Let's Build: Afrika Korps command rosters

[USAF1986]

I’d like to request assistance in refining this very rough command and staff officer roster of the D.A.K. The finished product will appear on AHF. Any and all corrections, additions and clarifications will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for any assistance!

Best regards,
Shawn

Deutsches Afrika-Korps was formed 21 Feb 1941 by the redesignation of the staff of the Befehlahaber der deutschen Truppen in Libyen. It was destroyed in Tunisia 12 May 1943.

Commanders
General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (21 Feb 1941 - 1 Sep 1941)
Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell (1 Sep 1941 - 9 Mar 1942)
General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring (9 Mar 1942 - 31 Aug 1942) (WIA)
Oberst Fritz Bayerlein (31 Aug 1942) (acting)
Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst (31 Aug 1942 - 17 Sep 1942)
General der Panzertruppe Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma (17 Sep 1942 - 4 Nov 1942) (POW)
Oberst Fritz Bayerlein (4 Nov 1942 - 16 Nov 1942) (acting)
General der Panzertruppe Gustav Fehn (16 Nov 1942 - 15 Jan 1943) (WIA)
Generalmajor Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein (16 Jan 1943 - 17 Feb 1943) (WIA)
Generalleutnant Heinz Ziegler (17 Feb 1943 - 5 Mar 1943)
General der Panzertruppe Hans Cramer (5 Mar 1943 - 12 May 1943) (POW)

Chiefs of Staff
Oberst Claus von dem Borne (1 Mar 1941 - 5 Oct 1941)
Oberst Fritz Bayerlein (5 Oct 1941 - 7 Dec 1942)
Oberst Gerhard Franz (7 Dec 1942 - 10 Feb 1943)
Oberst Heinrich Nolte (? Feb 1943 - ? May 1943) (POW ???)

Operations Officers (Ia)
Major Hans Ehlert (1 Mar 1941 - 20 May 1941)
Major Wolfgang Wüsterfeld (? May 1941 - ? Nov 1941)
Oberstleutnant Erich Frevert (15 Dec 1941 - 10 Oct 1942)
Major Richard Böhles (? Dec 1942 - ? Jan 1943)
Unknown (? Jan 1943 - ? May 1943)

[Andreas]

Shawn

I would only use the highest rank attained in the position. It looks a bit strange to me to have a Generalfeldmarschall command the D.A.K.

I would also add "acting" to periods when a caretaker (Bayerlein) was in command.

All the best

Andreas

[USAF1986]

Thanks! Inputs added.

Best regards,
Shawn

[Stauffenberg II]

Shawn

I would only use the highest rank attained in the position. It looks a bit strange to me to have a Generalfeldmarschall command the D.A.K.

Andreas

Hi,

this is a fair proposal although I also prefer giving/reading the overall last ranks achieved. Anyway.

Wüsterfeld should read "Wüstefeldt" (Source: Ranglisten des Deutschen Reichsheeres, Stellenbesetzung 1938, Keilig: Rangliste 1944)

Jürgen

[machiavelli-imp]

Have you tried Erwan Bergot's book L'Afrika Corps [sic] (Balland 1972)? There is an exhaustive list of commanders and chiefs of staff by unit in one of the appendices. Unfortunately Bergot's date system is slightly confusing.
Can you find a second opinion on when Crüwell took command? Bergot states that from 25 July 1941 the DAK was expanded to Panzergruppe Afrika, so surely Rommel was in command of the Pz.gruppe not just the DAK? That would make Crüwell the DAK commander July 1941-May 1942 followed by Nehring May-August.
My two cents on the rank problem is to list the officer by the rank which he held while at that post, then put in brackets if he were promoted during that time.
Hope this helps.

[askropp]

I'm still looking for any information on who commanded DAK between 19.09.1941 (when Müller-Gebhard left) and 19.10.1941 (when Crüwell took over). As I already said elsewhere, the KTB DAK is silent on this. There may be several possibilities:

1.) Rommel may have again taken over the command (additional to his command of Panzergruppe Afrika). Although he apparently retained command in August (before Müller-Gebhard took over), this would seem far less probable now after the Panzergruppe was finally running. Even if he did, he would have remained at the Panzergruppe HQ and the real leadership would have fallen to someone else.

