The Danger Zone (DZ)

Rommel was now ready to launch his 1942 summer offensive.

The climax of the Third Reich was rapidly approaching. The Germans were fighting in the city of Stalingrad, its fall couldn’t be too far off. The Germans were advancing in the Caucasus with the Russian oil fields within reach. Maybe the German advance could continue through the Caucasus and link up with Rommel. He was about to unleash his troops but in a drive that would, in the end come short, stopped at El Alamein, and not Cairo/Alexandria and the Suez Canal, as he’d hoped. 

The Japanese had, in the twinkling of an eye, conjured up an empire of vast size throughout the South Pacific, China, and South East Asia, they were even closing in on India – to Hitler’s deep regret. He liked and admired the British Empire and its passing would be something to be mourned.

The Italian armoured division Ariete was about to be given its chance to shine. But would it? Could it?

Third Reich; El Alamein; Cairo; Alexandria; Suez Canal; Stalingrad; Caucasus; Ariete Armoured Division; Gazala Line; Bir Hakeim; Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; 15th Panzer Division; 21st Panzer Division; Trieste Motorised Division; M14/41 tank; General Giuseppe De Stefanis; 2nd Royal Lancers; Bersaglieri; Panzerarmée Afrika; Deutsche Afrika Korp; Africa Corp; 90th Light Division; 'The Cauldron'; Littorio Armoured Division; General Gervasio Bitossi; General Emilio Becuzzi;

Italian battle honours in World War II. A contradiction in terms? Italian bravery. Italian tanks had 6 gears – 1 forward and 5 reverse. The Italian battle flag - a white lion rampant on a white background.

But in this programme and a few of the following maybe, like me, you’re going to have second thoughts about these jokes that were and still are widely made at the expense of the Italians. In English speaking countries their story simply isn’t told. If it is, it’s written by the major players who were more interested in telling their own puffed up story, rather than giving the Italians credit where credit was due. I’m just going to tell you the facts – and you decide. I’m starting off with a great story that I started in the last programme. What happened next, is, I think very revealing.

Operation Crusader; British 22nd Armoured Brigade; Bir-el-Gubi; Ariete Armoured Division; 1st  South African Division; 1st South African Brigade; British 7th Armoured Division; Sidi Rezegh; British 7thArmoured Brigade; General Gastone Gambara; General Mario Balotta; The Lozenge; M13/40 tanks; Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; General Cruwell; British 4th Armoured Brigade; Trieste Motorised Division; Deutsche Afrika Korp;

When I grew up in the 50s and 60s, and even today, the contribution of the Italian armed forces in North Africa were/are the butt of many jokes. Nothing’s changed today as far as I can tell. But let me surprise you now with some of the remarkable feats of arms performed by the Italian armoured divisions serving under Rommel.

Although it’s not part of the story of the supply nightmare that confronted the Axis forces in North Africa, it’s a story that has been mostly neglected and misunderstood. So I thought I should slip something in this series about the underrated/ignored performance of these Italian armoured divisions in North Africa.

Tag words: Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; Ian Walker; Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts; Ariete Division; General Gambier-Parry; 7th British Armoured Division; General Bastico; 22nd British Armoured Brigade; Bir el Gubi; Sidi Rezegh; General Gastone Gambara; General Mario Balotta; The Lozenge; M13/40 tanks; Bersaglieri; Crusader tanks; 25pdr guns; 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars; 3rd County of London Yeomanry; Deutsche Afrika Korp

Rommel’s advance into Cyrenaica again in 1942 had once more stretched the ability of his quartermasters to keep him supplied.

Martin Creveld, in his book, Supplying War says:

On 9 February, 100 per cent supplies could no longer be guaranteed to the troops, and by the next day tactical developments had overtaken logistical possibilities to such an extent that, because of the enormous distances and chronic lack of vehicles, no more ammunition was reaching the forward troops. On 12 February the DAK quartermaster angrily demanded an urgent interview with Rommel. On 13 February it was announced that the advance would stop at El Gazala, 900 miles from Tripoli.

Rommel’s halt at El Gazala meant that his supply lines were 900 miles, about 1450 kilometres. Compare that to the distance from the German jump off points for Operation Barbarossa, the Invasion of Russia, to Moscow was only 965 kilometres – roughly the distance to Benghazi. Benghazi was half way to El Alamein.

