Rommel Landing in his Storch... Begleitkommando awaiting his arrival... and more...
Rommel's First base in Acroma... the start of the Kampfstaffel...
Above, you can see Rommel's Omnibus and AEC Dorchester (Still marked "White 1" as in the low resolution and purposely blurred photo [because of web borrowing] before being renamed MAX) You can also see the Sd.Kfz.261 to the upper right in the above photo and below more explanation in the third and fourth photographs below...
To understand the Kampfstaffel Rommel the investigator must look to the efforts of Hauptman Rudolf Kiehl (October 25, 1911- Killed September 4, 1942 at Alam Halfa), a Knights Cross recipient (July 6, 1942), whom was the commander of the ~400 member group that was set around to service and protect Rommel and to Oberstleutnant Franz Medicus, whom won the Knight's Cross on April 16, 1943 while commander of the Kampfstaffel OB Hgr. (Rommel) Afrika or Combat Echelon of the Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Africa with the rank of Major. Medicus was responsible for the expanded command of the Kampfstaffel and the associated components aftter the death of Kiehl at Alam Halfa. . The nomenclature can be confusing between the 'Begleitkommando Rommel' & 'Kampfstaffel OB Hgr. (Rommel) Afrika / Kampfstaffel (Rommel) DAK'... and the later change for a part of the unit and materials attached to Kampfgruppe Kiehl... when he was assigned the duty of 'rear guard'. An associated entourage of vehicles and soldiers were constantly around Rommel as both his protection and his 'eyes & ears' as a communication or reconnaissance network. At different points during Rommel's stay in command with the inherent component makeup changes for this 'protection unit'. Rommel 'cherry picked' vehicles (see Rommel's Rarities) to attach to this unit and would use them as a strongpoint or rallying device at times during battles. Rommel formed "the Commander-in-Chief's combat echelon" or 'Begleitkommando Rommel and the Kampfstaffel DAK' and placed it under Hauptmann Kiehl. Soon the unit grew in status and fielded equipment to be known simply as "Combat Echelon Kiehl" or Kampfgruppe Kiehl. Kiehl's Begleitkommando unit followed Rommel around like his shadow. Additionally, Oberstleutnant Franz Medicus commanded, Kampfstaffel OB Hgr. Afrika, it was basically, only initially equipped with 50mm anti-tank and 20mm light anti-aircraft guns, as well as an armored reconnaissance platoon. Other 'booty' or 'beute' vehicles were to added to the force and a minor contingent of Befehlspanzer III's and PIII's of varying types were acquired or patched together to add to the strength of the unit. The unit acquired or rebuilt a number of Pz.Kpfw. III's and picked up or salvaged a group of some 20 British Honeys, several Matildas (some reports show as many as eleven were used) and at least three Crusaders (one without turret). These were reconditioned, repainted with Balkenkreuz and put back into service with the DAK. Other vehicles were added over time and this Kiehl force became an effective 'tool' in Rommel's arsenal. Medicus as the leader of Rommel's Kampfstaffel or Combat Echelon was always at the forefront of the action. On several occasions he had to save Rommel's skin when the field marshal ventured too far to the front. Several times he was placed in command of a battle group, for example in the assault on the French-manned fortress of Bir Hacheim. Medicus distinguished himself several times in the El Alamein area. He held one position near El Alamein for a week against superior enemy forces. Following the retreat from Libya, Medicus saw action in Tunisia. Once again he held a decisive position, the Maknassy Pass, for a week, this time with only slightly more than a hundred men. With him was Oberleutnant Harro Brenner.The German infantrymen, pioneers and a few still-operational antitank guns held off two American regiments. Major Medicus ran from foxhole to foxhole, encouraging his soldiers. An incursion on the left flank was eliminated. The next day the enemy broke in on the right flank. The defenders used rifles, hand grenades and anti-tank mines to repel heavy assaults by enemy armor and infantry. After seven days and nights, reinforcements finally arrived to secure the important position. For these particular actions and also their service after the death of Kiehl both Medicus and Brenner were both awarded the Knight's Cross.
Kiehl was also decisive in effectuating Rommel's deceptive measures to confuse the opposition about the true number of AFRIKAKORPS forces... workshops were commissioned three miles south of Tripoli to produce large numbers of 'dummy tank bodies' to mount on Kubelwagens... in at least three different times during the NA Campaign various deceptive tricks as these were used... even the British "ULTRA" decrypts and the reading of German 'Enigma' messages back to Germany did not help to unravel the confusion these measures caused.
