Misplaced Pages

#598401

37-537: DAK is an abbreviation for the Afrika Korps (German: Deutsches Afrikakorps ), a famed German World War II unit. DAK , Dak or dak may also refer to: Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps formed on 11 January 1941 and one of Adolf Hitler 's favourite generals, Erwin Rommel , was designated as commander on 11 February. Originally Hans von Funck was to have commanded it, but Hitler loathed von Funck, as he had been

74-552: A 4-5 km gap opened between the battalions of the 65th Infantry Regiment "Trieste". Most of the Trieste was annihilated over the course of the next two days. On 4 November the division's command and most of the 66th Infantry Regiment "Trieste" retreated to Fuka and thus escaped the destruction of Axis forces at El Alamein. The remnants of the German-Italian Panzer Army retreated to El Agheila , where on 26 November 1942

111-535: A number of Italian units, including four infantry divisions. Two Italian armoured divisions, Ariete and Trieste , initially remained under Italian control as the Italian XX Motorized Corps under the command of General Gastone Gambara . The Afrika Korps was restructured and renamed in August 1941. "Afrikakorps" was the official name of the force for less than six months but the officers and men used it for

148-619: A personal staff officer of Werner von Fritsch until von Fritsch was dismissed in 1938. The German Armed Forces High Command ( Oberkommando der Wehrmacht , OKW) had decided to send a "blocking force" to Italian Libya to support the Italian army . The Italian 10th Army had been routed by the British Commonwealth Western Desert Force in Operation Compass (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) and captured at

185-673: A similar number of vehicles were disabled or destroyed. On 24 November, General Erwin Rommel ordered the Afrika Korps and Ariete to push east to relieve the Siege of Bardia and the frontier garrisons. The same day Trieste was sent further South to cover the right flank of Rommel's advance. On 6 December the Axis forces received the order to retreat westwards and the Trieste formed the rearguard and fought delaying battles at Bir Bellafaa, Sidi Breghish, Alem Hamza, and Suluq. After reorganizing at El Agheila

222-711: The Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria ( Operation Torch ), the OKW once more upgraded the presence in Africa by adding first the XC Army Corps , under Walter Nehring , in Tunisia on 19 November 1942, then an additional 5th Panzer Army on 8 December, under the command of Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim . On 23 February 1943, the original Panzer Army Africa, which had since been re-styled as

259-524: The Battle of Beda Fomm . The German blocking force, commanded by Rommel, at first consisted of a force based only on Panzer Regiment 5, which was put together from the second regiment of the 3rd Panzer Division . These elements were organized into the 5th Light Division when they arrived in Africa from 10 February – 12 March 1941. In late April and into May, the 5th Light Division was joined by elements of 15th Panzer Division , transferred from Italy. At this time,

296-502: The First Battle of El Alamein began and the Trieste put up a tenacious defence on Ruweisat Ridge on the night of 21-22 July. The division lost two regimental commanders before being partly overcome by British attacks, but the delay of the Allied advance allowed German armored forces to launch a devastating counterattack. During the Battle of Alam el Halfa the Trieste was in the center of

333-693: The Greco-Italian War . The division's command formed the Special Alpine Division with a mix of reinforcements from Italy, while the artillery groups reinforced other artillery regiments. On 28 March 1941 the division's units returned to Italy. In September 1941 the division disembarked in Libya for the Western Desert Campaign . The Trieste was immediately employed in the Siege of Tobruk covering

370-515: The Italian front in World War I . On 15 October 1926 the brigade assumed the name of VIII Infantry Brigade with the 61st Infantry Regiment "Sicilia", 62nd Infantry Regiment "Sicilia" , and 65th Infantry Regiment "Valtellina". The brigade was the infantry component of the 8th Territorial Division of Piacenza, which also included the 21st Field Artillery Regiment . In 1934 the division changed its name to 8th Infantry Division " Po ". On 1 November 1936

407-569: The Little St Bernard Pass , which was to be achieved by the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense" on the left flank and the 2nd Alpine Division "Tridentina" on the right flank, with the Trieste taking the pass itself. After the initial attacks had failed a tank battalion from the Littorio's 33rd Tank Infantry Regiment was sent forward on 24 June 1940, but the Italian tankettes became bogged down in

SECTION 10

#1732854936599

444-720: The Western Desert Campaign . The division was decimated in the Second Battle of El Alamein , but was rebuilt with the survivors of destroyed divisions. The Trieste then participated in the Tunisian Campaign until Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered to allied forces on 13 May 1943. The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Valtellina" established in Turin on 1 August 1861 with the 65th and 66th infantry regiments. The brigade fought on

