Afrika Corps uniforms and text

The desert campaigns of the Second World War have captured the popular imagination like few others in modern history. This is due in large part to the almost-mythic fame of its commander, the "Desert Fox", Irwin Rommel. But few understand the reasons for his success. The Afrika Corps is a textbook example of why the German Army was able to achieve the success it did, despite its handicaps.

Often outnumbered, usually undersupplied, the Deutsches Afrikakorps succeeded because of the technical superiority of its weaponry, the skill of its leadership, and the élan of its men. And its achievements are truly remarkable: with only three German divisions (the 5th Light – later christened the 15th – the 20th, and 90th Light Divisions), plus six Italian divisions of varying degrees of quality, the Afrika Corps was able to push back a superior Commonwealth force from Tripoli to within a few hundred miles of the Suez Canal, almost ejecting the British from North Africa and its rich oil reserves in the process .

And, despite its defeat, the Afrika Corps tied down the equivalent of more than twenty Commonwealth divisions for a period of two years – nearly half of Britain's operational strength.

Service Dress

The tropical uniform worn by the Afrika Corps varied widely in colour, depending on length of use, different manufacturers' batches, etc.; and the latitude tolerated in the desert armies of other nations was also observed in the German forces. Colours described below are regulation shades.

Upon arrival in North Africa, members of the Afrika Corps seem to have been dressed in the following: an olive green M1940 Tropical tunic; flared olive green breeches that laced at the calf and resembled British jodhpurs; high-laced tropical boots with brown leather feet and reinforcement strips, and olive canvas insteps and legs; and cork helmet.

(The colour resembled British "khaki" or American "olive drab".

Early versions ranged in colour from greenish-brown to dark brown.

Later versions were more standardized.) Unlike forces on the continent during this period, both officers and other ranks wore virtually identical uniforms.

Variation of the helmet plate for the DAK

German pith helmet on issue to the DAK, the Afrika Korps

2nd version of the tropical helmet worn by DAK

The M1940 Tropical tunic was the same in cut as the M1935 uniform. It was thigh length, of olive green cloth, with pleated breast and skirt pockets and five olive-painted metal buttons. The belt habitually worn with this jacket was of olive webbing, with an olive-painted belt buckle exactly like the continental pattern. It was meant to be worn with an olive green shirt and olive tie. The cork helmet was covered in olive cloth (changed to brown in 1942), and worn with painted metal shields pinned to each side, echoing the steel helmet: the black/white/red shield on the right, the eagle and swastika on the left.

The uniform was designed by the Hamburg Tropical Institute, who allegedly chose the British Army in India as its model. If so, the wrong lessons were drawn – both trousers and tunic were cut too snugly for comfort in the heat. Modifications began soon after the Afrika Corps' arrival.

The first thing to go, of course, was the tie, replaced by civilian scarves. As well, shorts and long trousers, worn either gathered at the ankle or confined in short olive web gaiters virtually identical to the British anklet, made their appearance.

The M1940 standard light-olive cotton twill tropical long trousers proved more practical than the breeches. Troops often added tapes to allow the trouser bottoms to be pulled tight over the ankles.

The M1940 tropical shirt, manufactured in light olive cotton drill, was often worn instead of the jacket. It was of pullover type with four small plastic buttons. It had long sleeves and two box-pleated patch pockets with pointed flaps; shoulder straps were the only insignia worn on the shirt.

The pith helmet was rarely worn in action, but can often be seen in photos taken away from the front lines. The normal combat headgear was the standard M1935 steel helmet, painted light sandy yellow or stone. A silver-white Wehrmacht eagle on a black shield – usually stencilled – was sometimes painted on the left side. Unofficially though more often, the DAK vehicle sign, a white palm-tree and swastika, was painted on the right side. Cloth covers made of burlap were also used.

Brown laced ankle-boots made of leather and canvas often replaced the knee-length version. Olive or grey socks were worn, both to ankle and knee length. Officers sometimes wore their black leather continental high-boots.

The almost universal headgear in North Africa was the tropical field cap. This was issued in olive green, but many sandy drill shades were observed; the issue colour faded with use, and the men used to dye the caps a light sand colour as well. This light, stylish peaked cap bore silver piping round the crown seam and round the front "scoop" of the false turn-up for officers. The officers' field-grey peaked cap were also worn occasionally. A lightweight, olive-coloured version of the sidecap was also worn, largely by armoured units; for officers, it bore silver piping exactly as on the continental sidecap.

Insignia

The tropical field cap and sidecap bore the usual national eagle on the front of the crown and the cockade on the front of the false turn-up, the latter often enclosed by and inverted "V" of Waffenfarbe piping. The eagle was in light blue-grey on a tan backing, the cockade in black, white and red on a diamond-shaped tan or olive backing. Officers sometimes worn enlisted men's insignia, sometimes officers'; the latter featured silver-on-tan eagles and the raised black, silver and red cockade with backing normally worn on continental pattern sidecaps.

