Friday, May 15, 2009


I am currently doing a bit of pleasure reading, and Steven Pressfield's novel Killing Rommel: A Novel is on my nightstand for the time being. It is a good portrayal of both the Long Range Desert Group and the Special Air Service during the N. African Campaign, albeit in the midst of a fictionalized mission to kill one Field Marshal Erwin Rommel as he and the Afrika Korps threatened to sweep into Alexandria Cairo unless his successes were curtailed.
My background knowlwedge of both of these formations makes for a very enjoyable read of this mission, and Pressfield brings the characters to life in a manner I could only hope to do with the book.
And on that practical note, I am beginning to think that the final product is going to have to remain devoid of attempts to highlight te mystique of those early members of the SAS, and simply focus on the hard facts and accomplishments. A tall order indeed!
In any event, the book gets a thumbs-up for folks with a interest in WW II history, because it is indeed very historically accurate.