[quote=@Foster]
Rommel actually started having issues [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tobruk]starting at Torbuk[/url], where the over-stretched supply-line forced the axis to make a series of costly hasty-assaults upon the British garrison from which they never really recovered their momentum.

He made a really good effort to go back to the offensive in 1942, and achieved success in terms of gains/losses even though these gains were inconsequential to the bigger picture of a protracted war starting in Russia, and an aborted invasion of England. The fact that he managed to rush a disproportionate amount of troops from the strategic reserve was a greater indication of Hitler's favoritism than juggling what little he had remaining under his belt. Having only 50 German tanks and 14 Italian out of what was initially over 100 tanks at the start of that year.

For 2nd El Alamien, he managed to get reinforced up to nearly 500 tanks, and he promptly lost 50 of them (and nearly 30% of his manpopwer) in the first 2 days of the September operation.

By November, he only had 20 tanks, no fuel save for what was already inside the tanks, and hardly any ammunition.

It is true, he was up against ridiculously larger forces, but the above doesn't really paint a picture of any more brilliance than parking your car in the way of a speeding locomotive, then buying a new car to replace it. Repeat until the dealership runs out of cars.

Also: Employing minefields. Never bothered to develop a way to [i]clear[/I] a minefield.
[/quote]

That is true. It was necessary for the Germans to push forward and conquer Egypt at the time, which eventually failed. Having to stretch supply lines a great distance was also a big part of this failure. His involvement in the middle east and so on was a bigger picture during early World War II periods, but as it dug deeper, the conflict in Russia became a bigger issue with large German failure and the casualties that they were taking. The gains made weren't as satisfactory as was in the bigger picture, but made up for his own losses.

After the Axis loss in Torbuk, Rommel came back in Operation Battleaxe, just shortly after Torbuk, which lifted the Germans. Granted, they were smashed down again at Crusader months later. And as you said, Rommel made a very successful campaign in 1942, probably for the loss that he took after the fall of France. And then of course by 1943, everything was basically over. It was more of a back and forth kind of deal, I was referring to his overall tactical skills, but not overall strategy, seeing how that failed. This same process Rommel went through gained him the respect from his allies, and enemies too.

Demand for really anything you can think of was high at this time though. Countries were using their resources immediately, it just happened that Germany fell first because of poor mistakes made.