481-510: The Afrika Korps consisted of the two divisions, and was subordinated to the Italian chain of command in Africa. On 15 August 1941, the German 5th Light Division was redesignated 21st Panzer Division, the higher formation of which was still the Afrika Korps. During the summer of 1941, the OKW increased the presence in Africa and created a new headquarters called Panzer Group Africa . On 15 August,

518-512: The Ariete would attack Bir Hakeim, and the Trieste would open a gap in the minefield north of the Bir Hakeim to create a supply route for the German divisions on their drive to the coast. On 29 May the Trieste had broken through British lines and reached Got el Ualeb, while to the division's South the Battle of Bir Hakeim unfolded. On 8-11 June the Trieste participated in the assault on Bir Hakeim, which

555-506: The Axis advance, but stiff British resistance forced General Erwin Rommel to abandon the battle and retreat to the Axis' starting positions. On 23 October 1942 the British commenced the Second Battle of El Alamein and the Trieste initially formed the reserve in the North of the Axis line. On 26 October the Trieste entered the front line. On 2 November British forces broke through the Trieste's line and

592-651: The French defenders abandoned on 11 June. On 12 June the Trieste took part in the destruction of the British 2nd and 4th Armoured Brigades south of the Knightsbridge position. From 19 June the Trieste participated in the Axis offensive to capture Tobruk , which fell on 21 June. The Trieste then pursued the retreating British forces and clashed with rearguards at Sidi Omar , Mersa Matruh until reaching El Alamein in Egypt. On 1 July 1942

629-645: The German-Italian Panzer Group Africa counterattacked on 21 January 1942 and drove British forces back to Ain el Gazala . On 26 May 1942 Axis forced commenced the Battle of Gazala . The plan was for the German divisions to outflank the British defenders by marching through the desert to the South of Bir Hakeim, with the two divisions of the Italian XX Army Corps covering the Germans left flank:

666-529: The German-Italian Panzer Army, was now redesignated as the Italian 1st Army and put under the command of Italian general Giovanni Messe . Rommel, meanwhile, was placed in command of a new Army Group Africa, created to control both the Italian 1st Army and the 5th Panzer Army. The remnants of the Afrika Korps and surviving units of the 1st Italian Army retreated into Tunisia. Command of the Army Group

703-588: The I Battalion "Trieste", while the "Granatieri di Sardegna" battalion changed its number to II Battalion. The regiment then received the III Battalion "Folgore", which had been formed with the survivors of the 185th Infantry Division "Folgore" . The division then fought in the Battle of Medenine , the Battle of the Mareth Line , and the Battle of Wadi Akarit , before retreating to the Enfidaville Line . There

740-715: The Libyan coast. This violence and persecution only came to an end with the arrival of General Montgomery in Tripoli on 23 January 1943. According to Maurice Remy, although there were antisemitic individuals in the Afrika Korps, actual cases of abuse are not known, even against the Jewish soldiers of the Eighth Army. Remy quotes Isaac Levy, the Senior Jewish Chaplain of the Eighth Army, as saying that he had never seen "any sign or hint that

777-532: The Panzer Group was activated with Rommel in command, and command of the Afrika Korps was turned over to Ludwig Crüwell . The Panzer Group comprised the Afrika Korps, with some additional German units now in North Africa, plus two corps of Italian units. The Panzer Group was, in turn, redesignated as Panzer Army Africa on 30 January 1942. After the German and Italian defeat in the Second Battle of El Alamein and

SECTION 20

#1732854936599

814-458: The Trieste's two infantry regiments were reorganized and brought back up to combat strength by accumulating the survivors of other divisions. On 11-18 December 1942 the Trieste participated in the Battle of El Agheila , after which Axis forces resumed their retreat towards Tunisia where the Trieste participated in the Tunisian Campaign . In February 1943 the two fusilier battalions of the 66th Motorized Infantry Regiment "Trieste" merged and formed

851-464: The besieging forces right flank. The division then moved to Bir Hakeim to block British attacks from the southeastern desert. On 18 November 1941 the British Eighth Army launched Operation Crusader to relieve the siege of Tobruk. By 23 November the Trieste, together with the 55th Infantry Division "Savona" , and 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" had knocked out about 200 British tanks, and

888-604: The deportation of the Jews of Cyrenaica in the concentration camp of Giado and other smaller towns in Tripolitania. This measure was accompanied by shooting, also in Benghazi, of some Jews guilty of having welcomed the British troops, on their arrival, treating them as liberators." Gershom states that Italian authorities were responsible for bringing Jews into their concentration camps, which were "not built to exterminate its inmates", yet as

925-492: The division ceded the 62nd Infantry Regiment to the Trento division. On 6 May 1937 the division received the 66th Infantry Regiment "Valtellina" from the 16th Infantry Division "Fossalta" . On 15 May 1937 the division ceded the 61st Infantry Regiment to the Trento division. The division was then motorized and changed its name to 8th Motorized Division "Po". In 1938 the division received the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment . On 2 January 1939

