Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives - Peter Caddick-Adams

Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives is a fascinating book in many ways.

I must admit I have a bit of a thing for Monty or to give him his full title:  Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC, DL.  Having read his autobiography, and yes some of it you must step back from, I find him a complex interesting person who lived an interesting live.

Of Rommel or General Field Marshall Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel I know less but an intriguing character all the same. 

In this book Peter Caddick-Adams draws together the comparative biographies, into one book of each of these key generals from 2 World War.   The author explores the lives of both Monty and Rommel from their upbringing and experiences in The Great War, to their personal development in the interwar years and their impact in 2 World War.  The parallel lives they lead and their differing and similar philosophies.  These two men’s lives collide spectacularly, and both have an impact on each other.

Peter Caddick- Adams draws together a masterpiece of writing with a brilliant balance between in-depth military knowledge and detail, interesting aspects of Monty and Rommel’s lives, their thought processes, and their human story. All this against the backdrop of the wider picture of 2 World War and the impact they had pre-war, in war and post war.

The author manages to capture the men behind the myths and spots details that other have missed.  He shows history in a new light, the research immaculate, as you would expect from such an esteemed author and historian.  No detail is left uncovered to help the reader really get under the skin of both these men.

Sometimes I had to re-read chapters because the detail comes thick and fast and there is the odd tangent or two, but these are all valid as they help you understand the massive impact each man made.

I love the parallel lives biography aspects, interweaving the stories seamlessly and yet raising more questions and thoughts on both these men.

This is a must-read book for all those fascinated not only by 2 World War and the biographies of both these key generals, but also those interested in leadership in war and how politics and upbringing affects leadership and how that then impacts on decision making.

A fantastic read for all that not only tells the story of each man but also humanises and explains the story and that is important in such a detailed book.

This is an important book in Miltary history.