Casemate Illustrated- Afrikakorps at War 1941-43

Book Specifics

Authors: George Forty and Simon Forty

Price: $45.00

ISBN 978-1-63624-635-2

Hardcover, 256 Pages, 8 x 10 in, 350 photographs

What's Inside

The Casemate Illustrated series are becoming among my favorite series for good sources of color and black and white reference photos pertaining to specific subjects in history. For anyone interested in the back and forth battles going on in Northern Africa during WWII, this is an interesting read. Inside we get a pretty good look at the German side of things- especially the mastermind behind many of the desert victories for the Afrikakorps in Erwin Rommel. Respected by his men and his enemy, Rommel achieved legendary stature during his time in the desert. Battling against not only Allied forces, who learned from their losses and eventually turned the tables with better leadership and resources and the entry of American forces, but also the environment where huge temperature fluctuations and wicked sandstorms and flash floods were constant threats.

The book's chapters as as follows:

• Foreword
• Timeline
• Introduction
• The Jerries are Coming
• Organisation, Equipment and Tactics
• The Desert Fox
• Rommel Strikes
• Desert Living
• Duels in the Sun
• Rommel Strikes Back
• Supply
• Wings Over the Desert
• The Tide Turns
• The End in Africa
• The Dead and the Living
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography
• Index

The Timeline provides the setting of events from Italy declaring war on France and Britain in June of 1940 through Axis capitulation in Tunisia in May of 1943.

The Introduction focuses specifically on Rommel's background and the desert battlefield entailed- as well as a sidebar that describes the relationship between the Arab world and Nazism. Throughout this chapter and the remaining text in the book are copious accounts by leading commanders and soldiers on both sides, as well as from forewords from books and news reporter accounts. In fact I would say a good majority of the text in the book comes from these accounts. 

From a modeler's perspective, there are some very useful sections detailing divisional symbols of Afrikakorps vehicles, as well as informational charts and maps of events during the time period. This includes a rundown of uniform insignia, including breast and helmet insignia and cuff titles useful for painting Afrikakorps figures. Charts include information on comparing British and German armor and anti-armor capabilities, as well as weapon ranges and penetration distances.

An example of some of the useful charts in the book 

Photos are predominantly black and white and some of them are quite blurred or overexposed. This may be due to their age, or the adverse desert conditions for taking good photography including blistering heat conditions. However, many of the images are new to me and still useful. Some of the really interesting sidebars throughout the book include reports on alignment and placement of minefields, Rommel's command vehicles, major players on both sides, field fortification systems, and even one highlighting the use of Tiger tanks in the desert.

I found the Desert Living chapter to be particularly interesting as it delves into desert clothing, food and rations, living conditions, medical facilities, and off duty entertainment including a thorough description of the history of the song Lili Marlene. There are sections on aircraft and the use of them for transporting supplies and men to the front. The overall brunt of the book involves armor and vehicles though.

The book concludes with the introduction to the theater of American forces during Operation Torch and the brutal lessons learned at Kasserine Pass that led to vital experience that carried the Allies to victory at Normandy and beyond. 

Conclusion

This is very much a German-centric view of the North African front as is obvious from the title. The accounts bring a sense of the human element to the text and really gives a brutal perspective to all the challenges associated with warfare in the arid desert. In the end, as was so often the case with German losses, it came down to lack of support and supplies and an overwhelming enemy who lacked neither of these things. Even the more powerful early Tigers and 88mm guns which were more than a match for British Matildas, Valentines, and later American Shermans could only do so much when handicapped by a lack of fuel and ammunition to fight with. The Allies learned from their losses and used that knowledge to gain superiority over time- while German supply issues dogged them nonstop until the end of the war.

Highly Recommended for anyone interested in the North African desert theater of WWII.

Thanks goes out to Casemate Publishing for this review sample.

Reviewed by Michael Reeves

If you liked this review, consider joining AMPS. Your annual membership
includes six copies of AMPS's magazine, Boresight,
and helps to support our ongoing reviews.

Click here for more information about joining AMPS