AFRIKAKORPS
"Deutsches AFRIKAKORPS" Allies & AFRIKAKORPS North Africa & Mediterranean Theater of Operations Campaign Research Group
The "Deutsches AFRIKAKORPS" (not as in the improperly written Afrika Korps on search engines and via online encyclopedias) was the original and more famous name for the German "Blocking Force" sent to Libya in February of 1941 during the North African Campaign of World War II. The famous force, with the short-lived name called the AFRIKAKORPS, became a major German contribution to Panzer Army Africa - Panzerarmee Afrika which evolved into the German-Italian Panzer Army - Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee and then to Army Group Africa - Heeresgruppe Afrika. Many historians and writers on the Western Desert Campaign, in World War II, have epitomized the 'Knights in Chariots' concept as a more chivalrous engagement of open field battle in the desert... with man and machine pitted together to do combat. Our AANA Members might initially have been drawn into the study of various aspects of this and other related elements in the campaigns, revolving around the Mediterranean, by these stories of fighting in the desert but have taken this study many levels deeper. This has become a passion to uncover hidden facts and stories of the courage and steadfast determination to fight the scourges of the environmental elements and the incredible wear and tear on both man and machine by the desert. We have dug deeper into the myth about the AFRIKAKORPS and its commander, Rommel, to realize the underpinning of truths behind the conflicting forces in the Egyptian and Libyan desert. Rommel fought not only the opposing Commonwealth forces and his own German command staff but even with his supposed Italians allies but these were the adversaries that he had successfully fought in World War One to win his Pour le Merite! "They are certainly no good at war" Erwin Rommel (referring to the Italians) "We have a very daring and skillful opponent against us. And may I say across the havoc of war, a great general." Winston Churchill (commenting on Rommel) Rommel has gained near mythical status in the literature because of his initial successes in the field from both his command leadership during the campaign of France in 1940 with his 7./PD "Ghost Division" and from February 1941 to February of 1943 in North Africa. Further expansion of this 'legend' by his being forced to take his own life after the June 22, 1944 plot against Adolph Hitler and his association with the Schwarze Kapelle or "Black Orchestra", has set his name to be recognized as a martyr against Nazism. I need not say more of what Rommel was to contend with than to simply request you to read the lunacy of his ultimate boss! "If the Germans cannot win this war, then they can rot." Adolph Hitler (To Rommel, 1943) Outside 'Web Readers' might initially think AANA Members at this website to be pro this side or another but in actuality we all might gain from the combined knowledge of our colleague's research into all aspects of the campaigns studied. Our particular level of study tries to take no value judgment into the merits or value of a "man's life" be they the Desert Rat tanker, Kiwi Rail gang member, 8th Army gunner, Indian motorcycle scout, Australian physician, Greek engineer, Polish motor sergeant, US cook, Austrian cipher-specialist, German barber, Italian medic, Maltese fisherman, French architect, Algerian metal smith, Tunisian brick mason, Libyan farmer, Egyptian weaver, Syrian driver, Palestinian printer, and etc.-etc. ad infinitum. Each civilian or soldier involved in the conflict, from peasant to commanding general, has their own unique viewpoint and personal story to tell. The combination of research and sharing of these findings or 'stories' can greatly expand the understanding of these conflicts for the reader. As to the name AFRIKAKORPS.Org and its graphic identifier... The original AFRIKA cuff title... This modified form of the AFRIKAKORPS cuff title is based on a German soldier's requirement to have been stationed at least six months in this difficult theater of battle to be entitled to wear the device on his or her tunic jacket sleeve. (Those soldiers receiving any one of these awards... the Iron Cross, German Cross in gold, Goblet of Honor, or Salvor of Honor [Salvor der Ehre] or having been wounded in combat or contracting an illness which caused for evacuation also entitled the soldier to wear this device. The period of service requirement was later reduced to four months of service for those fighting in the final phases of the campaign. If killed in action the dependants received an award document!) Our members have all spent many more months than this in research into this particular venue. Be they Brit, Pole, Yank, German, French, Aussie, Austrian, Italian, Kiwi, Scot, Greek, Arab, Canadian, South African, Argentine, or Danish... they all enjoy the sharing of materials and the inherent debate about their findings to encourage growth in learning about the history of his 'fellow man' in these particular campaign research areas. Per Founding Seven AANA Member/Author "Nacht"
THE ARMED FORCES AND CIVILIANS OF EVERY COUNTRY THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE CAMPAIGN WILL 'HOPEFULLY' BE EQUALLY COVERED AND DISCUSSED!
