Rommel's Afrika Korps: Tobruk to El Alamein

95 Pages·2006·5.35 MB·English

by  Pier Paolo Battistelli

O
SPREY
Battle Orders
PUBLISHING
Rommel’s Afrika Korps
Tobruk to El Alamein
SchtzRgt 155
StKp
I.Btl II.Btl III.Btl
[same asI.Btl]
StKp
1–3 4
Intelligence anddeception–Benghazi,29January1942
Apollonia
(MarsaSusa)
BedaLittoria Cirene Laml
GeTdoildeamaide Oberdan Belghes BaAtctiqsutiavi
GuBaersncgihaazCioefiaKGrMDArRiaCnKaASAD3KAGKrRMeMAgRiaCmTBKrouiSaacmrA5abEilarFG2iDlG40zS0eiINrdDesBNeaMlarcAhaebidbidd4aaINleD2n3aM1GTSePc1n52iC 1sPhPzazr1ru5db ’KaABGnuGrnBEGuIiaSrnsSzesLinoaElNR1a5 gP1az1HamEleHl4iGaINmhDeadmiStalBaGGnuBeetAaurrdrsSacerthsieeiat 1(-E)
7 4INDELMS
EnNauaghia ErRtem
Ghemines TGriieasrtdeina SolAurciehte 8MG21Pz BirBalach BelFGEIaNrTanis BBirireBleGlaemrraerdi
Carcuna Tilmun Sceleidima 15 (-)Msus21(-) BirelMelezz
90 DAK BirerRtima
Pier Paolo Battistelli
• Consultant editor Dr Duncan Anderson
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Battle Orders • 20
Rommel’s Afrika Korps
Tobruk to El Alamein
Pier Paolo Battistelli
Consultant editor Dr DuncanAnderson • Series editors Marcus Cowper and Nikolai Bogdanovic
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
Contents
Introduction 4
Combat mission 5
Preparation for war: doctrine and training 7
Unit organization 12
Tactics 42
RaselMdauuar,30April–1May1941•Twodaysofbattle–SidiRezegh,22–23November1941
Belhamed,1–2December1941
Intelligenceanddeception–Benghazi,29January1942•FlächenmarschatGazala,26May1942
ElMreir,21–22July1942•Supply–21.PanzerDivisionatAlamHalfa,30August1942
Defeat–15.PanzerDivisionatElAlamein,2November1942
Weapons and equipment 60
Infantry•Panzers•Anti-tankandanti-aircraftweapons•VehiclesandotherAFVs
Command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) 74
Command•Control•Communications•Intelligence
Unit status 81
Lessons learned 89
Bibliography 91
Abbreviations and glossary 93
Index 95
3
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Introduction
On11February1941whenthefirstGermantroopsarrivedinLibya,fewwould
have predicted that the struggle for North Africa was just beginning. These
GermantroopshadbeensenttohelptheItaliansaftertheirdefeatatthehands
oftheBritishfollowingLt.Gen.RichardO’Connor’sOperationCompass,which
culminated in the destruction of an entire Italian army at the battle of Beda
Fomm. Yet, against all the odds, two months later the vanguards of the
Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK), still under strength and led by an anonymous
general, swept through Cyrenaica as far as the Egyptian border. For the next
18 months the DAK, along with Italian units grouped under Rommel’s
Panzergruppe/Panzerarmee Afrika, fought against British and Commonwealth
troopsforthecontroloftheWesternDesert.TheDAKwasbeatenonce,yetit
wassoonbackontheoffensiveandeventuallythreatenedtoreachitsgoal:the
Nile.Attheend,however,itwasdefeatedandwithdrewbacktoTunisia,where
itfoughtitslaststand.
