Alpine Miniatures 35311 German DAK Panzer Crew Set (2 Figures)

Afrika Korps (full German name: Deutsches Afrikakorps, abbreviated as DAK) is colloquially understood as the collective name of the German ground units that fought 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 battles with the British in Africa in late 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 unit's commander was General, and later Field Marshal, Erwin Rommel. Initially, the DAK consisted only of 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 should be added that already in mid-1941 the Panzergruppe Afrika was founded, headed by Erwin Rommel, which was joined by the 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 on the British in the desert in 1941-1942 . However, it was then that their commander received the nickname Desert Fox. At the same time, the DAK was affected from the beginning by supply problems, which negatively impacted its ability to carry out offensive actions. It suffered a major defeat during the Second Battle of El Alamein (October-November 1942), which forced the DAK to retreat to Tunisia, where it fought until May 1943.