A dolf Hitler and the military leaders of his Nazi regime viewed the men of Mussolini’s Italian forces, often badly equipped, overly aged and frequently demoralized, as too weak to combat the British Army in North Africa. Wanting supreme control of the Mediterranean for its resources and strategic value, Hitler feared that if this area were conquered by the Allies, it would (and actually did) become a gateway for air and sea attacks in Italy, Greece and other areas occupied by the Axis powers. To bolster the Fascist troops and hold the British and their Allies at bay, Hitler authorized the forming of an expeditionary group, the “Deutsches Afrikakorps” (DAK - German Africa Corps) on Jan. 11, 1941.
This highly mobile, desert armored and
