72002 AFRIKA KORPS SET 1

Afrika Korps (full German name: Deutsches Afrikakorps, abbreviated as DAK) is colloquially understood as the collective name of German land units fighting in North Africa in 1941-1943. The Afrika Korps was formed in February 1941, as a result of the painful defeats suffered by the Italian army during the battles with the British in Africa at the turn of 1940/1941. His main task was to come to the aid of the Italian ally and stop the advance of British troops in Libya. The commander of the unit was a general, and later a field marshal, Erwin Rommel. Initially, the DAK consisted of only the 5th Light Division (later transformed into the 21st Armored Division), in May 1941 it was joined by the 15th Armored Division, and at the end of 1941 - the 90th Light Division. It is worth adding that already in the middle of 1941 the Panzergruppe Afrika was founded, headed by Erwin Rommel, and it was joined by Afrika Korps. Despite the defensive tasks, the DAK (or more broadly the Panzergruppe Afrika) very quickly after landing - on the initiative of its commander - went into strictly offensive operations, inflicting a series of defeats in the desert on the British in 1941-1942. However, it was then that its commander was nicknamed the Desert Fox. At the same time, however, from the very beginning, DAK was troubled by supply problems, which had a negative impact on its ability to conduct offensive actions. He suffered a significant defeat during the Second Battle of El Alamein (October-November 1942), which forced the DAK to retreat as far as Tunisia, in which he fought until May 1943.The development of German armored weapons, including armored cars and armored vehicles, was clearly regulated and hampered by the limitations of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. This state of affairs changed radically after the Nazis took power in 1933 and the launch of a virtually unlimited arms program. As a result, in 1935, the first successful four-wheeled armored vehicles Sd.Kfz.221 / 222/223 began to enter the line, and shortly afterwards the vehicles from the Sd.Kfz.231 family on an eight-wheeled chassis. At the same time, efforts were made to withdraw from the line and the production of vehicles also designated as Sd.Kfz.231, but on a six-wheeled chassis, was limited. All these vehicles turned out to be very useful already in the first campaigns of World War II, especially in reconnaissance activities, but also as radio communication or command vehicles in their specialized versions. In the course of World War II, of course, the German army introduced new armored cars to the line, of which the Sd.Kfz.234 deserves special attention. It is worth adding that German armored cars were used primarily in armored divisions, and from 1943 also in armored grenadier divisions, but also in infantry divisions in their reconnaissance divisions.