Description
Due to the limitations of the Versailles Treaty of 1919, the German army could not develop many means of reconnaissance or communication, and for this reason, among others, in the 1920s, they put emphasis on the development of heavy motorcycles with good or very good road and off-road performance. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, the process did not stop, but it actually accelerated. He led to the introduction in the 1930s and during World War II of such successful designs as the BMW R-12, BMW R75 or Zündapp KS 750. It is worth adding that motorcycles in the German army very often had a sidecar, intended for a soldier with a machine gun. Motorcycles in the German army proved themselves particularly well in the initial period of World War II, especially in the course of fighting in Poland (1939), France (1940), but also in North Africa (1941-1943). They were used primarily for reconnaissance operations, sometimes in the rear of the enemy army, and for liaison tasks.
Afrika Korps (full German name: Deutsches Afrikakorps, abbreviated as DAK) is colloquially understood as the collective name of German land units fighting in North Africa in 1941-1943. The Afrika Korps was formed in February 1941, as a result of the painful defeats suffered by the Italian army during the battles with the British in Africa at the turn of 1940/1941. His main task was to come to the aid of the Italian ally and stop the advance of British troops in Libya. The commander of the unit was a general, and later a field marshal, Erwin Rommel. Initially, the DAK consisted of only the 5th Light Division (later transformed into the 21st Armored Division), in May 1941 it was joined by the 15th Armored Division, and at the end of 1941 - the 90th Light Division. It is worth adding that already in the middle of 1941 the Panzergruppe Afrika was founded, headed by Erwin Rommel, and it was joined by Afrika Korps. Despite the defensive tasks, the DAK (or more broadly the Panzergruppe Afrika) very quickly after landing - on the initiative of its commander - went into strictly offensive operations, inflicting a series of defeats in the desert on the British in 1941-1942. However, it was then that its commander was nicknamed the Desert Fox. At the same time, however, from the very beginning, DAK was troubled by supply problems, which had a negative impact on its ability to conduct offensive actions. He suffered a significant defeat during the Second Battle of El Alamein (October-November 1942), which forced the DAK to retreat as far as Tunisia, in which he fought until May 1943.
