SVBD288 Afrikakorps Officer & Driver Display

[gparmitage]

It is over!

One of the last papers in a large grouping I acquired in the early 80's. It is a shipping manifest dated 4 April 1943 that the Afrikakorp's 90th light has used for a memo sheet towards the end. This has never before been published.

[gparmitage]

1st Assault at El Alamein

Rommel has captured Tobruk. This is the high point of his career. He pushes his tanks and Grenadiers to the point of exhaustion. This is the high tide of the Afrikakoprs.......
Panzer Grenadiers get a briefing about the disposition of British Minefields as they prepare to assault at 1st El Almein. The Baron (and Lt) von Kuskull commands a company of 2 Abt Panzer grenadiers and has scribbled notes on the page. You can sense the intensity of the situation and the exhaustion of the men. When the documents were captured the translator writes in a crimped cursive,"English Methods-Minefields" or did von Kuslull write this?
A very rare bit of Africa....

Gary

[gparmitage]

Afrikakorps Display

This is a shot of my studio shot being taken. You can see the focused collecting towards complete display mannequins.

Gary

[gparmitage]

Ramcke NCO Paratrooper Tunic

I never finished this project. The Para badge is fake but the rest I think was good. It would have taken a child's mannequin to fit the Uniform and the pants we're not the best example but it had the makings of an effective display. The tunic has a laundry mark indicating Hubner Bat. The uniform and wonderful field made cap are long gone.

Gary

[gparmitage]

Ramcke Hubner NCO Tunic

This was a great tunic but...See next post. All original and cufftitle had been removed. Para badge was purchased from a famous dealer and was fake.

Gary

[gparmitage]

DAK Unnusual Kit

You don't see the socks or tropical hankie but here, I think, they are. This one I won't bet the ranch on.

Gary

[gparmitage]

Also Scarf and Ties, see below

Also pictured are trop Scarf and Ties. Didn't se this stuff before? love the hanky....

[gparmitage]

Black Panzer Afrika Title

This title came from a major collection and was removed from a moth eaten Panzer Wrapper. It has solid provence and the overall condition would be tough to fake. I no longer have this item but I thought you'd like to see it. This photo is edited but what you are seeing has never been shown before to the public.

[gparmitage]

EM Tunic Of Panzer Grenadier

Rolf, this is the Officer's Tunic as an Em with Lime Green Soutached EM Visor Cap and Lime Green Boards. This pulls in the modified pants and bleached 2nd pattern High Boots into one shot. I have to admit, it looks good.

Thanks,

Gary

[gparmitage]

Sand Cammo?

The older guys on this site will remeber that everything "Sand Colored" used to be "tropical" and "Afrikakorps" sand. 20 years ago a few DAK collecors got toghther to do a "Study in Sand." we never finished but here is one of the Layout Boards. Some could have been there but what was DAK?
1. Lower Left MG Barrel carrier and Helmet are three color late sand cammo. Morwe greenish I'd say than any DAK Sand. The helmet has a 3 color sand aplplication.
2. Upper left shows "Ordenance Tan." on the equipment but the Luft Helmet, single decal is what? Standard equipment paint color. More tan than DAK sand and very different from 3 color sand.
3. Lower right _ all we could find of the pinkish sands which we considered to be early. No standard color but lighter.
4. Later Muddy Sand from Tunisia. The DAK sands had red in them the others seem more greenish.

I open this up for comment and CS this is in reply to your request. More has come to light since we did this and the readership probably has some more accurate and modern feedback which is most welcome.

Thanks,

Gary

[hcliffe]

Great items Gary, awesome display. good to hear some hisory of "DAK" items you collected over the years. I guess we have evolved to now call some of these items tropical and even some "ordnance tan".

[afrika]

Every post is a surprise and pleasure for us DAK blokes ! Simply incredible pieces !

I have a couple of very special items I will post on this thread a bit later...until then, I sit and watch and wait !
Steve Haynes

[gparmitage]

Helmet Kiel 90th light Pz A.A. 580

Lt. Helmut Kiel served with the 90th Lt Afrika Div in the Recce Abt. and basically won an award every 30 days or so while in North Africa. He was severley wounded and transferred to Italy to recover and then to Germany. He continued to decline. The documents grouping was spectacular. Soldbuch, Pictures, award documents and Medals. The most complete set I've ever seen. I was curious to find out what happened to him. I asked a leading researcher to track down what became of this courageous young man. Kiel continued to decline. The records indicated that he was pulled out of the hospital, as I recall, and shot while defending against the American Army in the Ruhr Pocket and killed. My Dad was there and, when I found what happened, It haunted me. That has never happened to me before or sense. I felt that owning these documents, as good as they were, was inappropriate and not right. I actually sold the grouping. I cannot explain it, but that's what I did.
The Paderborn Document is a modern German Document with the end of the story.
Gary

[gparmitage]

DAK Goggles and Eye Wear Photo Circa 1985

Twenty Years ago, a bunch of us got togehter and brought everything we thought had been wron in North Africa by the DAK. I'm not sure about the Italian Goggles but the rest still looks good. Anything that shouldn't be here?

[gparmitage]

Africa's Importance, Circa 1940 propaganda poster

Very nice poster that I acquired from a private museum that foreshadows the DAK's arrival.