Afrikakorps Pith Helmet badges

Afrikakorps Pith Helmet badges

German soldiers pair of Pith helmet badges , which were recovered in 2023 during building works on the site of an old German factory in Berlin, which belonged to one of the main manufactures , Landers who were part of the cooperative that made Army uniforms for the Afrikakorps from 1940-1943. These badges were never issued to soldiers as they were made but never used properly because of the German Afrikakorps surrender in Tunisia in 1943.

Afrikakorps Pith Helmet badges

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 a personal staff officer of Werner von Fritsch until von Fritsch was dismissed in 1938.^[2]

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 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, the Afrika Korps consisted of the two divisions, and was subordinated to the Italian chain of command in Africa.^[3]