Afrikakorps

This book is an excellent starting point to learn about the battles in North Africa in 1941-1942. The book covers the battles in North Africa during the time that Rommel commanded German and Italian forces in that theatre in World War II. The book begins with Rommel's acceptance of a command in Africa in February 1941 and ends in November 1942 when Rommel's armies are outnumbered and overwhelmed near El Alamein. The story is primarily told from the divisional level, interspersed with interesting facts about the major figures involved, of whom the focus is on Rommel. (E.g., Rommel, by August 1942, had survived longer (over 18 months by then) than any other field officer over age 40 in Africa in the Wehrmacht, despite his constant, and dangerous, trips to the front; and during the campaigns in Africa became in June 1942, at age 50, the youngest German Field Marshal ever.) The strategy and tactics of the commanders on both sides is well covered, as well as the hardships endured by the Germans and Italians, whose supply lines were subject to frequent disruption by the Allies. The photos are extremely well selected, including a couple of rare shots of Rommel in field shorts. There are even a few full-color photos, including an amazing overhead shot of a Me 109 fighter in full camouflage that blends in perfectly with the landscape below. The maps are in color, numerous, and also well done. The book even includes an interesting section on the 88-mm Flak batteries effectively used by Rommel, with clear descriptions on how these weapons operated and were used in desert conditions as an extremely effective anti-tank weapon.

I am a big fan of anything Time Life puts out on World War 2. I found this whole series of books very interesting for the amount of detail, the layout and the overall look of the books. This is the best place to start if you want to learn about World War 2. They are very easy to read with a great deal of corresponding diagrams, maps and photos and really bring the words alive. I think if you are a real die hard World War 2 buff you need to get a copy of these books.

Once again Time-Life has presented a very good condensed book, this time on the life-and-death of the Afrika Korps. It goes into the story from the beginning ,from where it started, what was initially a simple mission to shore up the flagging Italian position in Africa turned into a fierce battle to the death. Had Rommel succeeded in Egypt, then the British would have been dealt a crippling blow strategically. Most books ignore this man's role in the German success, but I was very pleased that this book dedicated a few pages to him. This man was Hauptmann(Captain) Hans-Joachim Marseille, the "Star of Afrika", who was probably the best and deadliest gunner in the skies of World War II. His phenomenal 158 kills against British air forces was the highest for any German, and his 17 kills in a single day remains a record to this day. He earned an immortal place in the pantheon of great fighter aces of WWII. No one talks of great aces like Molders or Hartmann without mentioning Marseille. All in all this book is very accurate, it describes the harsh desert war with objectivity. In the end it gives a good account as to why the Germans lost in the end. As far as condensed books on the Afrika Korps go, I would say this is definitely a book worth reading.