As the number of
German troops committed to the
North African Campaign of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
grew from the initial commitment of a small corps, the
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
developed a more elaborate command structure and placed the enlarged ''
Afrika Korps
The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...
'', with
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
units under this new German command and a succession of commands were created to manage
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
forces in Africa:
* Panzer Group Africa, (, ) August 1941 – January 1942; German-Italian force
* Panzer Army Africa, (, ) January–October 1942
* German-Italian Panzer Army, (, ) October 1942 – February 1943
* Army Group Africa, (, ) February–May 1943
History
Panzer Group Africa
When the was formed on 11 January 1941 it was subordinated to the Italian chain of command in Africa. In the middle of 1941
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, Armed Forces High Command) created a larger command structure in Africa, forming a new headquarters, Panzer Group Africa (, ). On 15 August 1941, Panzer Group Africa was activated with newly promoted
Erwin Rommel
Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...
in command. The Panzer Group controlled the and other units that were sent to Africa (notably the
90th Light Infantry Division), and the Italian X Corps and XX Corps.
Panzer Army Africa
Panzer Group Africa was renamed Panzer Army Africa (, ) on 30 January 1942. (A German Panzer group was an army-level headquarters. As the war progressed all of the Panzer groups were renamed Panzer Armies.)
German-Italian Panzer Army
Panzer Army Africa was renamed ''German-Italian Panzer Army (, ) in October 1942 during the long retreat after the defeat at the
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...
during the
Western Desert Campaign.
Army Group Africa
In February 1943, the headquarters was expanded and called Army Group Africa (, ) to manage the defence of
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
during the final stages of the
North African Campaign. Army Group Africa included the
German Fifth Panzer Army () and the Italian
1st Army. Command of the Army Group was turned over from
Rommel
Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...
to
Hans-Jürgen von Arnim
Hans-Jürgen Bernard Theodor von Arnim (; 4 April 1889 – 1 September 1962) was a German general in the Nazi Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several armies. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Early life ...
in March. He surrendered the Army Group on 13 May 1943, ending the Axis presence in Africa.
Order of battle
Throughout its existence, this headquarters controlled the and for most of its life it controlled a number of other German and Italian units as well. Not all German units in Africa subordinate to the , some were reserves for the Panzer Army and some were occasionally subordinated to Italian armies or corps. The following overview of its components is taken from ''lexikon-der-wehrmacht de'', with dates corrected (see references).
Panzer Group Africa (Rommel)
* As of September 1941: (during Rommel's first push into the
Western Desert)
**
**
X Army Corps
**
XX Army Corps
**
55th Infantry Division "Savona"
Panzer Army Africa (Rommel)
* As of January 1942: (during Rommel's second push into the Western Desert)
**
**
X Army Corps
**
XX Army Corps
**
XXI Corpo
**
90th ''Leichte Afrika'' Division
** 55th Infantry Division "Savona"
* As of April 1942: (before and during the Gazala battles and the
Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk lasted for 241 days in 1941, after Axis forces advanced through Cyrenaica from El Agheila in Operation Sonnenblume against Allied forces in Libya, during the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) of the Second World War. ...
)
**
**
X Army Corps
**
XX Army Corps
**
XXI Army Corps
** German 90th ''Leichte Afrika'' Division
* As of August 1942: (in the lead up to the
Battle of Alam el Halfa
The Battle of Alam el Halfa took place between 30 August and 5 September 1942 south of El Alamein during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. '' Panzerarmee Afrika'' (''Generalfeldmarschall'' Erwin Rommel), attempted an envelopme ...
)
**
**
X Army Corps
**
XX Army Corps
**
XXI Army Corps
**
133rd Armored Division "Littorio"
133rd Armored Division "Littorio" ( it, 133ª Divisione corazzata "Littorio") was an armored division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division's name derives from the fasces ( it, Fascio littorio) carried by the lictors of ancie ...
German-Italian Panzer Army (Rommel)
* As of November 1942: (during the withdrawal from the Western Desert)
**
**
X Army Corps
**
XX Army Corps
**
XXI Army Corps
** German 90th ''Leichte Afrika'' Division
**
17th Infantry Division "Pavia"
The 17th Infantry Division "Pavia" ( it, 17ª Divisione di fanteria "Pavia") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Pavia was formed in on 27 April 1939 and named after the city of Pavia. The Pavia was classif ...
**
136th Armored Division "Giovani Fascisti"
The 136th Armored Division "Giovani Fascisti" ( it, 136ª Divisione corazzata "Giovani Fascisti") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.
History
The division was never fully formed and staffed, and it never had ...
* February 1943: (defending southern Tunisia)
**
**
XX Army Corps
**
XXI Army Corps
** German
164th Light Division
** German
Ramcke Parachute Brigade
The Ramcke Parachute Brigade was a Luftwaffe paratroop (''Fallschirmjäger'') brigade which saw action in the Mediterranean Theatre during World War II.
Operational history
The brigade was formed in 1942 and sent to join the Afrika Korps in No ...
Army Group Africa
From February 1943:
*
German 5th Panzer Army () (Northern Tunisia)
**
Division Hermann Göring
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
**
Division von Manteuffel
**
10th Panzer Division
**
334th Infantry Division
**
999th Light Division
** Italian
1st Infantry Division "Superga"
* Italian
1st Army (Southern Tunisia)
**
16th Motorized Division "Pistoia"
**
101st Motorized Division "Trieste"
**
131st Armored Division "Centauro"
**
136th Armored Division "Giovani Fascisti"
The 136th Armored Division "Giovani Fascisti" ( it, 136ª Divisione corazzata "Giovani Fascisti") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.
History
The division was never fully formed and staffed, and it never had ...
** German
15th Panzer Division
The 15th Panzer Division (german: 15. Panzer-Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II, established in 1940.
The division, formed from the 33rd Infantry Division, fought exclusively in North Afri ...
** German
21st Panzer Division
The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the North African Campaign from 1941–1943 during World War II when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the Deutsches Afrikakorps ...
** German
90th Light Division
** German
164th Light Division
Commanders
See also
*
List of World War II military units of Germany
The List of World War II military units of Germany contains all military units to serve with the armed forces of Germany during World War II.
Major units above corps level are listed here. For smaller units, see List of German corps in World War I ...
*
List of Italian divisions in World War II
*
Panzer Division
A Panzer division was one of the armored (tank) divisions in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later the Waffe ...
*
*
Hans von Luck
Hans–Ulrich Freiherr von Luck und Witten (15 July 1911 – 1 August 1997), usually shortened to Hans von Luck, was a German officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Luck served with the 7th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer ...
Footnotes
{{Subject bar
, portal1=Military of Germany
, portal2=World War II
North African campaign
Western Desert campaign
German units in Africa
PA
Military units and formations established in 1941
Military units and formations disestablished in 1943
Army groups of the German Army in World War II