2.) In such cases, the Chef des Stabes often took over the actual command. The problem is, Claus von dem Borne had also left (on 20.09.1941) and Bayerlein did not arrive before 02.10.1941. While the Ia, Major Wolfgang Wüstefeld, may have acted as Chef, he was surely to low-ranking to have been acting KG.

3.) Of course, standard practice would have been the assignment of the senior Divisionskommandeur. As for them, Ravenstein still had no RDA as GM and had been conspicuously absent during Müller-Gebhard's tenure. Rommel did not give Ravenstein the command in August, but instead chose to fly in the Korück! This leaves Neumann-Silkow, at least for the time after he returned to duty on 21.09.1941. But there is no info on this, and I could not get the KTB 15. PzDiv from the period yet.

4.) There may also have been another stand-in commander from the suitable officers then in Africa, but the only General officers then present (at least to my knowledge) would have been Gause, Sümmermann and Böttcher, and I have no info indicating they could have served at DAK.

Does anybody know anything about this problem, and is anybody in possession of the KTB 15. PzDiv (NARA T-315 R-665)?

[genstab]

Here's what I had put together on the commanders with my inferior printed sources and various fellow members' help- nothing like throwing some doo-doo in the game. See what you think and we'll work it all out. Sources annotated when I have them as well as amplifying info.

Erwin Rommel 14-2-41 (date he landed in Africa) to 15-8-41
Ferdinand Schaal 15-8-41 to 25-8-41 (Lexikon der Wehrmacht)
Phillip Mueller-Gebhard 25-8-41 to 19-9-41 Acting (from Corps KTB courtesy of one of you experten)- also Fuehrer 15. Pz Div
Ludwig Cruewell 19-9-41 to 27=2=42 POW (he's the one who's hard to pin down as he was all over the place acting in various commands during battle)
Walther Nehring 27-2-42 to 31-8-42 (Acting to 1-7) (from Corps KTB)
Gustav von Vaerst 1-9-42 to 17-9-42 Acting (Bridgend Island Camp bio)
Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma 17-9-42 to 4-11-42 POW (Bridgend Island Camp bio)
Fritz Bayerlein 4-11-42 to 23-11-42 (Acting)
Gustav Fehn 23-11-42 to 15-1-43 WIA (also mFb Deutsch-Italien Pz Armee 17-9 to 14-11)
Kurt Frhr. von Liebenstein 16-1-43 to 17-2-43 WIA (Acting) (NARA D-124)
Karl Buelowius 17-2-43 to 20-2-43 Acting (NARA D-124)
Heinz Ziegler 20-2-43 to 5-3-43 Acting
Hans Cramer 5-3-43 to 16-5-43 POW destroyed in Tunis

Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland

PS- Apparently the Bridgend Island Farm POW camp website with its generals' bios is gone- just tried to access it. This is a great source lost.

[askropp]

Kommandierender General
21.02.1941 - 25.08.1941 Generalleutnant (01.07.1941 General der Panzertruppe) Erwin Rommel
25.08.1941 - 19.09.1941 Generalmajor Philipp Müller-Gebhard (mdstvFb)
19.10.1941 - 09.03.1942 Generalleutnant (17.12.1941 General der Panzertruppe) Ludwig Crüwell
09.03.1942 - 31.08.1942 Generalleutnant (01.07.1942 General der Panzertruppe) Walther Nehring
31.08.1942 Oberst Fritz Bayerlein (mdstvFb)
31.08.1942 - 17.09.1942 Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst (mdstvFb)
17.09.1942 - 04.11.1942 Generalleutnant (01.11.1942 General der Panzertruppe) Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma
04.11.1942 - 23.11.1942 Oberst Fritz Bayerlein (mdstvFb)
23.11.1942 - 14.01.1943 General der Panzertruppe Gustav Fehn
14.01.1943 - 16.01.1943 Oberst Gerhard Franz (mdstvFb)
16.01.1943 - 17.02.1943 Oberst Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein (mdFb)
17.02.1943 Oberst Eduard Waltenberger (mdstvFb)
17.02.1943 - 25.02.1943 Generalmajor Karl Bülowius (mdstvFb)
25.02.1943 - 05.03.1943 Generalleutnant Heinz Ziegler (mdFb)
05.03.1943 - 12.05.1943 Generalleutnant (01.05.1943 General der Panzertruppe) Hans Cramer

The information in red could not be verified because the KTB is missing or silent about the changes. All other information (in black) is from original sources.