During those 18 months of struggle, the DAK earned a well-deserved
reputation as a first-class, elite fighting unit and its commander,
Thearrival.Amixedgroupof
Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, developed a reputation as a military
GermanandItaliansoldiers
watchesaPzKpfwIIAusf.Cbeing genius.Suchareputation,however,wasacquiredthehardway:inaveryshort
disembarkedatTripoliharbour. periodoftimeGermancommandersandtheirtroopshadtolearnhowtofight
NotehowboththePanzermänner awarinthedesert–dealingwiththeirenemiesaswellastheawfulclimateand
andotherGermansoldiersare terrain.Althoughtheprocesswasarduous,theresultswereimpressiveandthat
stillwearingtheirEuropean
isthemajorreasonthattheDAKbecamethefirstexampleofafullymotorized
uniforms.Visibleonthefronthull
forcethatsuccessfullyconductedmobilewarfareagainststrongerenemyforces
ofthePzKpfwIIistheinsigniaof
3.PanzerDivision.(CarloPecchi in harsh terrain. The other reason was Rommel, whose skills and capabilities
Collection) turnedhimintoalegendasamilitarycommander.
4
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Combat mission
TheDAKwasfarfrombeinganeliteunitinearly1941.Thoughfullymotorized,
both divisions sent to North Africa had many drawbacks. The first unit sent,
5.leichte Division, was a hotchpotch of different units designed to serve in a
defensive role. The unit that followed, 15.Panzer Division, was an armoured
divisionatnearlyfullstrength,buthadonlyrecentlybeentransformedfroman
infantry division and lacked any real experience of armoured warfare. These
drawbacks did not overly concern the German Army High Command, the
OberkommandodesHeeres(OKH),asitonlysoughttofightadelayingaction
inNorthAfricauntiltheconclusionofOperationBarbarossa–theinvasionof
theSovietUnion.AlimitedattackaimedatregainingCyrenaicawasauthorized,
but only after 15.Panzer Division arrived and the German troops had been
properly trained and acclimatized. A major assault against Egypt was not
envisaged until after the war against the Soviet Union had been brought to a
satisfactoryconclusion,probablybytheendof1941.
Rommel’s bold sweep across Cyrenaica thwarted these plans, but the OKH
couldnotadjusttothenewrealityastheEasternFrontwasindesperateneed
of motor transport in general and mechanized troops in particular. Thus, in
summer 1941 the DAK was stuck in a stalemate and, unsurprisingly, allowed
thebarenumberofreinforcementsbytheOKH.Thesituationdidnotchange Germanlorriesaredisembarkedat
much in 1942 despite Rommel’s second drive into Cyrenaica, as both Hitler Tripoliharbourand,ladenwiththe
and the OKH were still gravelyconcernedaboutthe difficultsituationon the DAK’sequipmentandsupplies,are
readytomovetothefront.Many
Eastern Front. As a consequence the Mediterranean remained a sideshow,
Germanvehicles,liketheseBüssing-
althoughtherewasanoverallstrategicplan.Thisinvolvedanassaultaimedat
Nag4x2mediumlorriesshown
theseizureoftheportofTobruk,whichwastobefollowedbyaninvasionof here,werebasedoncivilianmodels
Maltawiththeaimofbringingthesupplyproblemstoanend. andprovedunsuitableforthe
However, this plan did not take into account Rommel’s new advance, this desertconditions.(CarloPecchi
time into Egypt. Although there were no significant reinforcements available Collection)
fortheDAK,theOKHdidtrytoimprovethequalityofitsweaponry.Forthe
Germansoldierslinedup
somewhereinLibya,allwearingthe
DAKtropicaluniform.Sincetwoof
themwearthe‘Afrikakorps’cuff
title,institutedon18July1941,the
photocanbedatedtosummer
1941.Tropicaluniforms,actually
unsuitableforthedesert,werestill
largelyusedforceremoniesand
formaloccasions.(ArchivioUfficio
StoricoStatoMaggioreEsercito) 5
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ADAKcolumnmovingacross first time the German Army sought to make good its shortcomings using
thestreetsofaLibyantown.The improvedweaponryandbetterbalancedcombatunits–the‘fewermen,more
lorries,allsportinganeat‘palmwith weapons’ solution. However, Rommel’s unexpected successes at Gazala and
swastika’DAKinsignia,appeartobe
Tobruk compelled Hitler to authorize a premature advance into Egypt. The
stillpaintedintheEuropeandark-
result was that, by the end of July, for the first time a strained DAK faced a
greyfinishandonlyhavealightcoat
ofsand.Thetacticalinsigniaonthe severe crisis and was in real danger of breaking down. As a consequence new
leftmudguardisadivisionalsymbol. reinforcements were brought in, although it was too little too late: having
(CarloPecchiCollection) failed to break through the British defences at El Alamein, the DAK had no
otherchoicebuttostandonthedefensiveandwaitfortheenemyoffensiveto
beunleashed.
