If Rommel moved to England with his family after World War I and served with the Allies in World War II, how much would the war change?
Short answerA senior British command is doubtful. Possible alternatives include the Indian Army, Home Guard, French Foreign Legion, or German advisory work in China, where his infantry experience would be useful.
NotesA British command first depends on whether Britain would recruit Rommel at all. His mountain-warfare experience suggests an Indian Army posting with Gurkhas as one possible route. Another assessment places him in the Home Guard by 1939, when he would be forty-seven, rather than in a senior field command. The French Foreign Legion and service with German military advisers in China are further possibilities. The Chinese route fits his infantry background and the German mission's work supplying training, doctrine, and equipment. Germany's later alignment with Japan frustrated advisers who had invested considerable effort in preparing Chinese forces.