962-474: The division changed its number to 101st and on 4 April the division received the name "Trieste". On the same date the 65th and 66th infantry regiments, and the 21st artillery regiment changed their names to "Trieste". On 10 June 1940 Italy entered World War II and began to invade France . The Trieste and the 133rd Armored Division "Littorio" were sent to the Aosta Valley to exploit a planned breakthrough at

999-570: The division surrendered on 13 May 1943 to allied forces. Attached to the division during 1942: Attached to the division during the Tunisian Campaign : For its conduct during the Western Desert campaign the President of Italy awarded on 7 December 1951 to the 66th Infantry Regiment "Trieste" Italy's highest military honor, the Gold Medal of Military Valor . The division's artillery regiment,

1036-605: The duration. The Afrikakorps was the major German component of Panzerarmee Afrika , which was later renamed the Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee and finally renamed Heeresgruppe Afrika (Army Group Africa) during the 27 months of the Desert campaign. The Afrika Korps gained a reputation by the Allies and by many historians as being magnanimous with Allied prisoners of war; since then many historians have used

1073-733: The end of their time in Libya, this strategic economic arrangement led the Germans to perceive the Jews as similar to the native Muslims and they therefore regarded the Jews to be less threatening than their brethren in Europe." Certain divisions were re-formed in Europe after the cessation of fighting in Tunisia: Original units: Replacement units: Artillery: (some original units, some replacements) Outside units: 101 Motorised Division Trieste 101st Motorized Division "Trieste" ( Italian : 101ª Divisione motorizzata "Trieste" )

1110-577: The hands of the Italian administration, including a Schutzstaffel and SD detachment. Robert Satloff described in his book Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust's Long Reach into Arab Lands that as the German and Italian forces retreated across Libya towards Tunisia, the Jewish population became victims upon which they released their anger and frustration. According to Satloff, Afrika Korps soldiers plundered Jewish property all along

1147-641: The laws of war. But nobody worried that the Italians who sent Jews to concentration camps in Libya, would invade British-held Egypt, let alone Mandatory Palestine." According to Maurice Roumani, "Libyan Jews noted that in daily matters, the Germans largely acted out of pragmatic economic interest rather than adopting the political and ideological practices known elsewhere. The German authorities found Libyan Jews well equipped with goods they needed for their military activities. The Jews complied with their demands, some out of fear and others out of strict economic interest. By

DAK (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-526: The rugged and snowy terrain. French anti-tank gunners then destroyed a number of Italian tankettes and the battalion withdrew. The same day the Franco-Italian Armistice came into effect and the war ended. In November 1940 the bulk of the division moved to Salerno in Campania , while the division's command and artillery regiment were sent to Albania to shore up the crumbling Italian forces during

1221-457: The soldiers [of the Afrika Korps] are antisemitic." The Telegraph comments: "Accounts suggest that it was not Field Marshal Erwin Rommel but the ruthless SS-Standartenführer Walter Rauff who stripped Tunisian Jews of their wealth." Giordana Terracina writes that: "On April 3, the Italians recaptured Benghazi and a few months later the Afrika Korps led by Rommel was sent to Libya and began

1258-556: The term "War without hate" to describe the North African campaign as a whole. However, Jewish people suffered during the fascist regime laws, and the local administration took part in the Holocaust deporting some thousands of Jews to Italy, under the supervision of Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring , Wehrmacht commander of the Axis in the Mediterranean theater . Others suffered from forced labour and ill treatment at

1295-515: The water and food supply was meager, were not built to keep humans alive either. Also according to Gershom, the German consul in Tripoli knew about the process and trucks used to transport supply to Rommel were sometimes used to transport Jews, despite all problems the German forces were having. The Jerusalem Post' s review of Gershom Gorenberg's War of shadows writes that: "The Italians were far more brutal with civilians, including Libyan Jews, than Rommel’s Afrika Korps, which by all accounts abided by

1332-585: Was a motorized infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II . The Trieste was formed in 1939 and named for the city of Trieste . The division and its infantry and artillery regiments were based in Piacenza , while the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment was based until 1940 in Treviso and then moved to Cremona to be closer to the division. In September 1941 the Trieste was transferred to Libya for

1369-679: Was turned over to Arnim in March. On 13 May, the Afrika Korps surrendered, along with all other remaining Axis forces in North Africa. Most Afrika Korps prisoners of war (POW) were transported to the United States and held in Camp Shelby in Mississippi, Camp Hearne in Texas and other POW camps until the end of the war. When Rommel was promoted to the newly formed Panzer Army Africa , his command included

#598401