Alwaysunderstrengthandplaguedbyaperenniallackofweapons,vehicles
andsupplies,theDAKwasneverthelessinbettershapethanmanyotherunits
of the German Army. In many cases its equipment included modern weapons
thatwerenotavailableinlargequantities.Thoughlackinginnumbers,inearly
1941 its tank inventory did not include any of the obsolete Czech tanks that
wereusedonalargescaleagainsttheSovietUnion.Also,in1942itwassupplied
with some of the most modern weapons available. All in all, the DAK often
fielded more and better weapons, vehicles and equipment than many of the
motorizedunitsontheEasternFront.Suchanoddstateofaffairswasremarked
onbytheOKHwhichpointedouthowDAK’sallocationofmotortransportwas
1/10thofthatavailableforBarbarossa,whileitsactualstrengthwasonly1/78th
oftheforcecommittedtotheinvasionoftheSovietUnion.Aremarkablepoint
thatclearlyshowshowtheDAK,inspiteofitsmanyshortcomings,established
itself as an effective fighting force and a perfect prototype for fully motorized
units.
6
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Preparation for war:
doctrine and training
In1941theDAKlackedbothaspecificdoctrinefordesertwarfareandproper
trainingforthejobinhand.However,despitetheseshortcomingstheGerman
Armyhadalreadydevelopedthemostadvancedarmouredwarfaredoctrineof
the time. Its root lay in the concept of Bewegungskrieg (movement warfare),
deemed the only possible way to deal with stronger enemies and to avoid
static, attritional warfare. The best manner to implement Bewegungskrieg was
throughoffensiveactions,whichweretofollowspecificguidelinesleadingto
a decision on the battlefield through the Vernichtungsschlacht (the battle of
annihilation). These guidelines included concentration of force, combined-
arms warfare and use of air power, all to be combined together against a
selected Schwerpunkt (decisive point of effort). As soon as a breakthrough had
beenobtainedithadtobeexploitedusingspeed,flexibilityandmanoeuvreto
breakintotheenemyrearareas,andeventuallyenvelopanddestroyhisforces.
Armouredunitsplayedamajorroleinthedoctrineofmovementwarfaresince
theyweretheunitsmostsuitedtoproducingandexploitingabreakthroughin
enemylines.ThePanzerkeil(armouredwedge)becameadecisivefactorinthe
German Keil und Kessel doctrine, based on the principles of the ‘wedge and
cauldron’toobtainthedestructionofenemyforces.
However,themostimportantaspectoftheGermandoctrinewasthelackof
any specific formula or rule; the doctrine only supplied guidelines, and
commanders had to evaluate the situation by taking into account both the
conditionsoftheterrainandthedeploymentofenemyforces.Rommeltookfull
advantageofthislackofspecificitywheninMarch–April1941,contrarytoOKH
directives,hedecidedtoadvancedeeplyintoCyrenaica.Althoughthewholearea
wasseized(withthenotableexceptionofTobruk)andheavylosseswereinflicted
on British and Commonwealth troops1, the campaign was disappointing from
a doctrinal point of view. There had been neither a Schwerpunkt nor a
Vernichtungsschlachtand,aboveall,BritishforceswereabletoretreattoTobruk,
whichprovedtoohardanuttocrackfortheDAK.Asamatteroffact,DAK’sfirst
offensive is more reminiscent of the German stormtroop tactics, based on
infiltrationandpursuit,developedinthelastyearofWorldWarI,whichRommel
had first-hand experience of. The result was a stalemate and the hated
Stellungskrieg(staticwarfare),forwhichtheDAKwascompletelyunfit.