As I said (and as KTB PzGr Afrika says), Crüwell arrived on 19.10.1941. This means there is a full month without known commander.

[genstab]

Re the Island Farm website I was wrong. I couldn't get it off Google or from the link on Wikipedia but today it comes up. Here's a link:
http://www.islandfarm.wales/

Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland

[genstab]

Starting to compare my list to Askropp's- already I went to the Lexikon der Wehrmacht website to check their placing Ferdinald Schaal in command from 13-8 to 25-8-41. No mention of it now, and also, the unit links have been removed so I can't see what the Lexikon now says about the Corps commanders. I tried to get into the Corps from Rommel's bio but no unit inks there any more either. This is the second time I went back to recheck a general's command dates the Lexikon gave me and it no longer said that. Well, at least they're correcting errors anyway.

Best regards,
Bill in CLeveland

[Urmel]

The KTB No.1 of DAK names Schaal as new commander on 15 August 1941 and notes he is commanding a Panzerdivision in Russia, so will take some time to ship over.

Same KTB on 25.8 notes arrival of Generalmajor Mueller-Gebhardt as new GOC of 15th Panzer, who also took over command of D.A.K. until the arrival of Schaal.

[genstab]

Though I couldn't find a link to the Afrika-Korps from Rommel's biog, and the Kommandobehörden section from the main index of the Lexikon to access the higher commands is now missing, I did find a link to it from Ludwig Crüwell's biog. Here it is for what it's worth. I think Askropp has the best listing of commanders dates, though I suspect someone made an error in the German paperwork and Crüwell arrived on 19-9-41. Some sources such as Bradley and Mehner are saying 1-9-41.

. Kommandeure:

14. Februar 1941 Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel

15. August 1941 Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal

1. September 1941 General der Panzertruppen Philipp Müller-Gebhard

15. September 1941 General der Panzertruppen Ludwig Crüwell

9. März 1942 General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring

19. März 1942 General der Panzertruppen Ludwig Crüwell

29. Mai 1942 General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring

31. August 1942 Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein

1. September 1942 General der Panzertruppen Gustav von Vaerst

2. September 1942 General der Panzertruppen Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma

13. November 1942 General der Panzertruppen Gustav Fehn

28. Februar 1943 General der Panzertruppen Hans Cramer


Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland

[Urmel]

Mueller-Gebhardt left on 19 September for health reasons. von dem Borne left on 20 September for the same reason.

Bayerlein got in on 3 October.

I don't have Cruewell arriving until mid-October, but may have missed the entry.

[Urmel]

Though I couldn't find a link to the Afrika Korps from Rommel's biog, and the Kommandobehörden section from the main index of the Lexikon to access the higher commands is now missing, I did find a link to it from Ludwig Crüwell's biog. Here it is for what it's worth. I think Askropp has the best listing of commanders dates, though I suspect someone made an error in the German paperwork and Crüwell arrived on 19-9-41. Some sources such as Bradley and Mehner are saying 1-9-41.

. Kommandeure:

14. Februar 1941 Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel

15. August 1941 Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal

1. September 1941 General der Panzertruppen Philipp Müller-Gebhard

15. September 1941 General der Panzertruppen Ludwig Crüwell

9. März 1942 General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring

19. März 1942 General der Panzertruppen Ludwig Crüwell

29. Mai 1942 General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring

31. August 1942 Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein

1. September 1942 General der Panzertruppen Gustav von Vaerst

2. September 1942 General der Panzertruppen Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma

13. November 1942 General der Panzertruppen Gustav Fehn

28. Februar 1943 General der Panzertruppen Hans Cramer


Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland

That list is clearly not correct for 1941.

14. Februar 1941 Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel

15. August 1941 Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal (not in Africa)

25. August 1941 Generamajor Philipp Müller-Gebhard (commanding 15 Panzer at the same time)

19. September 1941 General der Panzertruppen Ludwig Crüwell (not in Africa, arrival date TBD)

[askropp]

The Afrikakorps KTB from 17.10.1941 to 14.11.1941 seems to have been lost.
But if Crüwell had arrived before 17 October, it would surely have been mentioned.
And as I said, we have this KTB entry from the Panzergruppe:

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