While the web address and the graphic identifier of this site may indeed be “AFRIKAKORPS” one should not be mistaken in our leanings or intentions. The "AA" in AANA stand for "Allies" and "AFRIKAKORPS". The AANA authors are currently working on many articles covering a wide range of topics for the combatants involved in the MTO. The authors of the AANA will try to devote equal time and effort to research topics related to all of the Allied and AFRIKAKORPS attached army participants that served, fought and perished in this conflict in the North Africa and MTO Campaigns . Our objective is to research and preserve the true facts. Since we are dealing with the true facts, we will sometimes be “myth busters” in a sense. For instance, the myth of Italian cowardice has been spoken of in various forums and in printed articles and books for decades, here the true facts will be presented and discussed about the army's inherent makeup. We will show, in future articles, that the sometimes poor performance of the Italian military was not because there was a lack of Italian bravery, but rather a lack of good leadership, modern weapons, and even the separate "class" system and dichotomy of the officer's versus enlisted man Italian Army. We will do our best to try and lay this particular myth to rest, once and for all, as we will with any other myth or undeserved honor or lack of prestige 'distinction' that has been bestowed on any particular country or individuals that served with honor and distinction. Men from many countries fought and died in this 'arena' and their personal stories should preserved for future generations to understand the varied ideals for which many gave the ultimate sacrifice.
IF YOU ARE A VETERAN THAT SERVED IN THE MTO WE NEED YOUR PARTICIPATION
In a few weeks, the new "Public" AANA Discussion Forum will be fully up and running. In the meantime, if you are a veteran of any branch of the armed forces of any country, either Allied or Axis, that served in North Africa and the MTO, please visit our forum to be placed online within a matter of days. Let us know who you are, where and when you served and please tell us your story. Your information, from the music you listened to, the food you ate, the books, magazines and newspapers you read, your personal kit, your war stories, all of this is important to us for documenting and sharing. Your information will be collected, preserved and freely shared with all that visit the AANA site. All interested readers please do share back with us about items, materials and subjects you might deem of future or current interest. Thanks again, from all of your AANA Member Colleagues, for your reader encouragement! AANA Research Fellow "Indy'
Deutsches AFRIKAKORPS Organization
Again, the Deutsches AFRIKAKORPS, was the original German "Blocking Force" sent to Libya in February of 1941 during the North African Campaign of World War II. The force was a component element of the German contribution to Panzer Army Africa - Panzerarmee Afrika which evolved into the German-Italian Panzer Army - Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee and Army Group Africa - Heeresgruppe Afrika.
The AFRIKAKORPS (This is properly written in one word and not two words) was formed upon the arrival on February 12, 1941, of Gen. Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel after the German Armed Forces High Command Oberkommando des Wehrmacht/ OKW and Oberkommando des Heeres / OKH had decided to send a "blocking force" to Libya to support the failing Italian army, which had been routed by a Commonwealth Forces counter-offensive led by the British Eighth Army, in Operation Compass. The German "blocking force", commanded by Erwin Rommel, at first consisted of only the 5./leichte "AFRIKA" Panzer Regiment which was quickly cobbled together with armored equipment from the second regiment of the 3./Panzer Division which was stationed in France and various other small units attached for maintenance/repair, water purification/treatment and medical care. These elements were organized into the 5th Light Division (5./le "AFRIKA" PD) when they arrived in Africa from as early as January for some support components but the initial armored equipment arrived during the period February 10-March 12, 1941. The initial efforts by the Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3, in particular, were a surprise to the Commonwealth as they had depleted their forces by sending several of their combat elements to support Greece. In late April and into May the small 5./le. "AFRIKA" or 5th Light "AFRIKA" Division was joined by transference of the various elements constituting the 15./PD or 15th Panzer Division from Italy, though it did not completely arrive until after Rommel had made a counter-offensive and re-taken most of Cyrenaica. The AFRIKAKORPS had subsequently gone back over to a defensive posture to unify his forces and to reconstitute by reinforcements his corps. Part of the 15./PD and in particular one of its early arrival elements, the 15./Kradschützen Battalion, had been instrumental in the support of Rommel's battlefield activities in late April through May of 1941. At this timeframe through the spring and summer of 1941, the German elements of the AFRIKAKORPS consisted of only these two divisions plus various smaller supporting units, and were 'officially' subordinated to the Italian chain of command in Africa (though Rommel had conducted this initial offensive without proper authorization from his superiors including his direct authority Field Marshall Kesselring and his short lived Italian commander, Marshall Graziani, in North Africa... whom was shot down and killed by his own Italian anti-aircraft fire while flying into Tripoli!).
During the summer of 1941 OKW and Oberkommando des Heeres / OKH invested more command structure in Africa by creating a new headquarters called Panzer Group Africa (Panzergruppe Afrika). In August, 1941, the German 5th Light Division (5./le. "AFRIKA" PD) was redesignated 21st Panzer Division or commonly written as 21./PD, still attached to the now enlarged entity but still known as the AFRIKAKORPS. On August 15 Panzer Group Africa was activated with Rommel in command, and command of the AFRIKAKORPS was turned over to Ludwig Crüwell. The "Panzer Group Africa" controlled the AFRIKAKORPS plus some additional German units that were sent to Africa, as well as two corps of Italian units. (A German "group" was approximately the equivalent of an army in other militaries, and in fact Panzer Group Africa was redesignated as German Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika) on January 30, 1942.) Rommel was also promoted to the rank of Field Marshall. The story of the AFRIKAKORPS and the North African Campaign is often told more simply as a series of commanders on both sides that were either replaced, captured or killed. We will share this understanding but also give the reader materials on the equipment in service and the simple soldier as well. An understanding of the politics and people that live in this region is of utmost necessity to grasp the basis of why the conflict even came to this region.
After the defeat of the German and Italian forces at El Alamein, in November of 1942 and the near simultaneous Allied invasion in Morocco and Algeria with Operation Torch landings on November 8, 1942 the OKW once more was forced to increase its presence in Africa by creating the XC Army Corps in Tunisia on November 19, 1942, and then creating a new 5th Panzer Army headquarters there as well on December 8, 1942 under the command of Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim. On February 23, 1943 Panzer Army Africa, (now called the German-Italian Panzer Army,) was redesignated as the Italian 1st Army and put under the command of Italian general Giovanni Messe, while Rommel was placed in command of a new Army Group Africa (Heeresgruppe Afrika) created to control both the Italian 1st Army and the 5th Panzer Army. The remnants of the AFRIKAKORPS and other surviving units of the 1st Italian Army retreated into Tunisia. Command of the Army Group was turned over to von Arnim in March. On May 12-13, 1943 remnants of the AFRIKAKORPS along with all other remaining Axis forces in North Africa surrendered. Strictly speaking the term "AFRIKAKORPS" refers to the original "Blocking force" which became part of the expanded German and Italian presence in North Africa. However it is sometimes used by the news media and veteran Allied soldiers as a name for all the German units in North Africa before the retreat into Tunisia. Some notable attached units include the 15./PD -15th Panzer Division, 21./PD-21st Panzer Division, Sonderkomando z.b.V.288 and attachment to "Afrika' zbV ("special purpose") which was created as an infantry unit and slowly upgraded and had elements attached to a fully motorized division, and then redesignated as the 90./le "AFRIKA"-90th Light Afrika Division; the 164./le "AFRIKA" 164th Light Afrika Division, the 999./le "AFRIKA" - 999 Light "AFRIKA" Division, also the 334th Infantry division; and the Luftwaffenjäger-Brigade 1 or Fallschirmjäger-Ramcke Brigade or often referred to as the Ramcke Parachute Brigade (named after its commander... Gerhard Ramcke) just to name a few. There were also eight Italian divisions (of ten in NA service) under Rommel's command in Panzer Army Afrika, including two armored divisions, two motorized divisions, three infantry divisions, and the Folgore parachute division. The army was supported by a number of smaller units from both the German and Italian armed forces.
The designation "Light" (German: Leichte) did not refer to a standardized table of organization and equipment (TOE) for the various German divisions that bore that designation. German unit organizations were based on tables of organization, (Kriegsstärkenachweisungen or KStN). Every unit in the German Army raised had one, and all orders raising units indicated the corresponding KStN number and date which applied to them but the equipment standards and inclusions varied widely.
For instance, the 5th Light Division and the other 'leichte' units had an organization that was missing elements to make it a completed 'division' (21./PD lacked a complete Kradschützen Battalion for example and other elements) and it eventually became reinforced into the 21st Panzer Division-21./PD (never actually received the KStN for a standardized German Army Division), whereas the 164th Light Afrika Division-164./le "AFRIKA" was at first a partially motorized infantry division and never had tanks but only armored cars and reconnaissance vehicles or what they 'acquired'. Various German divisions in Africa occasionally reorganized or re-equipped without a change of name, or conversely were redesignated with a new name without any substantial reorganization. None of the German Armies fielded for service in North Africa completely met the service KStN's directed for their completion because of battle losses, sinkings across the Mediterranean while in transit and the tremendous wear of the desert environment. Per "Nacht"
AANA/MTO Campaign Research Group
What is the AANA Organization and What are its 'Core Values'?
The Fascist and Nazi regimes of Italy and Germany are long gone, replaced by democracies which are our friends and allies! We cannot forget the atrocities but need to forgive and forget as more than a half century has passed! (U.S. C.I.A.) "The diversity of our collective group is our greatest strength!", Per "Indy" AANA Moderator Member The "AANA" is a somewhat 'rebellious' collective of historical authors, researchers and enthusiasts that are combining their mutual 'love' of the historical subjects involved in the related campaigns of politics, men, material and war revolving around the Mediterranean Sea during World War Two. We are not an unbiased group! Each member has his own stint, viewpoints and a particular dedication to their own particular subject matters of interest. AANA Members use our collective membership to be a mutual sounding board and a rather unique system of checks and balances against each member's research findings for future publication. This system employed by our membership collective is to simply share our findings and uncover facts about particular events, people and equipment that our collective can then review and add to their personal knowledge base. Sharing within our diverse member group and their various countries of origin is the hallmark of success within our group. At the forefront, our members do heartily agree on this core or fundamental value: The soldier's story needs to be recorded and archived for future generations with no relevance to the country from which he fought and that foremost in our hearts, we both individually and as a group, will not tolerate bigotry or hatred of our fellow man because of his religion, country of origin, nor even his political beliefs! Per the AANA
Why AFRIKAKORPS.Org? Because it is the "NEW" Web Home of the "AANA" Research Group
AANA's "Collective" Purpose
"We are after-all, about answering questions." , per "Dan" AANA Moderator Member"Many of the faces of war become nameless and we simply try to connect a name and his story to the face." per "Nacht" AANA Founding Seven Member "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" or "Freedom, Equality, Fraternity/Brotherhood" as France proposed in 1790 so does the AANA in 2007! per "13emeDBLE" AANA Founding Seven Member The AANA Organization and its collected website references are only a part of the group's activities. To say we research the 'subject' is true but we also help to identify, verify and validate photographs, military records and additionally the equipment, men, materials, and locations from our member collected resources or donated/purchased materials. This is an effort to better 'nail' down some major misconceptions about the campaign. This was a battle fought, with what would be considered, a small force for both sides of the conflict as compared to later battles in the war. The struggle itself was fought across a wide area of distance and with some of the harshest obstacles of climate and geography on our planet. Some examples... Temperature extremes of ~130 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and to near freezing at night... Sandstorms were called simoon (sîmūn, sîmūn) for Saharan sand / dust storms or ghibli (gib-lee) for the Italian word for hot wind from the Sahara Desert... and also known as jibli or khamsin... Poisonous snakes, scorpions, spiders, and even plants... From sand that acted like quicksand to sink a vehicle or with often a thin crusty layer to break through and rocks so sharp as to cut tires... the native trigh (desert tracks) A narrow farming corridor along the coast and the Mediterranean Sea gives way to an open sand nothingness with some rising djebels (escarpments) or jagged sedimentary outcroppings.... But the physically draining desert heat with its associated constant thirst and the poor rations... 1 or 2 liter of 'sweet' water a day as rations and the soldier in the field could easily sweat out 2-3 liters per day! The lack of proper hygiene, wherein a simple scrape or cut could easily become badly infected... A shovel and a stroll for relief of bodily functions... as they did not have "port-a-potties" on the battlefield... Reissen und scheissen — Slang for aches and bowel runs! DAK reports show that troops had only 8-28% of the necessary toilet paper request for the North African Campaign.... much less even than their lack of tires and 'spares' or ammo and gasoline! The flies... ask any veteran about the flies!
To collect and share this information is a passion for our research / author members and we hope you will be participants in the journey of investigation to better knowledge about the entirety of the various aspects in this segment of World War Two.
Changes and Additions:
Last Edited Revisions & Additions: 02/28/08 NEW: MechInf "Battle for Egypt", German Operations in Africa, and Panther / Tiger article inclusions, 13emeDBLE Review Article, Nacht Collection Additions, and More!AFRIKAKORPS.Org/AANA Forum Coming Very Soon!!! Community Server Added!!! Media Stream Server: Now On Line! See more at... AFRIKAKORPS News NEW Test Game: DAK Attack! from AANA Research Fellow "Phil" at AANA Games/Gadgets Corrections (Errata), Modified and Added: War Movies, Dreaded 88, Bishop, US Types, US AFV Colors, Model Kit Reviews, "Searchlight": Scheinwerfer, Italian AFV Types, Autoblinda AB40/41/42, Camionetta Sahariana AS42, British Types, & AFRIKAKORPS Media Most Recent Web Pages Added: U.K. Sherman, U.S. Sherman, AANA Author Focus, Sherman Flail, Bishop TriColors, Maps, Batterie Volanti, Anti-Tank Gun Portees, Italian Gun Portees, Italian Artillery, M13/40 & M14/41, Morris-Commercial C9/B 40mm Bofors AA, Knight's Cross Holders: NA (Ritterkreuz), von der Heydte & Esebeck'Continuing' Nacht's Niche Bibliography Scanning Challenge! Trying to Add 25 Titles Per Day (NACHT) Web Links: If you want your website to be added in a reference web link please submit request. Web site contact Nacht, Dan or Fezzo
AANA's "WARNING" & "CONTRACT"
"WARNING !!! To ANY and ALL web viewers that might be offended by seeing a "real" photograph and the actual symbols employed on personnel, vehicles or aircraft; you must be warned that we do not sensor any motif or motto employed in a photograph. The material's portrayal herein at this website are the actual research findings and we do not condone nor proffer any fascist activity nor any racial or human prejudice." per 'Fezzo' - AANA Founding Seven Member This website's inclusions are NOT a part of the PUBLIC DOMAIN, unless so marked, and not for other party's commercial use without written agreement. The property contained herein, termed 'intellectual property' is owned by its members or cited contributors. The presentation of this 'intellectual property' at another web location, in printed form, or the 'borrowing' of photographs, graphic images, written materials or any intellectual property contained in this website is hereby considered a legally binding contract or if not paid for in the prescribed period will be deemed "theft of services". This contract is thereby billed at an appropriate monetary compensation rate for all materials used. If an unauthorized user is found to have 'borrowed' materials contained herein, the duration of use and the number of views will be determined for appropriate billed use fees and the AANA will send the 'unauthorized user' a billing statement for the appropriate billed "use" balance and expect payment within 30 days. We can assist with the acquiral of 'use rights' for photographic inclusions shown in our collected but modified web format on these pages. Some original photographs are housed in museum collections and others are 'privately' owned and they are deemed the property of the 'copyright' holder. Even eBay photographs and maps purchased by our AANA members that are displayed on other websites will be considered an unfair use of our collective 'property' and those 'users' will be billed accordingly for their use. So that this is fully clear, if you do not want to pay for the 'use rights' to any of the photographs, materials or intellectual property from our AANA collection then do not 'borrow' them from this website nor an AANA acquired item from an eBay auction or other source. We have had to either pay for the use of the images from either the primary sources or purchased the images for use in production or actually own the 'public domain' documents, the originals and/or negatives. Some items were collected by our AANA Members from Veteran pool's of photographs from the 40's to the 90's and as such might seem similar to those housed in other collections but have been duly marked with our watermark. If you want to link to or use any materials from this site then simply get written approval first. The AANA attempts to acquire documents, photos and images in order to preserve, conserve and protect the legacy. This AANA activity also prevents them from going into solely private collections where they may never again see the light of day and fellow researchers lose access to the valuable resource. We also aim to provide a place where veterans and the families of veterans of the North Africa and MTO Campaigns, from any branch of service or country, can donate their photos, documents, and materials where they will be used and made public rather than disappearing into the closet of a militaria collector or into the vaults of a museum. Although we want to obtain this material to share it with the public, it must be noted that firstly, it costs us money to obtain much of these materials. Therefore, we are forced to charge money for the use of images, documents, resources and materials held by us, especially high resolution scans or copies of negatives of the originals for publication or commercial use. This includes other websites that are generating revenue from the wares they sell or the traffic that they generate and this is even forums or online information sources. We simply ask that you credit the AANA website and make a small donation if using material from the website but you must first gain written approval from us to do so. Secondly, some images are copyrighted and held by us privately for publication purposes and may not be immediately shared until such a time as we deem appropriate and the proper foundational research is completed for their publication.
Lili Marleen... from Hans Leip's original 1915 poem... "Das Mädchen unter der Laterne" Wikipedia History of this Famous 'Anti-War' Song! Edited and recompiled by "NACHT" our "NachtLink" (Wikipedia Contributing Author) Lili Marleen MIDI... Just the 'catchy' tune that was hummed, sung, whistled, played on harmonicas and various musical instruments by soldiers on both sides of the conflict... we hope readers do not mind! Lilly Marlene has even been adopted as the regimental slow march by the Special Air Service, Special Air Service Regiment and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
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