Adolf Hitler invaded Western Europe in May 1940. After breaking through the supposedly 'impenetrable' Ardennes, Erwin Rommel was at the forefront of the Wehrmacht's audacious drive through France. Rommel, who had no prior experience leading an armored division in combat, moved with such speed and nerve that he frequently surprised French units by arriving far earlier than expected.

Crossing the Meuse River, we follow Rommel—in what he referred to as 'practically a lightning Tour de France'—as he pushed through northern France to the English Channel. His spectacular victory at the coastal port of Saint-Valéry-en-Caux was crowned by the capture of Cherbourg.

Following the armistice, Rommel was involved in reenacting certain battles, such as crossing the Somme, for the documentary Sieg im Westen (Victory in the West). This is the story of Rommel and the 7th Panzer Division—the so-called 'Ghost Division'—in France, 1940.

Chapters

• Chapter 1 Hitler strikes west
• Chapter 2 Victory at Saint-Valery-en-Caux
• Chapter 3 'Le Havre is taken'
• Chapter 4 Swastika over Cherbourg
• Chapter 5 Bordeaux Victory parade
• Part IIChapter 6 Re-enacting the Somme Crossing
• Appendix

An ardent photographer, Erwin Rommel was never far from his trusty Leica camera (gifted to him by ReichspropogandaministerJoseph Goebbels). In addition to keeping a daily diary, which his Aides were directed to maintain, Rommel also ordered his staff to keep all of his orders, maps, and battle plans for placing in his personal library after the war. I mention these things because, while the strength of this book is its’ many photographs, unless otherwise noted they are all photos that Erwin Rommel himself shot.

The book is absolutely jam-packed with photos, each captioned separately. While primarily an aircraft modeler, I read a great deal about German armor in WWII. Having said that, I’ve never seen any of the photos in this book. The pictures include various German and French armor, personnel, artillery, buildings, civilian vehicles, etc. Overall, this is such a fantastic reference for the modeler and historian.