WW2 - Deutsche Afrika Korps

Afrika Korps

In the winter of 1940 the Italian Army fighting the British in North Africa was facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat.

To give assistance to his ally, Hitler ordered the creation of a German Afrika Korps consisting of one armoured and one light mechanised division under the command of Lt. General Erwin Rommel. On St Valentine's Day 1941, the first units of the Afrika Korps arrived in the Libyan port of Tripoli.

On the 24th March, with only half his forces disembarked, Rommel launched an attack against the British positions in Cyrenaica. The speed and abruptness of Rommel's attack caught the British by surprise and within weeks the Axis forces spear-headed by units of the Afrika Korps had driven the British back into Egypt.

For two years the Afrika Korps, in their distinctive desert colours, were to win the respect of their enemies and their allies alike for their tenacity, courage and professionalism.

Under Rommel, the Afrika Korps fought a series of brilliant engage-ments driving the British to within 60 miles of Alexandria before being defeated by overwhelming Allied superiority in men and equipment at the Battle of El Alamein.

In the retreat through Egypt the Afrika Korps distinguished itself in a series of brilliant rearguard actions which slowed the Allied advance and ensured the orderly withdrawal of Axis forces.

Arriving in Tunisia, the Afrika Korps contributed to the humiliating defeat of the inexperienced American 2nd Corps at the Battle of the Kasserine Pass.

The defeat at Kasserine was a stunning blow to American morale both in Africa and at home but it was to be the last of the Afrika Korps' great victories.

Turning again to the East to face their old enemy, the British Eighth Army, the Afrika Korps was at last decisively defeated at the Battle of Medenine on March 6th 1943.

Retreating northwards the Afrika Korps fired their final shots in the hills above Enfidaville on 12th May.

Its last signal to Germany contained the words, "munitions expended, weapons and war equipment destroyed, the Afrika Korps has fought to a standstill as ordered." So ended the illustrious career of one of the Wehrmacht's most famous and formidable fighting units.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• DAK
• German
• African
• Core
• World
• War
• Two
• History

[FinalWar1444]

too bad the Germans didn't win

[Rocafile]

why is that a bad thing?

[FairladyS130]

Bullshit commentary.

[Affenwahn]

GÄNSEHAUT!!!

[Bennie1983nl]

Battlefield series?

[Vercetti777]

my grandad brother served under Monty in Africa while my grandad himself served in the british armored cor(reconnaissance)

[eliteveteren]

my great grandad served in africa and eygipt and my other great gandad was in france on the aa gun shooting down the lufftwaffe planes they both survived the war d died wen i was 2

[manweller1]

good post learnt a lot from this.

[ZxGabriel]

nice Video :) *****