General
der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches
Afrikakorps) directs the movements of his force with Oberst Erwin Menny
(Kommandeur 15.Schützen-Brigade / 15.Panzer-Division) in North Africa.
The picture was taken before Menny received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen
Kreuzes (26 December 1941).
Erwin
Rommel conferred with his two officers in the North African desert. As
usual, the Desert Fox is wearing his daughter's scarf and British
captured goggle. No exact information about when or where this pic was
taken.
German armored personnel carriers parked in the North African desert in
June 1942, near Tobruk. The first halftrack on the right is a
communication vehicle (leichter Funkpanzerwagen) Sd.Kfz. 250/3 "Greif" (WH number 937035), which served as a light command headquarters of
Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee "Afrika").
"Greif" is equipped with two radio stations: he large antenna belongs to
a FuG 7 radio station with a range of up to 50 km. The smaller antenna
is FuG 5 radio stations with a range of up to 5 km, which serves for
communication between the machines within the unit. To the left of
Rommel's command vehicle is an armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz. 251
Ausf.B. On the sides of the vehicle there is a design resembling a
makeshift loop-type antenna and a large antenna, which suggests that
this is also a communications vehicle (mittlerer Funkpanzerwagen) Sd.
Kfz. 251/3 Ausf.B (possibly a field conversion of the usual Sd. Kfz.
251/1 into Sd. Kfz. 251/3). The last armored personnel carrier on the
left is Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Ausf.S. The officer holding the map who chats
with Rommel is Oberst Eduard Crasemann (Kommandeur Artillerie-Regiment
33 [motorisiert]). The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Albrecht
Heinrich Otto of PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) "Afrika".
Although in paper the DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps) reported directly to Italian Comando Supremo under Libya General Governor's command, in practice Rommel set the agenda for all military operations in northern Africa. in this picture - taken in the period of April-July 1941 - Italian general Italo Gariboldi (Army Commander of Comando Supremo) is seated to the right of Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps).
The
picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Ernst Alexander Zwilling
(Propaganda-Kompanie Luftwaffe 7) on 12 February 1942, and it shows
Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee "Afrika") with
German and Italian officers, during his visit to the headquarters of
Italian 17° Divisione Autotrasportabile "Pavia" (17th Motorised Division
"Pavia") in El Agheila. In this occasion Rommel took the opportunity to
talk to his Italian allies about the upcoming operational plans. This
picture is also available in the book "Rommel's Italian Generals in
North Africa" by Dr. Libro Di Zinno and Rudy D'Angelo, page 26. There
the authors identify the individual as Generale di Brigata Michelangelo
Nicolini, commander of the army artillery. He was in several pictures
with Rommel. Unfortunately, Nicolini is one general the authors have
noted in several other pictures as mis-identified. This greater focus on
Nicolini could imply a better level of research, but that is only
speculation. Most possible ID is Generale di Brigata Antonio
Franceschini, commander of Pavia Division. On the photo it says Falzoni,
it could have been a garbled version of Falconi and the officer Enzo
Falconi. Only problem is that he was a colonel at the time and commander
of the artillery regiment in the Ariete division. It is the only name
and rank that comes close with the writing. For the German officers
identification (apart from Rommel): fourth from right is Major
Friedrich-Wilhelm von Mellenthin (Ic im Generalstab Panzerarmee
"Afrika"). On his right is Oberleutnant Diekmann, Rommel's aide.
Divisionskommandeur Rommel is having a casual discussion with his officers from the Panzer-Regiment 25 / 7.Panzer-Division near the banks of the river Seine (France), mid-June 1940. From left to right: Major Franz von Lindenau (Kommandeur I.Abteilung /
Panzer -Regiment 25), Oberst Karl Rothenburg (Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment
25), Major Casimir Kentel (Kommandeur II.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment
25), Hauptmann Adelbert Schulz (Chef 1.Kompanie / I.Abteilung /
Panzer-Regiment 25), Generalmajor Erwin Rommel (Kommandeur 7.
Panzer-Division), and Major iG Otto Heidkämper (Ia Erster
Generalstabsoffizier 7. Panzer-Division). In the Battle of France, 7.
Panzer-Division was equipped with outdated Czechoslovakian tanks (some
of them are visible in the background). The division, resuming its advance on 5 June, drove for the River Seine to secure the bridges near Rouen. Advancing 100 kilometres (62 mi) in two days, the division reached Rouen to find the bridges destroyed. From here they moved north, blocking the westward route to Le Havre and the Operation Cycle evacuations and forcing over 10,000 men of the 51st (Highland) Division, French 9th Army Corps and other supporting troops to surrender at Saint-Valery-en-Caux on 12 June. General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps) directs the movements of his force with Oberst Erwin...
