 Also, according to Hanley, if Rommel stood still, his enemy's strength would accumulate while his own, depending on an uncertain supply line, would diminish, thus he needed the British stocks of supply to deal with his logistical problems.Daniel Allen Butler writes that if Rommel was not a formally trained strategist, he developed himself into one, becoming able to grasp strategic opportunities that others missed.Starting as a compulsive commander who imperiled his own command, and his superiors' plans in Africa, he realized that his opponent's army was the main objective and not the mere holding of territory.