Afrika Korps Archives

Afrika Korps

German All-Terrain Vehicle

By Blaine Taylor

The first published photo of one of the odd—but highly versatile —frontline vehicles of World War II appeared on the cover of the July 1942 edition of German Propaganda Minister Dr. Read more

Afrika Korps

Tale of the Biscuit Bomber: The C-47 in WWII

By Sam McGowan

Even though, technically at least, it was not a combat airplane, the performance of the Douglas C-47 transport led General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower to label it as one of the most important weapons of World War II. Read more

Afrika Korps

Operation Pedestal: The Rescue of Malta

By Michael D. Hull

Located 58 miles south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, the rocky, 122-square-mile island of Malta was the hinge upon which all Allied operations in the Middle East turned during the first half of World War II. Read more

Afrika Korps

The Teller Mine and other German WWII Land Mines: The Hidden Danger

By Alan Vannoy

German Teller mines were insidious weapons—killing or maiming thousands of Allied soldiers and civilians. The Wehrmact employed others, too, to great effect during the Second World War. Read more

Afrika Korps

Italy’s North African Misadventure

By Walter S. Zapotoczny

When most people think of the Italian Army in North Africa during World War II, they tend to believe that the average Italian soldier offered little resistance to the Allies before surrendering. Read more

Afrika Korps

Six-Pounder Versus Panzer

By Christopher Miskimon

Sergeant Charles Callistan looked through the sights of an antitank gun at an approaching enemy tank. His weapon, a six-pounder cannon, was in the perimeter of a surrounded British outpost named Snipe. Read more

Afrika Korps

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel & The Battle of Kasserine Pass

By Eric Niderost

In the winter of 1942-1943, the Allies had every reason to believe that they were on the verge of total victory in North Africa. Read more

Afrika Korps

Erwin Rommel Frustrated By French Foreign Legion At Bir Hacheim

by Edward L. Bimberg

When Brig. Gen. Joseph-Pierre Koenig, commander of the 1st Free French Brigade, surveyed the area he had just been ordered to defend, he must have been mightily discouraged. Read more

In this painting by Robert Bailey, Luftwaffe Junkers Ju-88 bombers press home their attacks against merchant vessels of Convoy PQ-17, destined for the Soviet port of Archangel in July 1942.

Afrika Korps

Convoy PQ 17: A Story of Unprecedented Arctic Disaster

By Keith Milton

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Dudley Pound stopped tapping his pencil on the oaken desk and slowly leaned backward in the oversized leather chair. Read more

Field Marshals Erwin Rommel and Gerd von Rundstedt disagreed on the use of German panzers during the D-Day invasion, but neither position prevailed.

Afrika Korps

Field Marshals Erwin Rommel & Gerd von Rundstedt

by Michael Haskew

The Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe was inevitable as the tide of World War II turned against Germany. Read more

Tenth in the line of British-built U-class submarines, HMS Upholder is seen riding outboard of HMS Urge at Lazaretto. In one of only two authenticated photos of Upholder, the submarine's high bow is prominent compared to the flush bow of HMS Urge.

Afrika Korps

HMS Upholder Fought In Mediterranean To Defeat Rommel In North Africa

By Robert Barr Smith

She was a tiny vessel, not really designed for the dangers and hardships of war in far places and deep waters. Read more

Following his conduct during the battle at Gazala, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel earned his laurels as the 'Desert Fox.'

Afrika Korps

Erwin Rommel’s Victory at Gazala: Becoming the ‘Desert Fox’

By Eric Niderost

On April 15, 1942, Generaloberst (Colonel General) Erwin Rommel summoned his subordinate commanders of the Panzerarmee Afrika to a conference to outline his plans for the coming offensive against the British Eighth Army. Read more

Cargo handlers load a plane with supplies to be dropped to Chindits operating in Burma.

Afrika Korps

Orde Wingate And His Chindits Pioneered Guerrilla Warfare

By Michael D. Hull

Short, wiry, and with baleful blue eyes and an Old Testament beard, Maj. Gen. Orde Charles Wingate was unorthodox in thought and action. Read more

A twin-boomed P-38 Lightning flies over snow-capped mountain peaks. With its tremendous range and firepower, the P-38 saw service in every major theater of World War II.

Afrika Korps

What Made the Lockheed P-38 Lightning So Special?

By Sam McGowan

Due largely to their use in the postwar U.S. Army Air Forces and present proliferation among the air show community, the North American P-51 Mustang is thought of by many as the most important American fighter of World War II. Read more

Afrika Korps

Operation Torch: The Allied Invasion of North Africa

By Roy Morris Jr.

The Allied decision to invade North Africa, codenamed Operation Torch, was reached in the summer of 1942 after lengthy—and sometimes bitter—arguments between interested parties. Read more

A litany of defeats followed the Italian military victories in Ethiopia and Albania, precipitating the rapid fall from power of Benito Mussolini.

Afrika Korps

The Military Misadventures of Benito Mussolini

By Michael Haskew

After assuming dictatorial powers in Italy, Benito Mussolini remained a popular figure with the Italian people – for a time. Read more

Afrika Korps

WW2 Leaders: Field Marshal Archibald Wavell

by Christopher Miskimon

In late 1940, fortune seemed entirely against the United Kingdom. France had fallen, Italian troops threatened imperial holdings, and Britain’s few allies were still gravely threatened. Read more