Home > Author > Erwin Rommel
1 " But courage which goes against military expediency is stupidity, or, if it is insisted upon by a commander, irresponsibility. "
― Erwin Rommel , The Rommel Papers
2 " It is often possible to decide the issue of a battle merely by making an unexpected shift of one's main weight. "
3 " 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. "
4 " Sweat saves blood. "
― Erwin Rommel
5 " El sudor ahorra sangre, la sangre ahorra vidas, y el cerebro, las dos cosas. "
6 " Sturm, Swung, Wucht "
7 " Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, but brains saves both. "
8 " Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning. "
― Erwin Rommel , Rommel: In His Own Words
9 " 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. "
10 " No plan survives contact with the enemy "
11 " I would rather be the hammer than the anvil "
12 " Winning the men's confidence requires much of a commander. He must exercise care and caution, look after his men, live under the same hardships, and—above all— apply self discipline. But once he has their confidence, his men will follow him through hell and high water. "
― Erwin Rommel , Infantry Attacks
13 " Mortal danger is an effective antidote for fixed ideas. "
14 " When there's no clear option, it's better to do nothing. "
15 " It is my experience that bold decisions give the best promise of success. But one must differentiate between [strategic] and tactical boldness and a military gamble. A bold operation is one in which success is not a certainty but which in case of failure leaves one with sufficient forces in hand to cope with whatever situation may arise. A gamble, on the other hand, is an operation which can lead either to victory or to the complete destruction of one's force. Situations can arise where even gamble may be justified - as, for instance, when in the normal course of events defeat is merely a matter of time, when the gaining of time is therefore pointless and the only chance lies in an operation of great risk. "
16 " Whether I would survive a defeat lies in God's hands. The lot of the vanquished is heavy. I'm happy in my own conscience that I've done all I can for victory and have not spared myself. "
17 " Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning "
18 " Im Osten, Westen und Süden liegen die letzten Ruhestätten jener deutschen Soldaten, die für Heimat und Land den Weg der Pflicht bis zum bitteren Ende beschritten haben. Sie sind eine ständige Mahnung an unsere Zurückgebliebenen und unsere zukünftigen Generationen, dass wir sie nicht im Stich lassen dürfen, wenn es darum geht, Opfer für Deutschland zu bringen. "
