The Rommel Mission

By Ken Kreckel

General Fiction

Language: English Not Rated (NR)

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This historical novel, set in France at the time of D-day, deals with the fictional Major Helder, an officer on the staff of Rommel’s headquarters. Working to defeat the Allied invasion, he witnesses the failure of the army to prevent its initial success, and the many difficulties in holding the Allies to the beachhead. Although he expects Rommel to somehow master the crisis, he soon realizes the Field Marshall himself doesn’t believe in victory. Indeed, the major becomes caught up in a plot to turn over the German Armies in the West to the Allies. It is the only way, Rommel believes, of safeguarding Germany from eventual domination by the Soviet Union. The novel chronicles the many factors leading up to this event, and speculates on a possible outcome, all against the constant background of fighting a losing battle in the killing grounds of Normandy.

Although the main character is fictional, many of the persons surrounding him are factual. Indeed, the major events of the novel are historically accurate, telling the story of D-day from the perspective of the Germans. The speculative premise, that of an attempted surrender of the German army in France, was discussed by Rommel and others. Hitler himself suspected it, even to the point of having Rommel’s superior, Von Kluge, arrested for it. What is speculative is the major’s role in actually carrying it out. However, it is possible such an attempt was made. If so, the fog of war has thoroughly obscured it.