The Armour of Rommel's Afrika Korps
By Ian Baxter
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About this ebook
The Deutsche Afrika Korps (best known as simply Afrika Korps) earned a well-deserved reputation as a superb fighting machine. While this was founded on the leadership and tactical genius of its legendary commander Erwin Rommel and the fighting skills of its officers and men, another vital element was its equipment and armour.
This superbly illustrated Images of War book reveals the full range of German armored vehicles that saw service in North Africa from 1941 to mid-1943. As well as the formidable panzers, such as the Tiger and Panther tanks, there were Sturmartillerie equipments, reconnaissance vehicles, half-tracks, armored cars, Panzerkampwagens, and motorcycles. All had their roles to play.
While the Allies ultimately triumphed in North Africa, the combination of German design and engineering with superb generalship and fighting spirit, very nearly changed the course of the Second World War in 1942. Military historians and equipment enthusiasts will find this a fascinating and authoritative book.
“Another great addition to [the Images of War] series . . . . A must have for anyone with an interest in the Afrika Korps during World War Two.” —Armorama.com
Ian Baxter
IAN BAXTER is a military historian who specialises in German twentieth century military history. He has written more than twenty books and over one hundred articles. He has also reviewed numerous military studies for publication, supplied thousands of photographs and important documents to various publishers and film production companies worldwide. He also lectures to schools, colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom and Southern Ireland.
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Reviews for The Armour of Rommel's Afrika Korps
1 rating1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It was a good book overall with excellent pictures if a little small. One problem, however, that I had was that information was repeated constantly. Another was that some information, like dates of when equipment arrived in theater. Otherwise, it was ok.
Book preview
The Armour of Rommel's Afrika Korps - Ian Baxter
IMAGES OF WAR
THE ARMOUR OF ROMMEL’S AFRIKA KORPS
RARE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM WARTIME ARCHIVES
Ian Baxter
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by
PEN & SWORD MILITARY
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright © Ian Baxter, 2018
ISBN 978-1-52672-239-3
eISBN 978-1-52671-380-3
Mobi ISBN 978-1-5267-1381-0
The right of Ian Baxter to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.
Typeset by Concept, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD4 5JL.
Printed and bound in England by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY.
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Contents
Introduction
Chapter One
Desert Blitzkrieg, 1941
Chapter Two
Attack and Retreat, 1942
Chapter Three
Destruction in Tunisia, 1943
Appendix I
Order of Battle
Appendix II
Panzers Operational in Africa, 1941–43
Appendix III
Heavy and Light Armoured Vehicles in North Africa, 1941–43
Appendix IV
Halftracks Operational in North Africa, 1941–43
About the Author
Ian Baxter is a military historian who specialises in German twentieth-century military history. He has written more than fifty books including Poland – The Eighteen Day Victory March, Panzers In North Africa, The Ardennes Offensive, The Western Campaign, The 12th SS Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend, The Waffen-SS on the Western Front, The Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front, The Red Army at Stalingrad, Elite German Forces of World War II , Armoured Warfare , German Tanks of War , Blitzkrieg , Panzer-Divisions at War, Hitler’s Panzers, German Armoured Vehicles of World War Two, Last Two Years of the Waffen-SS at War, German Soldier Uniforms and Insignia, German Guns of the Third Reich, Defeat to Retreat: The Last Years of the German Army At War 1943–45, Operation Bagration – the Destruction of Army Group Centre, German Guns of the Third Reich, Rommel and the Afrika Korps, U-Boat War , and most recently The Sixth Army and the Road to Stalingrad . He has written over a hundred articles including ‘Last days of Hitler’, ‘Wolf’s Lair’, ‘The Story of the V1 and V2 Rocket Programme’, ‘Secret Aircraft of World War Two’, ‘Rommel at Tobruk’, ‘Hitler’s War With his Generals’, ‘Secret British Plans to Assassinate Hitler’, ‘The SS at Arnhem’, ‘Hitlerjugend’, ‘Battle of Caen 1944’, ‘Gebirgsjäger at War’, ‘Panzer Crews’, ‘Hitlerjugend Guerrillas’, ‘Last Battles in the East’, ‘The Battle of Berlin’, and many more. He has also reviewed numerous military studies for publication, supplied thousands of photographs and important documents to various publishers and film production companies worldwide, and lectures to various schools, colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Introduction
This book is a record of German armour during operations in North Africa between 1941 and 19 43. Using rare and unpublished photographs, it represents a visual account of the various elements that went into making the Deutsches Afrikakorps (Afrika Korps, Afrikakorps, or DAK) a legendary army.
It reveals the different armoured vehicles that fought in Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel’s force, ranging from the light, to the medium, to the deadly, heavy Panzers such as the Tiger. It shows the diverse armoured support, including self-propelled guns, armoured cars and personnel carriers, as well as field cars and motorcycles. It also reveals the different types of reconnaissance vehicles, and the halftracks that brought the troops to the front line of the battlefield. Among other subjects, it covers the heavy Tiger tank battalions and the Sturmartillerie, along with their fighting techniques. It traces the evolution of the Afrika Korps on the battlefield, from the deployment of the little Panzerkampfwagen I, right through to the Tiger.
With detailed captions and text the book tells the story of the infamous Panzer divisions that fought successfully across the desert against determined British and Commonwealth forces, and then how it battled in despair and defeat. During its two-year existence the Deutsches Afrikakorps achieved unequalled progress in the evolution of its armoured vehicles. Its deployment of tanks and support vehicles had been masterly, planned by the brilliant tactician Rommel, the ‘Desert Fox’.
Chapter One
Desert Blitzkrieg 1941
On 3 February 1941, General Erwin Rommel, who had achieved great successes in France in 1940 with his 7th Panzer Division was chosen by Hitler to go to North Africa to ‘explore the current situation’. The situation that Hitler referred to was the problems the Italian Army was experiencing against British Commonwealth troops under the command of General Richard O’Connor. By the end of January 1941, Mussolini had lost some 130,000 troops and 380 tanks. It was a major humiliation to the Italian dictator, who had