Editing Afrika Korps (section)

==History==
===Organization===
The Afrika Korps formed on 11 January 1941 and one of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s favourite generals, [[Erwin Rommel]], was designated as commander on 11 February. Originally [[Hans von Funck]] was to have commanded it, but Hitler loathed von Funck, as he had been a personal staff officer of [[Werner von Fritsch]] until von Fritsch was dismissed in 1938.<ref>{{cite book |last= Beevor |author-link= Antony Beevor |first= Antony |title= D-Day: The Battle for Normandy |url= https://archive.org/details/ddaybattlefornor00beev_164|url-access= limited|year= 2009 |publisher= Viking |location= London |isbn= 978-0-670-88703-3 |page= [https://archive.org/details/ddaybattlefornor00beev_164/page/n126 405] }}</ref>

The German Armed Forces High Command (''{{Lang|de|[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]]}}'', OKW) had decided to send a "blocking force" to [[Italian Libya]] to support the [[Regio Esercito|Italian army]]. The [[Tenth Army (Italy)|Italian 10th Army]] had been routed by the British Commonwealth [[Western Desert Force]] in [[Operation Compass]] (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) and captured at the [[Battle of Beda Fomm]]. The German blocking force, commanded by Rommel, at first consisted of a force based only on Panzer Regiment 5, which was put together from the second regiment of the [[3rd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|3rd Panzer Division]]. These elements were organized into the [[German 5th Light Division|5th Light Division]] when they arrived in Africa from 10 February – 12 March 1941. In late April and into May, the 5th Light Division was joined by elements of [[15th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|15th Panzer Division]], transferred from Italy. At this time, the Afrika Korps consisted of the two divisions, and was subordinated to the Italian [[command hierarchy|chain of command]] in Africa.<ref name="Battistelli2013">{{cite book|author=Pier Paolo Battistelli|title=Rommel's Afrika Korps: Tobruk to El Alamein|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BqSdCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|date=20 January 2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4728-0081-7|pages=12–}}</ref>

On 15 August 1941, the German 5th Light Division was redesignated 21st Panzer Division, the higher formation of which was still the Afrika Korps. During the summer of 1941, the OKW increased the presence in Africa and created a new headquarters called [[German Panzer Group Africa|Panzer Group Africa]]. On 15 August, the Panzer Group was activated with Rommel in command, and command of the Afrika Korps was turned over to [[Ludwig Crüwell]]. The Panzer Group comprised the Afrika Korps, with some additional German units now in North Africa, plus two corps of Italian units. The Panzer Group was, in turn, redesignated as Panzer Army Africa on 30 January 1942.<ref name="Gudmundsson2016">{{cite book|author=Bruce Gudmundsson|title=Inside the Afrika Korps: The Crusader Battles, 1941-1942|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y5ITDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA5|date=30 August 2016|publisher=Frontline Books|isbn=978-1-84832-996-6|pages=19–}}</ref>

After the German and Italian defeat in the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]] and the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] landings in Morocco and Algeria ([[Operation Torch]]), the OKW once more upgraded the presence in Africa by adding first the [[German XC Army Corps|XC Army Corps]], under [[Walter Nehring]], in [[French protectorate of Tunisia|Tunisia]] on 19 November 1942, then an additional [[5th Panzer Army]] on 8 December, under the command of Colonel-General [[Hans-Jürgen von Arnim]].

[[File:DA-SN-85-00876.JPEG|thumb|left|upright|1943 drawing by US army artist [[Rudolph von Ripper]] of Afrika Corps prisoners of war, captioned "laden with the loot of many country's [sic], the Africa-Corps is brought into captivity."]]

On 23 February 1943, the original Panzer Army Africa, which had since been re-styled as the German-Italian Panzer Army, was now redesignated as the [[Italian First Army|Italian 1st Army]] and put under the command of Italian general [[Giovanni Messe]]. Rommel, meanwhile, was placed in command of a new Army Group Africa, created to control both the Italian 1st Army and the 5th Panzer Army. The remnants of the Afrika Korps and surviving units of the 1st Italian Army retreated into Tunisia. Command of the Army Group was turned over to Arnim in March. On 13 May, the Afrika Korps surrendered, along with all other remaining Axis forces in North Africa.

Most Afrika Korps [[prisoners of war]] (POW) were transported to the United States and held in [[Camp Shelby]] in Mississippi, [[Camp Hearne]] in Texas and other POW camps until the end of the war.{{sfn|Beasley|2010|p=262}}