In the film Patton, there's a scene where we see George C. Scott gloating that he was able to defeat Rommel in battle because he read his book. Is there something to this, or is it just a Hollywood thing?

Between the wars Rommel wrote a manual: "Gefechts-Aufgaben für Zug und Kompanie : Ein Handbuch für den Offizierunterricht" (Combat Tasks for Platoon and Company: A Manual for the Officer Instruction in Infantry Training), as well as the book "Infanterie greift an" (Infantry Attacks), which chronicles his experiences during WW1. I have always thought the latter is what Patton/Scott/the script referred to in the movie.