Brandenburger in North Africa

Colleagues;

whilst we know almost everything about the activities of the allied Special Forces in North Africa (LRDG, SAS, etc..) there is hardly any evidence of the German "Brandenburger". Basicly there are only some vague posts in the I'net and for example the publication of Franz Kurowski (an author with hundrets of publications and about 20 pseudonyms - somebody I would not trust at all)

Does anybody know about another source for this units activities in the Desert War?

 

Hi Adam; "Jebel Sherif" is a project I am working on since 2006 togehter with Brendan O'Carroll and Roberto Chiarvetto - and desert travelling is always fascinating

 

Until today I have only found very "thin" information about the Brandenburger-activities in NA. Seems that there is even nothing written in English language...

 

Kuno,

Operation Salaam.

Operation salaam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apparently up until 1944, the Brandenburgers were a unit of the High Command and not a regular German army unit.
It steadily expanded until it was reallocated to the Großdeutschland Panzer korps and used as a front line combat unit.

When the Afrika Korps shipped out to Libya The Brandenburgers also went there.
The men raised as 4 companies of Special Tropical Units, were made up of fluent speaking English or Arab members.
They used captured British vehicles to operate behind enemy lines in raids and reconnaissance missions, mirroring the actions of the British LRDG.

Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel at first disapproved of the Brandenburgers but after he saw the damage inflicted by the LRDG and Stirlings SAS, he realised their value and accepted their unorthodox methods.

The unit was charged with disrupting the British lines, but it was difficult to supply them and to provide transportation, so most men were either killed or captured.

There is a little more on the link and Google.

Regards
Tom

 

Thanks Tom. I know about the Salaam/Condor; the "Brandenburger" involved in this operation were neither specially trained nor were they doing a good job. The only one who acted really professional was Count. L. Almaszy - actually not a member of the "Brandenburger". All the other "Brandenburger" involved were just dropped into this regiment "to have an address"...

 

Kuno,
I have a German book somewhere that briefly mentions the Brandenburgers. When and if I can locate it I will PM you.

Regards

Tom

 

Smudger; I presume that this would be Paul Carrell's "Wüstenfüchse" (Desert Foxes).

Don't search too much regarding Op. Salaam. I think that I have whatever has been published about the subject. What could be interesting is, if somebody would find something in an archive - and for that I hope to get good news soon as well.

 

Kuno - when the National Archives catalogue is working again I will see if there is anything mentioned there.

 

Actually, Paul, the main concern is for me to check if the Brandenburger ever were involved in an operation called Unternehmen Dora. The "famous" one, where they used a Spitfire to do recce in the Tibesti mountains and where the C/O was somebody named von Leipzig.

(Please note that this operation had nothing at all to do with Sonderkommando Dora!!!)

 

Nothing in the catalogue unfortunately - but it is not well indexed so it may be hidden somewhere!

 

Kuno,

The book I have that mentions briefly the Brandenburgers is called British Intelligence in the Second World War, by F.H.Hinsley and part of several volumes.

Unfortunately the references are mainly about the secret agents sent to the UK and so not of any use to your research.

Just a thought, but the captured Spitfire could have been part of KG 200 and that could be another avenue of searching for information.

Regards
Tom

 

Did the Afrika Korps´ 621 Signal Company, captured by the Digger 2/24 Infantry at Tel el Eisa, had anything to do with Brandenburg outfits?

 

@ warlord; I am not that specialized on units but the mentioned company had nothing to do with the zbV. 800 "Brandenburg". Cannot tell you to which divsion they belonged...

 

Hi Kuno,
I am aware of the following sites with information relating to The Brandenburg`s and also to Dora. These are an example of their content(Translated from German sometimes not very well)
.........In July of 1942, Leutnant von Leipzig started the ambitious Unternehmen Dora as a reconnaissance operation in what is today Niger and Chad to determine how the important Allied supply route between the Gulf of Guinea and Port Sudan on the Red Sea could be interrupted. One of Leipzig’s teams arrived in the Tassili n’Ajjer mountain region of southeastern Algeria, established a camp there, they terrified the (free) French , and then withdrew to Libya after a skirmish with the dumbfounded French who did not know how to deal with strange soldiers in French uniforms who spoke fluent French. ...................
Stabsgefreiter Besemer noted in his diary:

