The Life and Death of the Afrika Korps

by Ronald Lewin

Well-adapted to its environment and with its passionate sense of self-identity and inner unity, the Afrika Korps was a smooth-functioning and militarily efficient fighting force. Since it had the social characteristics of a well-ordered family, Ronald Lewin has written this book as a biography. From February 1941 when Rommel arrived in Tunisia, the author tells the story of a long succession of engagements between the Desert Rats and the Afrika Korps fought in the laboratory-like conditions of the desert. It is a story of sustained bravery on both sides, of high military professionalism on the part of the Germans and of a frequent amateurishness on the part of the British, which ended only with the arrival of General Bernard Montgomery and sufficient matEriel and the Desert Air Force winning superiority in the skies over the Western Desert. The author's grasp of his subject and his great skill in describing it make a gripping narrative.

Genres: History, World War II, Military Fiction, Germany, Military History

207 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1977

About the author

Ronald Lewin was a British military historian, radio producer and publishing editor who has wrote several books on World War II and several of the WWII commanders like Lieut-General Vyvyan Pope, Montgomery and Rommel.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good popular history about WWII's theatre in Africa. Includes a plethora of pictures.

[Mac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bust.

In the 1970s this would have been prime reading but we now know that this affinity for infatuation with the DAK and other German units was often exaggerated or misplaced. Even if you disagree with that statement, this is light and fluffy writing that never goes deep enough to be real history. More recent works on the war in North Africa do a much better job in every way.

Lewin also relies too heavily on a few select sources, such as Schmidt's memoirs. This is easily noticeable if you have read such works.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a heads up, this is not light reading by any means. Mr. Lewin has crafted a very in-depth study of the Afrika Korps, its leadership, victories, and defeat. While it is not laid out like a traditional textbook, this needs to be read by anyone wanting to be conversant in the WWII African Fighting, warfighting tactics in general, and desert fighting tactics specifically when it comes to tanks and armored vehicles.

For those of you wanting an in-depth study of Rommel, you won't find it here. What you will find is (IMHO) a very good breakdown of the man's personality as it relates to his military leadership style and how he turned a decent group of fighting units into an amazing group that is still spoken of with awe by experts in the field today.

The author also is very honest in the failures of the Korps, its allies, and enemies as well. While some armchair generals and historians try to use the lack of a reliable supply-chain as the only reason Rommel failed at various times, Mr. Lewin is honest in those situations where Rommel did not take advantage of situations or misread them completely. The same applies to his Italian allies where they failed (not always) and where the British just couldn't seem to get their act together.

If you have any interest in these subjects, then this book is for you. It may just take you some time to get through it.

Find it. Buy it. Read it!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather than a history of the Afrika Korps, Mr. Lewin provides a concise analysis of Rommel's actions in North Africa. Each movement and battle is presented as what happened along with what could have happened. I found this to be one the clearest books on the North African campaign.