Above the right breast pocket of the jacket the usual eagle badge appeared in light blue-grey on a tan backing. All ranks wore this, although some officers replaced it with the silver-on-green eagles from their continental uniforms. All ranks below officer wore Litzen collar patches of conventional design but of dull blue-grey colour; these were sewn directly to the collar, with a narrow strip of tan long the middle of each bar and a narrow area of tan showing between the bars.

Officers wore the standard silver-on-green Litzen from their continental uniforms, with Waffenfarbe strips. Enlisted men wore detachable olive cloth shoulder-straps, piped around the edge with conventional Waffenfarbe. Officers wore their normal continental shoulder-straps of silver on Waffenfarbe backing. The Tresse indicating rank on NCOs' shoulder-straps and collars, and the braid of junior NCOs' sleeve chevrons were all of a dull copper-brown shade.

Goggles, with clear or tinted lenses in various patterns, were widely used. Officers sometimes wore their brown frame-buckle belts, sometimes a web belt with a special circular buckle of "Boy Scout" type, in dull bronze or painted olive.

Cuff-titles

The first was introduced on 18 July 1941, and was authorized to be worn by members of the Deutsches Afrika Corps (DAK). It was worn above the right cuff of the jacket by all ranks with at least two months' African service. About 1 1/4 inches (32 mm) wide, this band was completely machine woven , with tan outer edges and silver inner edges. The centre was dark green and bore the silver blocked legend AFRIKAKORPS.

In January 1943 Hitler ordered this to be removed, and another version was instituted on 15 January. It was a soft khaki-green cloth band with the word "AFRIKA" flanked by palm trees in silver-grey cotton thread. The edging was of silver-grey Russia braid.

It replaced the earlier version, and was awarded to those personnel who had served at least six months in the North African theatre (this time restriction was suspended for those wounded in action).

In March eligibility was extended to members of other uniformed branches (including the Fallschirmjagers).

This version was worn on the left cuff of all uniforms, including the greatcoat.

Medal ribbons and metal badges – assault badges, wound badges etc. – were worn on the tropical uniform just as on the continental uniform.

Protective clothing

The M1940 standard tropical greatcoat, essential for frigid desert nights, was made in deep chocolate brown wool. It was of the same cut as the continental version, with two rows of six matt field-grey buttons, a back half-belt secured by two buttons, turn-back cuffs. Either the continental-pattern shoulder straps and sleeve chevrons, or the tropical pattern straps and chevrons and the AFRIKAKORPS and AFRIKA cuff bands were all worn on the coat. It was used by officers and men alike, although some officers used their privately purchased black or dark green leather coats.

In addition, The M1940 standard olive-brown wool pullover, with a roll-neck or turtle-neck, were also worn, often under the tunic.

Armoured Units

In North Africa, 1941-43, Panzer troops wore the same basic uniforms as all other German Army personnel.

The only part of the black uniform sometimes retained in the desert was the side cap, seen in one or two photos of crews otherwise dressed in tropical uniform.

Members of the Panzer units wore the wore the olive shoulder straps with pink piping. Officers wore the pink-backed silver shoulder straps from their European uniforms, and other ranks . All arms, Panzer included, wore the conventional Litzen of the German Army on the collar, in blue-grey on tan brown.

Officers wore their European service dress collar Litzen – silver, with pink "lights", on a dark green backing.

All ranks identified their arm of service by pinning the white metal death's-head from their black European collar patches directly to the cloth of the lower jacket lapel.

These death's-heads, and the pink piping on their shoulder straps., were all that distinguished Panzer troopers' tunics from other branches. The chevron of pink was Waffenfarbe sometimes, but not invariably, worn on the front of the tropical field cap and sidecap. The insignia on these caps were conventional – eagles and cockades – but the former was in blue-grey. Officers had silver woven cap eagles on brown backing, silver crown piping, and the embroidered cockade.

Gallantry and wound decorations were worn on the tropical jacket in the usual way. In fact, the jacket itself was very frequently discarded; in the desert the Panzer crewman's normal dress, except in the cold of night or deep winter, was a field cap, shorts and the short canvas-and-leather boot. Oliver green shirts were worn, sometimes with uniform shoulder straps attached but without other insignia. The jacket sometimes displayed the AFRIKA and AFRIKAKORPS titles. The khaki-brown greatcoat was also worn by Panzer crews.

For all branches, the shade of "olive green" displayed by all items of headgear and uniform varied very widely, from a true green, through every shade of khaki, to a bleached sand yellow: Field caps were often deliberately bleached. As well, all branches made use of captured British tropical clothing: it is not uncommon to see Afrika Corps clothing mixed with British shirts, shorts, socks or boots.