DAK was lead by someone else than Rommel?

Hitler was considering the choice who would command the DAK (Deutsches Afrika Korps-German Afrika Korps): Maj. General Hans von Funk, a Prussian aristocrat, whos negative report that Libya was lost led him to be dissmissed. Next Hitler thought of Lt. General Erich von Manstein, who deviesed the invasion of France, but he was a too valuable component of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia.Or Eduard Dietl, who had impressed him in the Narvik campaign in Norway.Or Rommel.Hitler said, I picked Rommel because he knows how to inspire his troops, just like Dietl up in Narvik. This is absolutely essential for the commander of a force that has to fight under particularly arduous climatic conditions as in North Africa or the Arctic."

So what if Hitler had chosen von Manstein? Or Dietl instead.How do you think would it have been in North Africa for the Axis troops? Thoughts?

 

Manstein would have done better than Rommel, since his strategic skills were much better than Rommel's, and his tactics were just as good. Also Manstein had none of Rommel's tendencies toward recklessness and opportunistic gambling, which Rommel was prone to fall into whenever his available intel about the enemy was poor (as it often was in the desert).

However Manstein's ability to inspire his men through personal example was probably less than Rommel's.

Rommel was basically a general that thought and acted like a junior officer, and was often to be found at the forward edge of the battle. This greatly inspired his troops, but often he was at the front when he should have been in his headquarters making decisions. Rommel's staff officers often had to make high-level decisions on their own when this happened.

Dietl was certainly courageous, was one of the few German generals that could stand up to Hitler and get away with it, and had all of Rommel's drive, but I'm not certain that his tactical skill was any better than Rommel's.

 

Yes, quite tricky this one.

Lately I have read on the DAK and concentrated on the Italian-German relationship.Something that Rommel should have dealt better with. By abusing them he only made things worse, well I don´t know if it´s good to have Italian generals as your enemy as your troops are not very big in numbers, and you need all the forces possible and the support as well. Just like the thing with Italian lorries ( some 2500 ) in stock, probably just there because they did not want to help"Rommel especially".

The first in command was the Italian marshal Ettore Bastico who was only teoretical commander ."In fact the real commander was general Erwin Rommel (later promoted to feldmarshal) who often called his Italian colleague - "Bombastico". "

AS well Rommel did not do it easier for him whining about the number of his tanks, poor oil situation and Italian attituide by sending telegrams every day to Hitler, and the real emergency situations ( when you should have sent telegrams ) were not understood by Hitler and staff.

Rommel´s gaming was based on deception and in the southern wing to drive through, often with quite alot on stake-the whole DAK. Then again the 88 tactics beat the living **** out of Ritchie and other generals some 5-6 times. Don´t know if with actually one (15.) German panzer division you could make more than Rommel?

Of the Generals available I think von Manstein could have done as well or better. He might have changed Hitler´s interest to Libya and gotten more troops, as well I am quite sure he would have done better with Italians and with the respect I am sure they would have done better there as well. The Italian troops of the first battles had obsolete weapons but as Rommel entered the scene some first class divisions were sent as well to help him. The Italian battle machine as inspired to the best would have kicked the allied hard, I am sure. This would have meant some close interaction with the Germans and Italians and Rommel was not capable of this...

Dietl was already posted to other important things and I don´t think he could have been taken to Afrika.

 

My dear Kai:

You are forgetting that Hitler didn't decide this general's matter by his own. Only in a small scale (at least in early 1941). These matters were decided by the OKH Chief of Staff, Generaloberst Franz Halder. And Halder, as conservative as he was did not like 'the young and crazy officers' at all, such as Rommel or Dietl or the not so young, but crazier Manstein or Guderian. When Rommel was appointed commander of the DAK in February 6th 1941 he was told by Halder and Brauchitsch that he was going to be there to help the Italians to hold, because he was going to have very limited resources. As we all know he did not do that. He attacked and disobeyed. And won. But that was contradictory to the orders of the OKH and Commando Supremo. Halder immediately thought of replacing this insubordite officer with another officer, more conservative, more obidient, another Halder. He chose the perfect man: Generalleutnant Friedrich Paulus, who was sent to North Africa in late April 1941 to evaluate the situation and tell Rommel what to do. I mean, Paulus was sent with Halder's authority. But GL Rommel, as usual only diverted Paulus and told him a lot of stuff to get him confused. He had already done this with his Italian senior officers; confusing, yelling and humilliating them to gain the supreme authority. Paulus himself eyewitnessed Rommel's charge against Tobrouk and said: "This man has enormous qualities, but the war in Africa will need more resources". But Halder was optimistic about appointing Paulus as commander in chief of the DAK, because Halder would be the one conducting operations. However, Paulus told Halder that he couldn't take command of the Dak because of 'personnal reasons'. His wife, Elena Rosetti-Solescu told him: "Africa?! Are you nuts?! There's is any chance that your name would be made famous in there!!!" (...) And Paulus refused to take command. This is a very interesting chapter of the DAK History, and I am very versed in it because my grandfather, at the time an Oberleutnant had left the 9th Panzerdivision to take GL Paulus to Africa, being personnal assistant to him and a liaison to the DAK and the Italian troops (he speaks Italian). I have a wonderful photo, I wish I could scan and post it, there are GLs Rommel and Paulus, other DAK generals, Italian generals, other officers and my grandfather and it has authographs!!!

I think that Rommel, even with all his flaws and lack of strategical hability was the perfect man to lead the DAK, because he inspired his men and the DAk men didn't have inspiration with thier homes so far away... He was oportunistic and knew how to do a lot with very little. He also had guts to gain freedom of leadership when he had none. Hitler, Mussolini, Bastico, Gariboldi, Halder, Brauchitsch, Keitel, Kesselring... They were supossed to give orders to Rommel. But Rommel did exactly what he wanted. The correct to do. He did see the situation as it was, the others did not. And I think that was his best achievement.

He was very good. And even if we portrait him as the most charming and colourful German general he was a tyran who yelled to everybody, sometimes insulted and who was hated by his officers (although they would have followed him to hell). He was all but a charming man.

 

Indeed Friedrich,

you´re right on the part that Hitler was not the man to choose the leader of DAK by himself. Of course not. Thanx for correcting! And yes, I just read on Paulus being sent to Africa and he also had Halder´s acceptance to take over from Rommel if he considered this necessary....

 

You can read more details in Paulus' biography which is somewhere in "WW2 general" inj this forum, written by Mr. bad writer, alias "Friedrich H".

[ 24. November 2002, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: General der Infanterie Friedrich H ]

 

Agree with you here, Friedrich.

Due to the very peculiar nature of the desert situation, Rommel's dynamic and forceful personality inspired the DAK to achieve more than, perhaps, by rights they should.

To Hitler this theatre of operations was always going to be a 'sideshow' and therefore the more 'strategically-minded' generals would have realised this much quicker and settled for less.

 

Hans von Funk

This man to lead DAK? And no Rommel stories to talk about then...