Afrika Korps

[The Spartan (Returns)]

Quality of the commander, veterans, up-to-date equipment, and most importantly, SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE ITALIANS.

Very interesting...

Could you please tell me of famous achievements that Rommel performed, what battles the veterans come from, and what kind of tanks the German use? Basically some more interesting details

I know I'm being lazy, but I also know there is better information from people, than your average Google search.

[KarlXII]

The Afrika Korps were not a "special forces" unit specifically trained for the job. They were regular Whermacht soldiers who found themselves deployed in Libya. Erwin Rommel distinguished himself as the commander of Seventh Panzer during the Invasion of France, and was given the job of blocking the British forces after they had destroyed the Italian army in North Africa.

Indeed, German soldiers had were still trying to cope with desert warfare during El Alamein. Much of the dysentry and disease came from inadequate medical development compared to Commonwealth forces.

However, Rommel made due with what he could. He often demanded much from his men, but was no arrogant and elitist, he often lead from the front, in his tank or Mammut command vehicle. He captured the hearts and minds of his men, who trusted his tactical expertise.

What made the Afrika Korps "crack" was her commander and what he did with the little resources he had. Tiger tanks were not even introduced in the African Theater until the Tunisian surrender.

[Strike For The South]

+1 because they weren't Italians

[PanzerJaeger]

Despite becoming the default designation for all German forces in North Africa in popular culture, the DAK actually refers to the small initial force commanded by Rommel of the 5th Light Division and elements of the 15th Panzer division sent to block any further advance of British forces against the Italians in Libya in 1941. This force was used in Rommel's first offensive which trounced the British and resulted in the capture of General Richard O'Connor, the man who so thoroughly defeated the Italians just months earlier.

The formation was expanded throughout the Desert War to include, at least nominally, 2 more Panzer Divisions (10th and 21st) and several light and full infantry divisions. As with all German forces in North Africa, it never achieved full strength. As the war progressed, the DAK became and ever smaller component of the larger Panzer Army Afrika - among other names given to the greater Italian-German force.

There's a lot that has been said about Rommel, the DAK, and the Italians - much of it incorrect. As is true every time the Allies came up against an enemy force that performed better, the DAK was made into an amazing/elite/technologically superior force of Aryan super-soldiers. Suffice to say, there was nothing special about the Afrikakorps or its commander. In actuality, the elite divisions of the German military (Großdeutschland, Panzer Lehr, etc.) and it's best commanders were sent into Russia.

The outstanding performance of the DAK and other German forces in Africa was simply a case of professionals entering a theatre of amateurs. Rommel's greatest attribute was not his tactical sense, but his willingness to take risks and throw himself completely at an objective. The tactics and strategies he employed were standard fare in German doctrine and duplicated on a much larger scale in France and Russia.

What is truly amazing about the Afrikakorps and Rommel was the effect such a small force had on the larger campaign. Most people don't know that North Africa was always an Italian theatre. Rommel was technically subordinate to the Commando Supremo much of the time and the vast majority of Axis troops, supplies, etc. were under Italian organization, including the troops under Rommel's direct command - who performed quite well under German leadership.

It truly speaks to the competence and abilities of the German military during the first years of the war that Rommel was able to use this small, outnumbered, under strength and undersupplied force as the proverbial "tip of the spear" to lead the - inarguably terrible - Italian Army to victory for several years in the Desert against numerically superior Allied forces.

Very interesting...

Could you please tell me of famous achievements that Rommel performed, what battles the veterans come from, and what kind of tanks the German use? Basically some more interesting details

There are way too many battles to get into in detail right now. Gazala was arguably Rommel's greatest victory of the war. It was a textbook example of German maneuver warfare. The Brit's just couldn't keep up. Kasserine Pass was the first large scale encounter the Americans had with German forces. The battle was not particularly huge but had far reaching implications within the Allied command structure. Some have speculated that the American's learned and implemented more lessons from that single battle into their doctrine than the British did with all their combined experiences fighting in the Desert.

The vast majority of German tanks used in the desert were Panzer II and III models. Panzer IV models also saw action in significant numbers as well as a very, very few number of Tigers.

I've had this in my photobucket for a while and I believe it is the famous Bovington Tank Museum Tiger captured in Tunisia and still running today.



Contrary to popular belief, German tanks in North Africa, excluding the Tigers, were not superior to their Allied equivalents in any particularly meaningful ways. It was the skill of the crews as well as their doctrine which resulted in the lopsided results.

[Marshal Murat]

As I understand it, the Panzer II and Panzer III models weren't superior to the British tanks they faced. They were faster, better coordinated, and some had bigger guns, but those appeared later in the war. The British Matildas had bigger guns, heavier armor, and there were frankly more Matildas.

Rommel and the Afrika Korp was so successful because Rommel could exploit his speed to outmaneuver the British troops, and punch through British piecemeal resistance. The 88s also helped Rommel defeat British counterattacks very easily.

If the British hadn't dispersed the troops, used their combined forces more effectively, and in general hadn't thought the Germans a bunch of rats who were gonna throw themselves onto minefields willy-nilly, then it wouldn't have been such a big deal.

[The Spartan (Returns)]

Sweet posts guys. Thanks a lot, I'm lovin' the info.

[Papewaio]

Problem was for Rommel was that he won the battle not the war in North Africa. Tactically he out maneuvered and out performed against the British. But at the end of the day he came up against the same problem that the Italians did which was logistics.The supply lines means this was more down to Navy power then Army. As long as you could make your opponent run and use up their fuel and food, it become a game of stamina not firepower.

[A Very Super Market]

Oh yes, and the desert itself suited massive maneuvreing and fuel usage. It lacked much strategic importance, so any failed battle would simply mean withdrawing until you found a large rock to entrench in. The British had fuel coming directly from the Middle East, and no amount of rebels there could curtail their transportation to Egypt, while Rommel had to make do with tiny amounts from Romania, the bulk of which were sent to the Eastern Front.

[Marshal Murat]

The majority of the logistics that Rommel had to put up with was shipped from Italy around British held Malta into Tripoli. Had the Italians successfully taken Malta, then Rommel would've had more material to wage war with, which would've tipped the scales in his favor.