An instrumental work on the history of wartime intelligence, Hans Otto
             Behrendt's book Rommel's Intelligence in the Desert Campaign deals with a
             narrow but tumultuous and pivotal period during World War Two. Focusing
             mainly on Rommel's intelligence campaign, as the title suggests, Behrendt's
             book tackles the tactics of military signals intelligence as well as its
             limitations. The time period in question is 1941 through 1943, and the
             geographic locale in Northern Africa. The author was a key intelligence
             officer in the German Afrika Korps and the bulk of the book comprises his
             personal experiences and perspectives regarding German intelligence in
             general and Rommel's in specific. However, Behrendt's work is well-
             documented, well-researched, and well-organized; it is not simply a memoir
             and is not overly laden with sentimentality. In spite of the author's
             obvious admiration for the personage of General Erwin Rommel, Rommel's
             Intelligence in the Desert Campaign remains a key primary source for all
             scholars and laypersons interested in military history.
             The 250-page-plus book comprises six succinct and informative
             chapters, plus appendices, sources used and cited, and an index. As the
             author states in his Introduction, the book is not just "another resume of
             operations and tactics," (13). Rather, the book addresses directly the
             specific role that signals intelligence played in the two year North
             African campaign that engaged German, Italian, and British troops. Although
             the author includes narrative accounts, the tone and style of writing is
             academic and impersonal. Behrendt relies on British prisoner of war (POW)
             accounts, captured British documents, and other sources for his research.
             The author briefly takes into account the unique cultural and geographic
             features that Northern Africa (Cyrenaica, now part of Libya). The thrust
             and thesis of Rommel's Intelligence in the Desert Ca...