Some researchers are now coming under the belief that many of the 'Beute' or captured vehicles seen in service, in many DAK photos, were attached to Kiehl's Begleitkommando Rommel / Kampfstaffel DAK so as to confuse the enemy as to the whereabouts of Rommel and to add 'firepower to his protection force. The limited ability to intermix vehicle types and to keep them in service in the harsh climatic conditions of the desert brings commonsense to this thought. Using Begleitkommando Rommel / Kampfstaffel DAK / AFRIKAKORPS Stab Kampfgruppe as a collecting point for these vehicles (from each of the Panzer Divisions in the AFRIKAKORPS or later the Panzer Armee AFRIKA ) would be an easy system for assimilating them into a usable force. So you see in many AFRIKAKORPS photos the collection and examination of vehicles for serviceable types, the collecting of intelligence information from the vehicles, and the obtaining or both fuel and spare parts or even the vehicles themselves. It is quite noticeable in photographs to find Rommel in his GREIF marked Sd.Kfz.250/3 or his Kfz.15 being flanked by Sd.Kfz.251's and the 'Beute' British FAT marked with a swastika on the sides loaded with his own personal gear, his own personal items trailer, a Balkenkreuz marked Universal Carrier, Matilda, Crusader, etc. Captured 'Softskins' do not appear to have been distributed or collected into a centralized entity but used like a 'finders/keepers rule'.
Note the 3 different types of Balkenkreuz
The Begleitkommando Rommel was actually a select group or combat force within this Kampfstaffel (technically)... three Knights Crosses were awarded from this very small at less than 400-500 man unit.
Major Franz Medicus (Begleitkommando Rommel/Kampfstaffel OB Hgr. Afrika or Commander of the Combat Echelon of the Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Africa)
Oberleutnant Harro Brenner (Leader of the Infantry company of Kampfstaffel DAK or Combat Echelon "AFRIKA")
Remember that the AFRIKAKORPS Stab Kampfgruppe was officially formed on or near April 14, 1942 per the army message to the German War ministry... it consisted 'Officially' of
2./FlaK-Abteilung 606
1 Zug/Panzerjäger-Abteilung 39
1 Panzer-Zug (5 Pz.Kpfw.II's)
1 Zug 1./Pioneere-Battaillon 33
1 Panzerspahwagen-Zug/ Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3
There is some conjectural evidence that Rommel's Higher Level communication network "Nachrichten" and his Begleitkommando surrounding him used some specific markings at times during the NA Campaign.
This is seen on a 'rarely' photographed Sd.Kfz.261
Again this marking used on a Phänomen Granit 25 H Ambulance Kfz.31 seen adjacent to Rommel's Sd.Kfz. 251 GREIF during the battles for Tobruk in the summer of 1942.
Below is a cropped photo of the Phänomen Granit 25 H Ambulance Kfz.31 (A Kübelwagen is in the lead in the original photo with a Red Cross flag...)
Several photos show this Sd.Kfz.251/17 and Sd.Kfz.263 at an airfield or landing zone waiting for Rommel's Fiesler Storch to set down...
A commonly reproduced photo of Rommel eating his can of 'beute' "Selected Fruits"... grapefruit slices... with areas of Tobruk burning behind him! The FAT to left is a new found part of Kiehl's group and you might just notice behind that one is another FAT but you only see Rommel's personal items trailer it is towing behind... it is shown in the photograph after this one... one of the FAT's has a sand trough and the other does not... the Sd.Kfz.251 to right in this photo has an even more interesting story to be told on another page of this website.
This second FAT in the group is of particular interest to myself and the completion of my book on Rommel's Rides... this particular "Beute" and Swastika marked FAT has Rommel's cot, even his folding chair and folding map/card table (at the top front) seen often in other photographs of Rommel's AEC Dorchester (Mammoth) MAX's in the roof rack on the right top side in other photos. Further, it is hauling Rommel's own personal items trailer... converted from an ammunition trailer... to hold his records, maps, secret communications, etc...
More gear for the 'group' and the field modified 'mattress' antenna carried on this often photographed 'Kom' Sd.Kfz.251. A series of photos with Bismarck and Rommel meeting and more of the Begleitkommando... later!
This idea of 'Beute' goods centralization makes perfect sense as Kiehl could then use the captured vehicles for both more deceptive reconnaissance duties and for additional firepower support in his group.
The Kampfstaffel in low-resolution photos...
A Crusader without turret used as a Begleitkommado Rommel water and food delivery vehicle
A unique "AFRIKA" PIII seen adjacent to Rommel's GREIF Sd.Kfz.250 & also his Kfz.15 staff car "White 4"
Rommel left Africa for the last time on March 9, 1943 from an airport near Sfax, Tunisia. There were only thirteen members left of his 2./Panzer Kompanie/Kampfstaffel DAK or the old hands from his Begleitkommando. Rommel wrote repatriation orders to evacuate them back to Germany. Two days later, March 11, 1943, they were assigned transport and headed home. One member of this elite troop, Dieter Hellreigel, stated that this personal gesture from their commander showed more about the quality of caring that Rommel had for his men than mere talk would ever show. We can thank Dieter for some of the only existing photos surviving of the activities of the protection group for Rommel!
The Honey's were a beutepanzer zug to Kampfstaffel Kiehl, sometimes referred to as Kampfgruppe Kiehl. Kampfstaffel Kiehl often acted as a rearguard element on the long retreat with Aufklärung Abteilung 3 and in their heyday were often arm in arm with 90./ leichte PD and various Italian armoured divisions.
Note the 3 different types of Balkenkreuz
This is seen on a 'rarely' photographed Sd.Kfz.261
Several photos show this Sd.Kfz.251/17 and Sd.Kfz.263 at an airfield or landing zone waiting for Rommel's Fiesler Storch to set down...
Luglio
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