"When Feldwebel Stegmann decided to return to Marzuq (in Libya, ed.) we were dumbfounded. There we were, in the heart of Africa, surrounded by friendly tribespeople who urged us to stay on and help them fight the French. Since the days of Leo Frobenius no German had set foot here; we were looked upon as half gods (Halbgoetter, ed.).
We were perfectly well organized. We had a few British Bedford lorries, Norton motorcycles and other captured vehicles, our own arms and the guns taken from the French at Barzai. Petrol arrived in barrels on camel back from Faya Lardeau; food was abundant, and we still had quite a stock of pastis and red wine supplied by the French, plus their horrible cigarettes.
When Stegmann decided to withdraw rather than face the French, several of us protested. Why not hide in the mountains, burying our German uniforms and dressing in local costumes? Our outpost would be invaluable once Rommel had defeated Colonel Stirling and General Alexander and could send the three divisions necessary to occupy the western Sudan, as Stegmann had calculated.
From our base in the Tibesti we would be able to undertake reconnaissance missions to Khartoum, to Ndjamena and Moundou – thus exploring the central part of the Allied trade and supply route. Stegmann was not swayed by our arguments. But he decided that those who volunteered to stay should stay on and follow their own strategy until the Afrika-Korps would expand southbound and catch up with us. That is why eleven of us decided to remain here and establish our camp in the Tibesti."
Source at;-http://a.saharan.shangri.la.at.german.pages.de/

Source;-http://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktuelles/aus_dem_archiv/galerie/00131/index.html?index=0&id=1&nr=2

I have an article somewhere relating to this and other Brandenburg activities in North Africa which I will try and find , although I apologise in advance for I doubt I will be able to credit the source or direct you to it

Regards
Verrieres

 

@"Verriers; dont get me wrong... but I cannot avoid a little smile.

A) The native people in Tibesti area are pitch-black and do not cover their face at all - would have been quite difficult for a German to pretend that he is a member of a Tibu tribe

B) No chance for a Norton bike to move in the soft flat sand down there.

C) It was never ever the axis intention to move South to Chad. The could hardly supply their troops along the coast - how should they supply them then through the whole of the Sahara? The man who wrote this was obviously a little dreamer.

B) Please note that above photo of the Kübelwagen with the two soldiers was never in relation to "Unternehmen Dora" (Brandenburger) but it is from "Sonderkommando Dora (NOT Brandenburger). It was taken in the Black Haruj. You may recognize their unit sign on the right mudguard. It looks only white but actually bears a red scorpion.

 

Kuno,

From what little I have read the members of Zbv 800 were used only as secret agents.
Do you know if this is correct?

Regards
Tom

 

Hi,
Kuno I would`nt know any of those facts above but one point regarding the tribesmen ...yes I know they are Black and as you rightly said no German would pass amongst these people...but ...and I may be wrong here , when I/(Sonder) Kompanie and the II/ Kompanie/III Battalion/Lehr-Regiment Brandenburg z.b.V. 800 arrived in North Africa they were temporarily redesignated as Sonderverband 287. This unit was part of Sonderstab F (Wüstenbrigade Felmy, commanded by General der Flieger Felmy).Also in Sonderverband 287 were elements of the German FREE ARAB UNITS who wore I believe French (or French Style uniforms) I am posting some pictures of some personel belonging to this unit and if they were attached in anyway to the Brandenburgs these would have no problems infiltrating the tribes.(German ideals out of the window here!)The KODAT
was formed in Tunisia the denominated unit was "Kommando Deutsch-Arabische Truppen or KODAT". by the middle of February of 1943 the KODAT had two battalions of Arab volunteers of Tunisia, an Algerian battalion and a Moroccan battalion that count a total of 3000 men; with German cadre. The KODAT was part of the Sonderverband 287 denominated "Deutsch-Arabische Lehr Abteilung" or also called "Deutsch-Arabische Truppen."




The picture of the Kubelwagonwas taken from THE GERMAN BUNDESARCHIV titled
Regards

Verrieres

 

Hi,
Forgot to add the article I found....and once again cannot comment on its validity but I`m sure it will have been written by a more knowledgable person than my self on these matters...still references made in it to personel mentioned in my first post...here it is anyway..make of it what you will..Hope it helps rather than hinders!!!!