1Hereafter,‘British’willrefertoBritish,CommonwealthandIndianunits.
Rommel,accompaniedbyItalian
officers(theoneseatedtotheright
ofthephoto,appearstobeGeneral
Roatta,ItalianArmychief-of-staff),
preparestoparadeGermanunits
beforetheyheadtothefront.Note
howalltheGermanofficersbut
onearestillwearingtheirEuropean
uniforms.(FilippoCappellano) 7
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AssoonastheyarrivedatTripoli
inFebruary–March1941,5.leichte
Division’sunitsparadedthrough
thestreetsbeforemarchingtothe
front.Thisseemstohavebeenone
ofRommel’singenioustricks,aimed
atshowingeverybody(British
intelligenceincluded)themighty
poweroftheGermanforces.The
HorchKfz16mediumstaffcar,
followedbyBMWcombinations,
belongstoPanzerAufklärungs
Abteilung3(seetacticalsignon
theleftmudguard).(CarloPecchi
Collection)
However, the campaign of 1941 in Cyrenaica supplied valuable experience
fortheforcesinvolvedandledtoRommelconcludingthattheWesternDesert
‘was the only theatre where the principles of motorized and tank warfare, as
theyhadbeentaughttheoreticallybeforethewar,couldbeappliedtothefull
– and further developed’. Unlike Europe, here pedestrian infantry units were
useless unless employed in static, prepared positions; mobile and armoured
units, on the other hand, ruled the battlefield. Therefore, the Panzerkeil
doctrinecouldnotbeimplementedinthesamemannerasinFranceoronthe
EasternFront,wheretheinfantryweretaskedwithsurroundinganddestroying
cut-off enemy forces. The open terrain of the Western Desert also made it
harder to encircle enemy mobile and armoured formations, since they could
breaktheringbyconcentratingtheirweightagainstagivenpoint.Enemyunits
could be successfully encircled and annihilated only when they were
pedestrian (that is either infantry or mobile units short of fuel), badly led or
alreadyshakenanddisintegrating.
Given the numerical superiority of the British forces, it is remarkable how
the DAK actually achieved such stunning victories. These were largely the
result of further doctrinal developments coupled with British operational
mistakes.OneofRommel’sfirstattemptstoovercomethelimitationsofmobile
warfare in the desert proved unsuccessful, although it also offered valuable
experience.DuringOperationCrusader,on24November1941,his‘dashtothe
wire’ was a clear attempt to bring about the conditions that might have
enabledthedestructionoftheenemymobileforces.Hesoughtthisthroughan
extension of the Bewegungskrieg doctrine – the penetration in depth. The aim
was the destruction of British supply dumps and lines of communications,
BMWR75combinationsofPanzer
AufklärungsAbteilung3parading
inTripolibeforemarchingdue
east,15February1941.(Filippo
8 Cappellano)
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which, had it happened, would have brought about
the paralysis – and subsequent destruction – of the
British forces. Though not new, this doctrine was
innovativewhencomparedtothemore‘conservative’
one that simply envisaged encirclement and
destructionofenemyforcesbyspeedandmanoeuvre.
It had already been successfully tested in May–June
1940 on the Western Front, when the German
penetration in depth paralysed French, British and
Belgian forces (though some of them successfully
escapedthetrapbysea).However,inNovember1941
it was a failure: Rommel had forgotten that mobile
warfarealsorequiresmobilesupplydumps,whichthe
British had actually placed away from the border and
theDAKneitherlocatednordestroyed.
