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.
General
der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches
Afrikakorps) sitting in the rooftop of "Max", a captured AEC Armoured
command vehicle captured from the British. With his is unknown Italian
officer. Standing in waiting beside "Max" is Rommel's adjutant,
Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Schraepler. The picture was possibly taken in the
summer of 1941.
Shortly
after his arrival in North Africa, Erwin Rommel had quick successes and
by April 1941 its Afrikakorps capturing many British and allied
vehicles along the way, especially trucks, which he sorely needed for
his advance. Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3, for example, managed to captured
at Mechili two British generals and three AEC Armoured Command Vehicles:
Lieutenant-General Philip Neame (8th Army Cmmander) and his assistant
commander, Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor, plus Major-General
Michael Gambier-Parry, commander of 2nd Armoured.Division. Although the
capture was a formidable propaganda coup for the Germans, for Rommel,
the capture of Both vehicle was welcome as they were spacious,
comfortable, had good radios and were well tailored for off-roads
conditions in North Africa. Former O'Connor's vehicle (L4426425) was
named "Max", and "Moritz" was given to Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell's
vehicle, Generalmajor Johannes Streich using a third one. Rommel's "Max"
was disabled in September 1941 and abandoned, Rommel returning to his
Opel Blitz Bus.
AEC Armoured Command Vehicle itself was a series
of command vehicles built by the British Associated Equipment Company.
During the Second World War, the United Kingdom was the only country to
develop and widely employ purpose-built armoured command vehicles. Those
were essentially armoured buses based on truck chassis.
The most
common ACV of the British Army was the AEC 4x4 ACV. The vehicle, based
on AEC Matador chassis, entered production in 1941. A total of about 415
units were built. The vehicle was used for the first time in the North
African Campaign and remained in service until the end of the war. Big
and comfortable, it was nicknamed Dorchester by the troops, after the
luxury hotel in London. Three ACVs of this type were captured by the
German Afrika Korps. Two of them, named "Max" and "Moritz", were
employed by Rommel and his staff throughout the campaign.
Source :
Jim Haley photo collectio
https://www.o5m6.de/wehrmacht/wm_na_romcars.phpn
https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/AEC-4x4-ACV-Dorchester.php
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".
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.
General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps) directs the movements of his force with Oberst Erwin...
