Western Desert Force/Eighth Army (1) Wavell, elements one armd div, three inf divs; by 20 November 1941 (Eighth Army), 6 divs (one armd) plus ind bdes, 577 tanks.

Br Eighth Army (5) Ritchie six divs (four mot, two armd) plus ind bdes 800-1,000 tanks, see (map 9) 530 aircraft.

(3)Montgomery ten divs (three armd) 1,200 tanks 1,200-1,500 aircraft.

Br First Army (4) Anderson: II US Corps (Fredendall) part 1st US Armd Div, Fr inf, later Br 6th Armd.

Br Eighth Army (5) Montgomery three divs (one armd), 300 tanks.

Br 18th Army Gr Alexander; Br First and Eighth Armies, 24 divs inc five US (two armd), four Fr, fifteen Br (four armd).

Map Leyend

1.Night of 14/15 June, the South African 1 st Division are in danger of being cut off and withdraw back through Tobruk to the frontier with Egypt.

2.Night of 14/15 June, the 50th Division is forced to break out of its encircled positions through Italian XXI Corps' lines and drive southwards around Bir Hacheim to the Egyptian border.

3.15 June, German 90.leichte Division makes repeated attacks on the El Adem position held by 29th Indian Brigade.

4.Afternoon 15 June, 21 .Panzer Division attacks and takes Point BB50

5.16 June, 7th Motor Brigade attacks the advancing Ariete Division north of El Adem, but the move is inconclusive and the brigade withdraws.

6.Early morning 17 June, 29th Indian Brigade withdraws from El Adem.

7.Afternoon 17 June, 21 .Panzer Division clashes with 4th Armoured Brigade between El Adem and Belhamed. The next day 4th Armoured Brigade withdraws to the south.

8.Night of 17 June, the two armoured divisions of the Afrika Korps turn north and reach the coast west of Gambut. Tobruk is now surrounded and all Eighth Army units that are still able to move retire eastwards to the Egyptian border.

9.19 June, Rommel now surrounds the Tobruk perimeter with Italian X and XXI Corps, the Italian Ariete Division and the Afrika Korps.

10.Early morning 20 June, the Afrika Korps breaks through Tobruk's perimeter and begins to eliminate the South African defences.

11.Afternoon 21 June, the garrison within the Tobruk area is overrun and Maj. Gen. Klopper surrenders his forces to Rommel.

Cyrenaica and Western Egypt May - November 1941

1. Oberschütze Maschinengewehrbatallion 2°, Tobruk, Cyrenaica May 1941

2. Schütze Panzerjägerabteilung 33°, Halfaya Pass, Egypt 1941

3. Unteroffizier Pionierbtallion (mot) 900°, Fort Capuzzo, Cyrenaica, November 1941

Africa February - April 1941

1. Generalmajor 5° Leichte Division, Tripoli, Tripolitania, March 1941

2. Hauptmann Panzerregiment 8°, Agedabia, Cyrenaica, April 1941

3. Obergefreiter Kradschützenbatallion 15°, Tobruk, Cyrenaica, April 1941

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  Index

Deutsches Afrika Korps              5

Chapter I              9

Background to War              9

The Desert              16

Uniforms              20

Terrain              21

Tactics              23

Erwin Rommel              28

The Italians              29

British Army              30

Rommel arrives to Africa              32

Tobruk - First Attack              41

Sollum June 1941              51

Crusader 1942              57

Strike at Gazala              82

Battle of Alam Halfa - First Alamein              98

Tunisia Campaign 1942              111

Allies atack to Tunis              126

German contrattack              131

The North-Western Front              138

The Tunisian Bridgehead              143

Army Group Afrika Tunisia              150

Mareth Line              156

The End in Afrika              160

Chronology              165

Tank Engagement at Sollum              167

Feldmarshall Erwin Rommel              170

Poland 1939Rommel acted as commander of the Führerbegleithauptquartier (Führer escort headquarters)               174

France 1940              174

Invasion of France and Belgium              174

Battle of Arras              175

Drive for English Channel              176

North Africa 1941–1943              177