Given these premises it is not surprising that
Rommelturnedbacktotheconceptofpenetrationin
depthonlyonce,andwithadifferentapproach,atEl
Alamein. In August 1942 his plan to attack the Alamein Line, which ended Aneight-wheeledPanzerfunkwagen
in the battle of Alam Halfa, was based on this concept. Once the Panzerkeil SdKfz263,aheavycommunications
had broken the southernmost defences of the line, it was to move to the armouredcarmountinga30-watt
Funkgerät8withalargeframe
north-east until it reached the area south-west of El Hamman, some 40km
antenna.Itprobablybelongedto
east of Alamein and about 50km from the start line. Here, their flanks
3.Kompanie/NachrichtenAbteilung
protected by infantry units, the armoured formations were to threaten the 39(mot).(FilippoCappellano)
British supply areas thus compelling enemy motorized forces into a decisive
battleintheopen.Thedefeatoftheseforcesshouldhavebroughtaboutthe
collapseofthewholeAlameinLine.DifferencesfromthebasicBewegungskrieg
doctrineareclearlynoticeable:victoryisnotsoughtaftertheencirclementor
paralysis of enemy forces, but rather through provoking an open battle in
which Axis forces were superior to the British – at least in terms of tactical
abilityandmanoeuvrability.
This is the approach Rommel took when he adapted the German
BewegungskriegdoctrinetowarfareintheWesternDesert.Aftertheseconddrive
into western Cyrenaica in January–February 1942 (which once again saw
British units escaping the Axis’ Kessel), Rommel decided to attack the British
Gazala Line using classic Flankenangriff (flank attack) tactics. He intended to
perform a turning movement (a ‘hook’) behind the British defences, which
wouldthenbeattackedbothfrontallyandfromtherear.TheencircledBritish
infantry units would then be crushed and the Gazala Line destroyed. This
A1-tonhalf-trackedDemagD7
SdKfz10withtraileronwhichthe
tacticalinsigniaofaPanzerjägerunit
isjustvisible.Thatmakesitvery
likelypartofthePanzerjäger
Abteilung39.(CarloPecchi
Collection) 9
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Abrand-newlooking105mm
leichteFeldhaubitze18towedby
a3-tonhalf-trackedHanomagH
kl6SdKfz11tractorinfrontofa
largecrowdofItalianandGerman
officers.Thesequiteclearly
belongto5.leichteDivision’s
I.Abteilung/ArtillerieRegiment75.
(CarloPecchiCollection)
would then provoke the British armoured and mobile forces into an open
battle where the DAK could take full advantage of its better tactics, unit
coordination,manoeuvrabilityandbattlefieldskill.
Therearethreespecificpointsthatareworthmakingaboutthisplan.Firstly,
fixed defences are only seen as a hindrance for the attacker, not as an
overwhelmingobstacle.Secondly,Rommelsoughtbattleintheopen,inwhich
theDAKwouldhaveoutmanoeuvreditsadversaries,andthirdlyhealsosought
to attain local superiority against an otherwise stronger enemy. Although the
plan only lasted two days before the battle took a different course, the basic
conceptsofacquiringlocalsuperiorityandofseekingbattleintheopenproved
soundandsuccessful.SubsequentdevelopmentsofwhatremainsRommel’smost
successful campaign in the Western Desert followed the same pattern: British
forces were surrounded in groups and, with the Germans taking advantage of
localsuperiority,weredestroyedpiecemealbothatTobrukandatMatruh.
The plan to attack the Alamein Line in July 1942 was not much different
fromtheonethathadbeenusedatGazala.Britishdefenceshadtobebroken
close to El Alamein and then, while infantry formations protected the left
PzKpfwIIIAusf.G(Trop)of
1.Kompanie/PanzerRegiment
5paradingthroughthestreets
ofTripoli.Notonlyarethey
stillpaintedinthedark-grey
Europeanscheme,butthecrews
arestillwearingtheirblack
uniformsthatwouldsoonbe
replacedbytropicalones.(Carlo
10 PecchiCollection)
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