Quote · Fin vs History
I Prefer El Alamein’s Early Stuff (with Pierre Novellie) | Monty vs Rommel (Part 3/4)
Where this was said
Just Ignore Him
At 1:00:44 · chapter starts 52:52
As Rommel's encirclement becomes clear, he contacts High Command for permission to withdraw. Hitler — distracted by Stalingrad and described as having 'a lot on, famously' — issues a direct order: no retreat, victory or death. The group discusses Hitler's strategic decision-making pathology: his pattern of gambling on if-then scenarios (if we win Stalingrad, the Soviet Union collapses, and the Western powers come to terms) that became increasingly detached from reality. Pierre notes the Germans were still holding out hope that Britain might negotiate, even as late as November 1942. Fin steers toward the broader claim that El Alamein is the war's true turning point — Stalingrad's a sideshow — and the Nazi pattern of doubling down on lost positions begins here. [1]
The North African theater is considered the only major theater of WWII with essentially no war crimes committed, described by the hosts as the most gentlemanly campaign.
With his lines breached and his forces encircled, Rommel contacted Hitler who ordered no retreat. Rommel ignored the direct order, saved his mobile forces, and began withdrawing westward to Libya — handing the Allies the first defeat of German arms in WWII.
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked the first time German forces were defeated in World War II, a turning point Churchill immortalised with a famous quote.
Montgomery lived until 1976, meaning the WWII general survived into Harold Wilson's second term and the Callaghan government — far outlasting his wartime contemporaries.
