with David Irving's Rommel biography "The Trail of the Fox", which was more concerned with presenting an opinionated hatchet job on Hans Speidel, Rommel's chief of staff.
One slight drawback to this book is that if anything, it doesn't impart completely the scale of Rommel's achievements in North Africa. To read Corelli Barnett's "The Desert Generals" is to gain a true appreciation of Rommel's victory at the Battle of Gazala for example, where he routed a British army vastly superior to his own through sheer audacity. However this is only a minor quibble. "Knight's Cross" was well worth reading and I would recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most fascinating biographies I have read
Review: As Rommel is my favourite WWII general, I am very difficult with books about him. But Fraser does indeed credit to Rommel by writing a thorough and researched biography, that is no less exciting than any good fiction book. I also appreciate the importance that is given not only in his military accomplishments but to his complicate and interesting personality as well. In all, a truely great read.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant General, A Great Read!
Review: David Fraser's biography of Erwin Rommel, 'Knight's Cross,' is subtitled, 'A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.' It should be subtitled, 'A Career of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.' While the great General's skillful campaigns in France, North Africa, and France again are nothing short of brilliant, quite a bit is left out of the overall picture of the man. Rommel's years before World War I and during the Weimar era are barely examined. Instead, author Fraser focuses on the general history of the time, leaving the portrait of Rommel somewhat incomplete. That said, Fraser also gives us a first rate look at the battlefield genius and basic goodness of the man that was Erwin Rommel. Fraser spends much of the work successfully dispelling the myth of Rommel's lack of strategic consideration by showing his constant worry over the battles in Russia and his own precarious situations in Tunisia and Normandy. Also brought to light are the circumstances surrounding Rommel's part in the July 20th bomb plot and his forced suicide. For anyone interested in World War Two or the methods of great leadership in general, Fraser's biography is sure to entertain and enlighten.
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Summary: Knight's Cross : A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Review: Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) was the most celebrated German general of WW II, in large part because of his campaigns against the British but also because of his personal magnetism. Relying on speed and shock, his style of maneuver is a standard subject of study in most war colleges. Fraser, a historian and retired British officer, shows that Rommel's uncanny aptitude for maneuver warfare was evident even when he was a junior infantry officer in WW I. Promoted to field marshal in 1944, Rommel commanded German troops defending the coast of France against the Allied invasion, abandoning the proven precepts of mobile warfare for an uncharacteristically rigid defense, a change in tactics which Fraser explores. Implicated in the July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, Rommel was given the choice of suicide or facing a people's court. Fraser explains why he took a fatal poison draught, though his only crime was to question Hitler's leadership. Fraser's superb biography reveals Rommel not only as a warrior who ranks with Napoleon and Lee, but also as an unpretentious man who found much contentment in the company of his wife and son. Photos.
Rating:
Summary: This is a fantastic book about a surreal Soldier
Review: Erwin Rommel was a spectacular soldier and general with brilliance which is unparalleled by any in the past. He is one who fits into the same rank as the great Hannibal. Rommel, may have exceeded the latter as he was continuously undersupplied throughout his exploits in Africa. The English army consistently overmatched his Afrika Corps, yet he always prevailed. Fraser does a fantastic job of giving a detailed account of the genius's life. From his astounding accomplishments in Italy during WWI, to the legendary battles of North Africa. Fraser deserves immense credit for so vividly bringing to light the brilliance of the last knight.
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Summary: A Gentleman General in the Wrong Theatre
Review: Erwin Rommel was certainly one of Hitler's 'best and brightest' and his genius for tactical warfare is readily apparent throughout his lifetime. Fraser's biography does a decent job of portraying the rise and fall of a general who epitomized the Achilles Heel of Hitler's overarching strategy in WWII. Similar to Manstein, Rommel was continually put in the position of miracle-making. Always limited in resources available and ultimately in battlefield decision-making ability, Rommel was underutilized in a theatre that was bound to crumble in a campaign of attrition. Fraser underlines the impressive hold-out by Rommel's inspired troops in the African Theatre but Montgomery's ramped up offensive eventually toppled the worn out Panzer Army. Comparisons to Manstein and Paulus's inability to change Hitler's dictats during the Stalingrad Campaign or even to Von Luck's short leash in responding to D-Day reveal the strategic myopia of Hitler's dream. Increasingly Hitler would ignore the wisdom of his Generals; leaving them to atrophy in the face of the Allied build-up. Rommel's tactical brilliance was quelched by exhaustion; both in commication attempts with Hitler and on the battlefield. The North African Campaign proved to be a side-show compared to activity on the Eastern Front but Rommel and his Afrika Corp. delayed the Allied Second Front. The Eastern Front required all manpower and resources that could be allocated but the Allies still had difficulty gaining a foothold on the European Continent due to the likes of Rommel. Yet considering Hitler's intransigence, Rommel could only delay the inevitable. Rommel's role in the assassination attempt against Hitler remains enshrouded in unknowns but his professionalism as a general remains constant throughout his impressive career. Fraser effectively illustrates the character of this leader who was was such a role model for his troops. Like Napolean and General Maquis de Montrose, Rommel ended up on the losing side yet he maintained the respect of many in a very impressive military career. History is shaped by individuals. For the Allies sake, it is fortunate that Hitler did not share his command with his professionals. An individual such as Rommel with more Panzers and more battlefield authority could have made the Western Front a much harder nut to crack.
Rating:
Summary: Best biography of Rommel in the market!
Review: Erwin Rommel was one of the most complex, intriguing and effective personalities during the Second World War. In, KNiGHT'S CROSS, David Fraser shows readers the intricacies of Rommel's personality while giving them a well-researched and written historical documentary of Rommel's life from his serives in the First World War till his death near the conclusion of the Second World War. Fraser shows that Rommel existed as a true honorable warrior among an evil regime. This book is an excellent historical reference while still retaining the readability of a great work of fiction. A great selection for those interested in the Second World War or military history.
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