When Robert and his friends heard of Rommel's "Dash to the Wire", they though he "had gone clean off his bloody head"

Even though Rommel's "Dash to the Wire" panicked the senior staff, Robert Crisp's assessment was that "Rommel had gone clean off his bloody head". Robert and his companions chuckled over the thought of generals and staff officers being rattled by Rommel's move. The front line troops thought that the "top command was making a complete mess of things anyway". Their battalion commander told Robert and his fellows that the transport that they had attacked was the "supply echelon" for the force sent to the wire. Robert Crisp was friends with the famous war correspondent Alan Moorehead. Robert thought that Alan had aptly described the situation in his daily despatch to his paper. Robert had worked with Alan Moorehead at the Daily Express, before the war. They both knew two other "great correspondents Noel Monks and O'Dowd Gallagher". Alan Moorehead described the "mad" rush that lasted for nine hours, as the back area personnel ran from Rommel's forces. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.