Rommel had performed remarkably during the campaign in the West when the 7th Panzer Division that he led, moved at such lightning speed that the French called it the Ghost Division. They never knew where it would appear next.

The campaign in North Africa was actually uniquely different to anywhere that the Germans had waged war before. Rommel conducted himself with his usual drive and energy, but when what happened is closely analysed, the results weren’t there.

This is what happened at the beginning of 1941, Rommel’s first offensive.

Tag words: Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; 7th Panzer Division; the Ghost Division; North Africa Campaign; Franz Halder; Afrika Korp; Cyrenaica; Martin Creveld; Supplying War; Malta; David Irving; The Trail of the Fox; Ian Walker; Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts;