DAK TODAY - AfrikaKorps LEGO Diorama

Diorama shows a group of German soldiers
You can find here a model of the Sd.Kfz.222 armoured card and the Zundapp motorcycle.
There are also a tent with some DAK stuff, an oasis, a camel and a Bedouin.
(Built in August 2008)

More about it here: Plastikowe Wytwory Ciamka

DAK GUNS - Panzer IV - Medium Tank

A Panzer IV penetrating the Mersa Matrouh perimeter

AFRIKAKORPS PICTURE GALLERY 02

This is an unsorted DAK related Pictures Gallery. The new pictures appear at later related posts. Some pictures may be replaced by better ones.

Luftwaffe

THE SECRET WAR

Not all the battles was won on the battlefield. The intelligence, diplomacy and the secret operations, played an important role to both sides...

THE SECRET WAR - WE WAITED FOR THEM IN DAKAR

At some night in the ends of 1942, the German submarines fleets of the South Atlantic received urgent order for drive at all speed to an encounter point in Dakar. Few days later, a very superior number of those submarines outlined the western tip of Africa. In earth, Vichy French troops occupied the strong coastal defenses that, two years before, had repelled the attack of the British and Free French Armies, commanded by General De Gaulle. The force of American invasion that crossed the Atlantic would fall into a disastrous ambush. That was the opinion of the German High Command.

DAK HAND GUNS - WALTHER P38

When Hitler became the full power in the Germany in 1933, he'd began the preparations for the war. The development of the new pistole, to replace aging Lugers was one of such preparations. Carl Walther company began development of the new military pistole in mid-1930's, and in 1938 the Werhmacht (German Army) adopted Walther MP model experimental pistole as "Pistole 38".

AFRIKAKORPS TODAY - Kübelwagen from the 15th Panzer Division

A few years ago I find this in a Gas Station. Is a 1/43 Scale Kübelwagen Type 82 from the 15th Panzer Division. Some marks are not very acurate, but is in general a nice model

AFRIKAKORPS TODAY - Afrika Korps 1/72 Plastic Soldiers from Heller

AFRIKAKORPS PICTURE GALLERY 01

This is an unsorted DAK related Pictures Gallery. The new pictures appear at later related posts. Some pictures may be replaced by better ones.

Rommel and the Afrika Korps (colorized Picture by me)

GENERAL DER KAVALLERIE SIEGFRIED WESTPHAL

Born: 18.3.1902 in Leipzig
Died: 2.7.1982

GENERALLEUTNANT WILLIBALD BOROWIETZ

Borowietz was captured when the Afrikakorps surrendered to Allied forces on May 13/ 1943. He was held as a POW by the United States.

• Born: 17.9.1893 in Ratibor, Silesia
• Suicide: He committed suicide in an american POW camp on 1.7.1945 (USA) in Clinton, Oklahoma

DAK HAND GUNS - MASCHINENPISTOLEN "SCHMEISSER" MP40

Picture provided by the 1ss reenactors of the CHG

The MP40 machine pistol was based on the pre-war MP38, modifying the earlier design to make it more suitable for mass production; more than a million were produced during the war. Its folding metal stock made it compact and easy to carry, even in cramped circumstances; its startling staccato bursts of fire shattered the silence in many Norman hedgerow. The MP40 won the admiration of Allied soldiers, who often referred to the MP40 as the "Schmeisser," despite the fact that firearms engineer Hugo Schmeisser, designer of the Bergmann MP18 submachine gun in 1918, was not involved in the design of either the MP38 or the MP40.

VIDEO - Afrikakorps, El Agheila 1941

Full 30min. video here:
http://hotfile.com/dl/13993154/1dad5b6/1941-04-18.avi.html

THE BATTLE OF THE KASSERINE PASS

FEV 14-23 1943

American Soldiers Taking Cover in Kasserine Pass

On February 14th the 10th and 21st Panzer divisions attacked from Faid towards Kasserine Pass. The American forces holding the pass area were driven back over a period of 9 days. Finally, American resistance stiffen and the thrust ended on the 23rd.

THE SECRET WAR - OPERATION "FLIPPER"

OPERATION "FLIPPER" 14/18 NOV 1941 “It was a brilliant operation and with great audacity” Rommel  Among the troops of the 8th British Army great admiration existed for Rommel and their feats. In only two months, Rommel had radically changed the course of the African war, forcing General Wavell's army, that attacked, to retreat, and to combat in the defensive. Therefore, the General Auchinleck was sent to substitute Wavell. For her time, the General Alan Cunningham, person in charge of driving the general offensive against the German positions on November 18, had the idea of previously eliminating Rommel, by a stealthy and effective ambush. Something very daring, for certain. If we get to eliminate him anyway that it is - he said - we will get the confusion in Afrika Korps. And it was as soon as, disposed to execute the idea, some young officers proposed a reckless action plan. It was known, certainly, that Rommel had his HQ in Sidi Rafa's place, 375 km behind the German lines, and 18 km of the sea. The access to the place was possible by sea or by the parallel highway to the coast. Attacking Sidi rafa the HQ could be destroyed and Rommel killed .

DAK GUNS - Panzer III

Panzer III - Medium Tank

 

A brandnew Panzer III of Panzerregiment 8, 15. Panzerdivision

German re-armament plans in the 1930's called for the new panzer battalions to be constitued of three light-medium tank companies and one heavy-medium company. The lighter tank, wich was to form the bulk of the panzer force for much of the war and remain in production to its end, was the Panzerkampfwagen (PzKpfw or Panzer III). One reason for this sucess was that a turret ring diameter was specified that allow upgunning to higher-calibre weapons that 37mm (1.41in) gun originaly fitted.

DAK RELATED COMIC BOOKS - Hellman of the Afrika Korps

Hellman of Hammer Force tells the story of Kurt Hellman, a German panzer commander who is not a member of the Nazi Party and offers no affiliation to Hitler or his minions. Hellman wants to fight a clean war for Germany, and so avoids the excesses of his Nazi SS and Gestapo comrades. He fights fairly and avoids taking life wherever possible, preferring to take prisoners instead.

MAJOR WILHELM GEORG BACH

Major Wilhelm Bach, here as a Captain. after receiving his RK

One of the most unusual characters in the Africa Korps was Major Wilhelm Georg Bach, a Lutheran pastor," noted as Rommel's best battalion commander. Although his rank demanded respect, he was the friendliest, most relaxed German commander serving under Rommel. He was captured and taken to Egypt after the lengthly siege of his surrounded positions in Halfaya Pass.

THE SECRET WAR - OPERATION "FELIX"

From the millions of soldiers who served their country hardly anyone knew about what was being planned at the Supreme Headquarters or by their government. Even lower staffs had no such information. Each one of these planned operations had their code name such as "Barbarossa" for invading the USSR, now known to everybody. Operation "Seeloewe" (Sea Lion) for the invasion of the UK (which never happened), a.s.o..

But who knew operation FELIX?

When at the end of the French campaign Italy entered the war at the side of Germany it was evident that a Southern flank opened for the Reich which had to be protected or at least closely observed in spite of the Italian forces operating in the Mediterranean area.

In Vol. 2 of the document collection on German foreign politics, published by H.M.S.O. is disclosed what has been planned. The respective chapter refers to Operation FELIX, namely the planned conquest of Gibraltar by the German Wehrmacht. The author was a certain Helmut Greiner, keeper of the daily logbook of the Planning Staff of the OKW (Supreme Headquarters of the Wehrmacht). Thus, the plan was preserved in written form.

DAK RELATED BOOKS - AFRIKA KORPS A GUERRA DO DESERTO

GENERAL DER FALLSCHIRMTRUPPEN HERMANN-BERNHARD RAMCKE

Herman Bernhard Ramcke - Commander of the Ramcke Fallschirm Brigade

HELMUTH ORSCHIEDT`S WAR IN AFRICA

FOTOS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE WAR IN NORTH AFRICA 1941-43
TAKEN BY HELMUTH ORSCHIEDT AND OTHERS.

This is a document from experiences of Helmuth Orschiedt, an Afrikakorps veteran, that take part on the North African theatre from 1941 to 1943. All the pictures and text was a great contribution for this website from Mr. Helmuth itself.

HELMUTH ORSCHIEDT (1941)

HELMUTH ORSCHIEDT (2000)

OBERGEFREITER HANS WIEDEMANN

Pictures and documents from Hans Wiedemann, a former Luftwaffe / Afrika Korps member, sent by is son Uwe Wiedemann. Thank you very much Uwe.

SONGS SUNG BY THE AFRIKA KORPS SOLDIERS

CURIOSITIES AND FACTS - REAL DAK SOLDIER...

This little incident that took place during the filming of the old TV Show "Rat Patrol". When they (The Producers were casting for extras to play the role(s) of Afrika Korps Soldat one of the "prospective" extras handed in his application. The casting department looked this man over, spoke with him, and then said: "You won't do. You just don't look or seem believable for the part." Very graciously (if not somewhat miffed by this comment) the extra "wannabe" responded by saying: " OK thats' alright". And as he turned to leave, he slowly turned around and facing the casting director said: "I just wanted you to know I WAS in the REAL Afrika Korps"!!!! And with that he proceded with geat dignity to leave.

Amazing isn't it how history (such as how it is presented... and heavens forbid; how it is PRESERVED as reality, can be so rewritten. with all the irrelevance of political correctness and one author merely copying the mistakes and preconcieved notions accompanying that political correctness of preceding authors seems to doom us to that old admonition : "We must remember and learn from our past or we are doomed to repeat it."

Brian Barta

PROPAGANDA

Most propaganda in Germany was produced by the Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda ("Promi" in German abbreviation). Joseph Goebbels was placed in charge of this ministry shortly after Hitler took power in 1933.

DAK GUNS - Panzer VI Tiger - Heavy Tank

The Tiger "121" from the Schwere Panzerabteilung 501 in Tunis (Colorized Picture)

DAK RELATED MOVIES - THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1996)

Haunting and enthralling, The English Patient is a scrapbook of another world, of romance and adventure and tragedy, jumbled out of sequence.Years after the plane crash, its pilot, Count Almasy (Ralph Fiennes) he survived the crash but was horribly burned and is now dying reminisces bitterly about his stolen, illicit affair with Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas), the woman in the plane. Almasy at first seems repelled by Katherine, the wife of a fellow cartographer Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth) all are part of an international group mapping North Africa just before World War II but in fact he's so strongly attracted to her that it frightens him. He is the kind of man who bottles up emotions until they explode, and when he and Katherine do finally come together, it is with a kind of rage.

OBERLEUTNANT HORST VON OPPENFELD

This interview was a contribution from Dr. William Fleenor, made and provided for this site and was the first interview from a German veteran available here. The questions are made by me and rewritten by Dr. Fleenor itself. I wish to tank Dr. Fleenor for spending his time with me and my work in this site. Once again Thank you very much. Paulo Henriques WebMaster of this Blog - 2000/03/28 Total reproduction or part of this interview is FORBIDDEN. you can use it for particular purposes only!

DAK STEEL HELMETS

Genuine DAK Helmet. Picture thanks to Andy

The army steel helmet was issued to all three branches of the German Armed Forces as well as some auxiliary organizations. The Model 1916 helmet was introduced to replace the old "Pickelhaube" - the decorative pointed helmet used by First World War German Infantry and was designed to give more protection to the neck and head and became symbolic of the German Army along with the Jackboot during both World Wars.

ROMMEL'S COMMAND CARS

ROMMEL'S 59th DEATH COMMEMORATION

19rh October 2003 celebrations at Herrlingen near Ulm. It was a moving commemoration with speeches of:

• Karl-Heinz Glinder, President of Verband Deutsches Afrikakorps e.V.
• General K.H. Lather, German Army and commanding General of the joint German-American Corps at Stuttgart.
• Dr. Manfred Rommel, Son of the FM (Field Marshal)

There were about 300 to 400 people present, about 100 Afrikakorps Veterans, local people and delegations from Britain, USA, German Veteran Associations etc.
Many flags, flowers. The sun was shining but it was a very cool day.

GENERALMAJOR ARTHUR BISLE

(picture needed)

OTHER GERMAN UNITS IN NORTH AFRICA

Other German Division in North Africa. There are no originaly Afrika Korps members, but somethimes they are refered as this:

GERMAN ARMY ORGANIZATION

13TH COMPANY, 800TH "BRANDERBURGER" REGIMENT

Brandergurger cuff title

This unit was named after the german county "Mark Brandenburg"

Fallschirmjager in North Africa and the last Airborne operations in Tunisia

Ramcke Fallschirm Brigade' symbol Fallschirmjager's Symbol

Ramcke Brigade Fallschirmjager's looking for action (Colorized Picture by me)

15th PANZER DIVISION

Panzer III Ausf.J of the Panzer-Regiment 8 of the 15th Panzerdivision

OPERATIONAL HISTORY

Formed on 1 Nov 1940 (from 33rd Infanterie Division).

• 1941 Apr: arrived in North Africa as part of Deutsches Afrika Korps
• 1941 - Libya: Tobruk (heavy losses)
• 1942 - Egypt: Benghazi, Gazala Line, Bir Hacheim, Tobruk
• 1942 - Egypt : El Alamein (heavy losses), Alam Halfa (heavy losses)
• 1943 - Tunisia: Medenine, Wadi Zigaou, El Hauma (heavy losses)

Destroyed in Tunisia on 9 May 1943

DAK GUNS - Panzer II - Light Tank

THE LUFTWAFFE IN NORTH AFRICA

After the First World War, Germany was forbidden an air force under the terms of the Versailles Treaty. However, by 1921 a loophole in the treaty permitted many independent flying schools equipped with gliders to become established. These eventually combined to become the DVL (Deutscher Luftfahrt Verband) which issued graded licences for glider pilots. Advanced training in powered flight and on multi-engined aircraft was necessarily carried out in secret. A second complex problem was that the German aircraft industry was directed solely towards the development of civil aircraft. It could be argued that these factors combined to produce the most formidable air power of the 1930s in that the extensive experimentation in gliders led designers to develop aerodynamically advanced prototypes together with well trained and experienced crews. A third factor forced upon Germany by circumstance was that it was necessary to develop a tactical, rather than a strategic air force. This last development was a great advantage to Germany in the first two years of the war and in terms of close co-operation between air and ground units the Luftwaffe was years ahead of its time. However, the lack of forethought as to the requirement of a strategic force was to signal the end of the Luftwaffe as an effective weapon, by which time it was too late for the mistake to be rectified.

PANZERS OF THE DEUTSCHES AFRIKAKORPS

Painting of German Military Vehicles in North Africa

The German Military Vehicles used in Africa wore uniform painting of dark yellow or sand yellow, camouflage of reddish brown on a dark yellow ground or camouflage of dark green on a german grey ground. In 1942 the two kinds of camouflage for Africa were replaced with camouflage of reddish brown on a dark yellow ground.

On 18th February 1943, the military authorities decided to accept only dark yellow as the basic color for all German vehicles in all fronts.

THE GERMAN WEAPONS SUPERIORITY

The fact that Rommels Deutsche AfrikaKorps in North Africa contained equipment which was far more advanced and effective than the Eighth Armies equivalent meant that the campaign lasted much longer than it may have done otherwise, whilst at the same time there were not sufficient numbers of them to become a decisive factor in the campaign. For instance, when the British launched Operation Crusader in late November 1941 “the 8th Army outnumbered the combined Axis force (118,000 men to 113,000), had 680 tanks (with 500 in reserve or in supply) to Rommels 390 and 1000 British planes confronted 320 Axis aircraft. What the Times Atlas of the Second World War and many other history books does not mention is that these statistics are completely misleading as one British tank is not equal to one Panzer whilst “The Eighth Army`s air support, though numerically superior, was qualitatively inferior and in making this mistake it is not alone. It was not until the Second battle of El Alamein that the Allies possessed the sufficient superiority in numbers to offset the technical superiority that the Axis force enjoyed. This is an important point that is very rarely mentioned in literature on the Second World War let alone the North African theatre, where technical superiority was of utmost importance due to the precarious nature of supplying an army.

GENERALLEUTNANT FRITZ BAYERLEIN

ROAD SIGNS

Feldgendarm showing the right way to Halfaia (Colorized Picture by me)

The Germans use all kind of road signs to orientate their forces as to provide all kind of information. In the North Africa campaign it was not different.

DAK FORTIFICATIONS

As was visible from the Maginot line, a constant fortification can often be defeated by avoiding it. The Germans did not want to use fortifications as defences, and referred to them as offensive weapons. The soldiers in the fortifications were low grade soldiers that were supposed to continue to fight long after they have been surrounded, to weaken the penetrating enemy forces. The before the penetration would be organised back into a fighting force, the best soldiers, acting as counterattacking reserves, destroy it and await a new attack in their fortified bunkers. This principle had many more mobile forces than any single wall fortification ever would.

The type of fortifications known as "Bunkers" in this section, was used by the Afrika Korps in some of their defence lines and cities. Most of the this fortifications was also used in Europe.

VIDEO - Rommel Speaking

 

Very quick explanation of Toburk by Generalfeldmarshall Rommel.

Just interesting to see him speaking

GENERALLEUTNANT ERNST-GÜNTER BAADE

 

COUNT LASZLO EDE ALMASY

Almasy with is Afrika Korps uniform. Note the Iron Cross

Count Laszlo Almasy was the most compelling of all in that mysterious time and place; it is his story that inspired Michael Ondaatje's romantic novel, and the subsequent film, The English Patient.
He was a pionnier of the desert's exploration, and was hired by Rommel in 1941. He was given the rank of Luftwaffe Hauptmann, though he was not german, but hungarian. He was at the head of a special unit. His most famous action was the Operation Salaam, which took place in 1942.

The new history of the desert war uncovers the full story. When the Hungarian arrived in North Africa in 1926 he was 31 and penniless, a bitter survivor of World War I in which he had served with the defeated Austro-Hungarian air force.