Would taking Malta solve Rommel’s problems? You might be surprised at the answer to that question?

Tag words: Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; Martin Creveld; Supplying War; Deutsches Afrika Korp; German Africa Corp; Malta; North African campaign; Tripoli; Ian Walker; Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts; Admiral Raedar; Mein Kampf; Mussolini; Tobruk; Bir Hakeim; Albert Kesselring; Panzerarmee Africa; General Claude Auchinleck; Battle of Alam Halfa; Cavallero; El Alamein;

Rommel’s silent preparations for an offensive had again caught the British completely by surprise. His new attack began on 21 January 1942.

David Irving, in his book, The Trail of the Fox wrote:

His enemy lacked battle experience. Rommel outwitted, outmaneuvered and outgunned them. "Our opponents have taken to their heels as if stung by a tarantula," he said in triumph. And Armbruster echoed this: "The Tommies don't stand and fight. They have just turned and fled."

Rommel was now in full pursuit with his recently renamed, on 22nd January, Panzergruppe Afrika. Rommel’s force was now given the status of an army and Rommel was now rightfully able to use the title of an Oberbefehlshaber, a title that had accidentally been mentioned wrongly in connection with his name before he took up his African command (as I discussed in Part 3 of this series), which was a title that he’d kept even though, until now, he was strictly just a Kommandierender General, the commander of a corps. Now he really was a commander-in-chief. But how long could Rommel’s latest offensive last before his supplied brought him to a halt?

Tag words: Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; David Irving; The Trail of the Fox; Panzergruppe Afrika; General Cavallero; General Kesselring; Sir Basil Liddell Hart; The Rommel Papers; Hitler’s Table Talk; Martin Bormann; Rotkopf hollow charge; Red Head hollow charge;

An Italian convoy to Tripoli to supply Rommel consisted of four merchant ships, escorted by four battleships, three light cruisers and twenty destroyers. That was 100,000 tons of warships escorting 20,000 tons of merchant ships. That’s what Rommel’s shipping supply lifeline needed. You have to ask the question: Was this sort of convoy escort sustainable?

Tag words: Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; Deutsche Afrika Korp; Ian Walker; Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts; North Africa; David Irving; Trail of the Fox; Colonel Bonner Fellers; The Rommel Papers; Regia Aeronautica; Regia Marina; Adolf Hitler;

Despite the apparent wisdom of the very limited scope of Rommel’s original role in North Africa, of stopping the British from conquering the Italian North African provinces, Rommel was the classic early war panzer commander. Nothing could tether him – nothing but the inevitable limitation of his logistics. They caught up with Guderian. And they caught up with Rommel.

Tag words: Brendan Simms; Charlie Laderman; Hitler’s American Gamble; Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; Deutsche Afrika Korp; Basil Liddell Hart; The Rommel Papers; David Irving; The Trail of the Fox; Tripartite Pact; John Kenneth Galbraith; President Roosevelt; Adolf Hitler;

If the Axis had taken Malta, would that have made it possible to Rommel to conquer Egypt and seize the Suez Canal? The answer will surprise you.

What about Tobruk? If Rommel had taken it on his first offensive – would that have delivered the ultimate victory that he was seeking? Again, the answer’s not going to be what you expect.

Tag words: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel; Malta; Tobruk; Martin Creveld; Supplying War; Ian Walker; Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts; Panzerarmee Afrika; David Irving; The Trail of the Fox; Rats of Tobruk; 9thAustralian Division; Deutsches Afrika Korp; General Franz von Halder;

Rommel had performed remarkably during the campaign in the West when the 7th Panzer Division that he led, moved at such lightning speed that the French called it the Ghost Division. They never knew where it would appear next.

The campaign in North Africa was actually uniquely different to anywhere that the Germans had waged war before. Rommel conducted himself with his usual drive and energy, but when what happened is closely analysed, the results weren’t there.

This is what happened at the beginning of 1941, Rommel’s first offensive.

Tag words: Field Marshall Erwin Rommel; 7th Panzer Division; the Ghost Division; North Africa Campaign; Franz Halder; Afrika Korp; Cyrenaica; Martin Creveld; Supplying War; Malta; David Irving; The Trail of the Fox; Ian Walker; Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts;