Life and Death of the Afrika Korps

Besides wanting to read about Rommel, I had an ulterior motive for reading this book. Years earlier Pen and Sword published a small but good overview of the campaign. It was "The Battle of North Africa" by General Strawson. I wondered why the duplication. Mr Lewin begins his book with a brief history of North Africa before Rommel and his Africa Korps arrived. He discusses how the British while trying to safeguard Egypt fought a series of battles with the Italians, defeating them soundly. Hitler wanted to keep Italy in the war so he sends Rommel, a person with no desert experience, to turn the tide. The author also discusses the difficulties of fighting a desert war and how quickly Rommel and his Korps adapted to it. And with the better tanks and equipment he had, its understandable the German advantage and progress. This advantage was increased with the lackluster leadership of Wavell, Auchinleck and Alexander. The author has high praise for Rommel as a commander teacher and motivator of his forces and he also describes how Berlin barely supported him in his quest for victory. The battle for Russia was the obvious priority and as well as the fact that Rommel wasn't well liked by Hitler's staff. The author also has high praise for Montgomery and gives the lion's share to him for the defeat of the Axis forces. He motivated and trained the 8th Army like no previous commander and with the new and better equipment sent to Africa, the British now had a chance for victory. The author covers the key engagements of these two confident commanders, showing the rise of Rommel in his early days and with losing support from Berlin the downfall of the Africa Korps in late 1942 and early 1943. The author includes 10 black and white maps which were pretty good, definitely good enough to show the desert battles. The photos are good as well. The book ends with a Bibliography and Index. While this was an overview and not a detailed blow by blow tactical account, it was still informative and a enjoyable read. Anybody looking for an overview of the North Africa campaign should consider this book.

I think what distinguishes this book from others on Rommel and the Afrika Korps is that Lewin writes it in the style of a biography. He treats the Arika Korps as a living entitty from its conception, through its infancy, adolescence, and ultimately death. Lewin describes the battles lucidly and to the point, although they would be easier to follow with better maps (a problem found in most operational battle histories.) His bias toward Montgomery also comes through loud and clear.