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Panzer Army Africa

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Panzer Group Africa
Panzer Army Africa
German-Italian Panzer Army
Army Group Africa

Panzer Group Africa (German Panzergruppe Afrika)Template:Fn was established in September 1941 to control the German mechanized forces in North Africa during World War II. Erwin Rommel was placed in command, handing command of the Afrika Korps over to Ludwig Crüwell at that time. Panzer Group Africa was redesignated as Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika) in January 1942, and then as German-Italian Panzer Army (Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee) in October 1942 during the flight from the Western Desert after the defeat at El Alamein. In February 1943 the headquarters was upgraded to Army Group Africa (Heeresgruppe Afrika) to manage the defense of Tunisia and its assets were turned over to the Italian First Army. The headquarters and all its assets were lost upon the capitualization of the remaining Axis forces in Africa on May 13 1943.

Assets

Throughout its existence this headquarters controlled the well-known Afrika Korps, and for most of its life it controlled a number of other German and Italian units as well. The following overview of its assets is taken from lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de, with dates corrected (see references).

Panzer Group Africa (Rommel)

Panzer Army Africa (Rommel)

  • As of January 1942: (during Rommel's second push into the Western Desert)
  • As of April 1942: (before and during the Gazala battles and the Siege of Tobruk)
    • German Afrika Korps
    • Italian X Corps
    • Italian XX Motorized Corps
    • Italian XXI Corps
    • German 90th Light Africa Division
  • As of August 1942: (during the Battle of El Alamein)Template:Fn
    • German Afrika Korps
    • Italian X Corps
    • Italian XX Motorized Corps
    • Italian XXI Corps
    • Italian 133rd Armored Division Littorio

German-Italian Panzer Army (Rommel)

  • As of November 1942: (during the withdrawal from the Western Desert)
    • German Afrika Korps
    • Italian X Corps
    • Italian XX Motorized Corps
    • Italian XXI Corps
    • German 90th Light Afrika Division
    • Italian 136th Motorized Infantry Division Giovanni Fascisti
    • Italian 17th Infantry Division Pavia
  • As of February 1943: (defending southern Tunisia)

Notice that a no time were all the German units in Africa subordinate to the Afrika Korps; some were reserves for the Panzer Army, and some were occasionally subordinated to Italian armies or corps.

Template:Fnb A German Panzer group was an army-level headquarters. As the war progressed all of the Panzer groups were redesignated as Panzer armies. Template:Fnb A very detailed order of battle for this period is given at axishistory.com. However, it may have a few inaccuracies in its details, e.g. other sources show the German 164th Light Afrika Division subordinate to the Italian XX Corps rather than directly to Panzer Army Afrika.

References

See also

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