Why Rommel was called the Desert Fox?

Question

And the 7th British Armoured Divison called the Desert Rat?

tks J. S. esp. for providing good books recommendation!

Answer 1

Rommel was the Desert Fox, because he was a brilliant tactition during the African phase of WW2. He also disliked Hitler and was part of a plot to assassinate him. I've never heared of the Desert Rat part.

Answer 2

The answers to these questions, and a lot more, can be found in the book 'War Without Hate: The Desert Campaign of 1940-1943', by John Bierman and Colin Smith, Penguin (2002). Previously published as 'The Battle of Alamein', I highly recommend this one!
p.s. It's Afrika Korps, and Desert Rats

Answer 3

have you study how a fox would behave when it hunts?a fox is a very cunning and smart hunter.it move fast but still covering itself from its prey/enemy and then at the right time and opportunity it will strike.that's just what Rommel did.I don't remember the detail but before his arrival the Italians force who were 2 times larger than the British were taking a scourge (Rommel came to Africa to help their ally, the Italians).he realised that although the British army was succesful in driving the Italians they were stretched thinly along the maps.Rommel were aware of this and without waiting his full military might (which were still to arrive from Germany across the Mediterranean sea) he strike back at the British using only half of his resources and successfully driven them back to the north.now isn't his brilliant?so a desert fox is good name for him

Answer 4

He was called the Desert Fox after his campaign for Germany in Northern Africa. He also may have been in a plot to assasinate Hitler. Desert Fox was also the name of a bombing campaign of the United States and the United Kingdoms against Iraq in 1998.
The Desert Rats was simply athe name taken by the 7th Armored Division, perhaps because they trained in Egypt in use of heavy armor and weapons. Their name became the Armored Division and then the 7th Armored Division during WWII.

Answer 5

Easy. Rommel won most of his battles. So he was the "fox". Since he fought in North Africa, commanding the German Africa Corp., then he was the "Desert Fox" (North Africa is dry).

Why "rats"? Maybe because it sounded tough, and the 7th division had a reputation for fighting "dirty"?

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Thanks to the guy below for catching the spelling error.

But dry weather makes a desert, so it is a weather question in a way.

Answer 6

Tactical genius. He wrote a book about his ideas before the USA
entered WWII. Who read it and used the same book to defeat Rommel in North Africa? Brits had a slow learning curve, tactics that required leadership changes, and in the end was able to kill
their enemy by reduction of supply sources. The 7th Armoured
took a beating before their claim to fame arrived. It specialized in flanking attacks against better guns and frontal armour. Like its namesake the Brits has to scurry before being cold stone killers.

Answer 7

Rommel used some sly tactics to show that he had more armory that what he truly had and was able to defeat the English across North Africa as far as or near Alexandria. Once the English started to turn the tide were able to scavenge some armory from the Germans when they retreated across North Africa after Tobruk.

Answer 8

rommel was a good general,not a nazi,respectful to pows,& civies,but a great advantage to his effectiveness was the presence on the british side of an informant who gave germans a heads up on monties plans & order of battle.

Answer 9

This message is to Randy G.! Core is spelled Corp. and there wasnt anything in the question about a weather forcast. It was a desert war and most deserts are dry! DONT MENTION IT RANDY, YOUR GETTING BETTER!

Answer 10

He was until he came up against Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery of Alamein, then it was Goodnight vienna.