The Afrikakorps was the major German component of Panzerarmee Afrika code: deu promoted to code: de, which was later renamed the Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee code: deu promoted to code: de and finally renamed Heeresgruppe Afrika code: deu promoted to code: de (Army Group Africa) during the 27 months of the Desert campaign. "Afrikakorps" was the official name of the force for less than six months but the officers and men used it for the duration. The Afrika Korps was restructured and renamed in August 1941.
Two Italian armoured divisions, Ariete and Trieste, initially remained under Italian control as the Italian XX Motorized Corps under the command of General Gastone Gambara. When Rommel was promoted to the newly formed Panzer Army Africa, his command included a number of Italian units, including four infantry divisions. Most Afrika Korps prisoners of war (POW) were transported to the United States and held in Camp Shelby in Mississippi, Camp Hearne in Texas and other POW camps until the end of the war. On 13 May, the Afrika Korps surrendered, along with all other remaining Axis forces in North Africa. Command of the Army Group was turned over to Arnim in March. The remnants of the Afrika Korps and surviving units of the 1st Italian Army retreated into Tunisia.
Rommel, meanwhile, was placed in command of a new Army Group Africa, created to control both the Italian 1st Army and the 5th Panzer Army. On 23 February 1943, the original Panzer Army Africa, which had since been re-styled as the German-Italian Panzer Army, was now redesignated as the Italian 1st Army and put under the command of Italian general Giovanni Messe. Īfter the German and Italian defeat in the Second Battle of El Alamein and the Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria ( Operation Torch), the OKW once more upgraded the presence in Africa by adding first the XC Army Corps, under Walter Nehring, in Tunisia on 19 November 1942, then an additional 5th Panzer Army on 8 December, under the command of Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim.ġ943 drawing by US army artist Rudolph von Ripper of Afrika Corps prisoners of war, captioned "laden with the loot of many country's, the Africa-Corps is brought into captivity." The Panzer Group was, in turn, redesignated as Panzer Army Africa on 30 January 1942.
Panzer corps 2 1941 campaign tree plus#
The Panzer Group comprised the Afrika Korps, with some additional German units now in North Africa, plus two corps of Italian units. On 15 August, the Panzer Group was activated with Rommel in command, and command of the Afrika Korps was turned over to Ludwig Crüwell. During the summer of 1941, the OKW increased the presence in Africa and created a new headquarters called Panzer Group Africa. On 15 August 1941, the German 5th Light Division was redesignated 21st Panzer Division, the higher formation of which was still the Afrika Korps. At this time, the Afrika Korps consisted of the two divisions, and was subordinated to the Italian chain of command in Africa. In late April and into May, the 5th Light Division was joined by elements of 15th Panzer Division, transferred from Italy. These elements were organized into the 5th Light Division when they arrived in Africa from 10 February – 12 March 1941. The German blocking force, commanded by Rommel, at first consisted of a force based only on Panzer Regiment 5, which was put together from the second regiment of the 3rd Panzer Division.
The Italian 10th Army had been routed by the British Commonwealth Western Desert Force in Operation Compass (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) and captured at the Battle of Beda Fomm. The German Armed Forces High Command ( Oberkommando der Wehrmacht code: deu promoted to code: de, OKW) had decided to send a "blocking force" to Italian Libya to support the Italian army. Originally Hans von Funck was to have commanded it, but Hitler loathed von Funck, as he had been a personal staff officer of Werner von Fritsch until von Fritsch was dismissed in 1938. The Afrika Korps formed on 11 January 1941 and one of Adolf Hitler's favourite generals, Erwin Rommel, was designated as commander on 11 February. The unit's best known commander was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the formation fought on in Africa, under various appellations, from March 1941 until its surrender in May 1943. The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps ( German: Deutsches Afrikakorps, pronounced ( listen)} DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II.
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