The first Brandenburg Tropeneinheit commando team arrived in North Africa in June of 1941. Their initial task was one of reconnaissance; i.e., determining where exactly the British were located along the front lines and what the strength of these forces were. I/(Sonder) Kompanie and the II/ Kompanie/III Battalion/Lehr-Regiment Brandenburg z.b.V. 800 were temporarily redesignated as Sonderverband 287. This unit was subordinated to Sonderstab F (Wüstenbrigade Felmy, commanded by General der Flieger Felmy).
During their initial deployment in northern Africa, their (offensive minded) hands were tied a bit because Rommel had a strong aversion to "the war in the dark". Rommel wanted proof that the British Long Range Desert Commando teams (Colonel Stirling commanding) were indeed fighting in such a manner. The "proof" for Rommel came shortly in September of 1942, right before he was to go on vacation when German troops had located six "lost" German officers in Tobruk.
One of the German Afrika Korps officers, Leutnant Zeller, while walking down a side street of Tobruk, had recognized a German officer, Leutnant Großmann, as being none other as his friend and schoolmate from Berlin. But then it also quickly donned on Zeller that his schoolmate had emigrated to the United Kingdom towards the end of 1938 (he was of Jewish heritage). A small scuffle ensued, an Italian soldier was wounded, but neither Großmann or Zeller were harmed. Five other German soldiers, whose origins were dubious at best, were also quickly identified as being British. As a result of further interrogation efforts, Rommel was advised that these six "British" Germans were actually a diversion of Operation "Springtime" (all six British commando team members were actually Germans who had departed Germany before the war because of their Jewish backgrounds). Further German investigation efforts uncovered many time-bombs at key German harbor and supply facilities in Tobruk. These were all defused by the Germans; a few additional British commando team members were also uncovered in the process.
A second component of Colonel Stirling's plan was to send a team of British Commando's through Tobruk and on to Rommel's headquarters - Rommel was to be taken alive, but the rest of his headquarters staff was to be shot. Rommel was quickly whisked away to safety by the Germans. The nephew of General Alexander was captured by the Germans as the Germans intercepted his commando team on its way to Rommel's headquarters. Interestingly, this entire undertaking was repeated in principle in 1944 when the British were able to successfully kidnap General Kreipe in Crete along with the commander of the German 22nd Infantry Division.
A third component of Colonel's Stirling's plan was to destroy as much of Tobruk's harbor system as they could through a seaborne invasion/infiltration attempt. Because the Germans were now appraised of the situation, surprise was lost on the British. British ships carrying the commando teams hoisted German and Italian flags shortly after entering the headwaters of Tobruk. But the Germans were now expecting this. They damaged the British command ship and effected many casualties onto the attacking British, forcing Sterling to abort his mission (taking high losses as a result).
After this incident, Rommel gave the Brandenburger Tropenkompanie in Africa a free hand in their operational activities with one exception. Rommel stuck to his order on German commando teams wearing enemy (British) uniforms - that was strictly verboten.
During the month of October 1941, two attempts were made by the Brandenburger's to infiltrate Cairo. The goals of these mission were to make contact with Arab nationalists and help them to mount an insurrection against the British. The first attempt to reach Cairo was made via a sea borne infiltration operation. This attempt failed, the team returned to its bases in Libya. The second attempt was to land a team via parachute near Cairo. This too ended in failure. A final mission was indeed successful in making contact with key Arabic leaders. A team of Brandenburgers set out by car and truck, crossing Egypt in the center. They crossed the Nile near the town of Asyut (about halfway from today's Aswan Dam and Cairo). But an insurrection never came. These German-Arab talks included the late Anwar Sadat - who told the Germans as to why he would be willing to help the German war effort: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. On 16 May 1942, the Brandenburger's in Africa probably undertook one of their most successful operations in Cairo - the covertly met with the Grandmufti of Jerusalem. The goal of these talks was the same - an Arab insurrection against the British.

Agents Hans Eppler and Gerd Sandsetter (left) who were part of a detachment sent to Cairo with Brandenburg troops as part of Operation Salaam in 1942.
Towards the end of 1941, the front lines in Africa began to take on a more stable shape. Sonderverband 287 was ordered to operate in the most southern regions of the German lines - in exactly the same area as Britain "Long Range Desert Group" operated under the command of Colonel Stirling.
On 05 December 1942, two half-strength companies of Brandenburger commando's, both falling under the command of Hauptmann Fritz von Koenen are flown by the Luftwaffe to Hammamet in Tunisia. They immediately are given orders to spring into action against the Americans and the French.
On 26 December 1942, von Koenen's Brandenburger commando team (30 men) departed from the Bizerta airfield in Libya loaded onto three gliders. After mid-air release close to their target, they slowly glided towards their destination in central Tunisia - the railroad bridge near the village of Sidi bou Baker spanning the Wadi el-Kbir. The bridge was about 120 feet long, it was protected by French troops. The Germans were successful in their mission, the bridge was destroyed. The commando team then destroyed its gliders and started their 120 mile long track back to the Italian garrison fortress of Maknassi. and returned by foot to German lines (walk at night, rest at day; assisted by many local pro-German Arab tribesmen).
On that same day, a second team of 10 Brandenburger commando's under the command of Leutnant Hagenauer completed a similar mission against a bridge near Kasserini in southern Tunisia. They arrived as planned and destroyed their target (the bridge). As this team was returning towards the German lines, an armored reconnaissance platoon of the Free-French army intercepted them. All 10 German commando team members were captured by the Free-French.
On 18 January 1943, a team of Brandenburger's led by Leutnant Fuchs destroyed the bridge over the Wadi el-Melah in southern Tunisia. The arrived at their target via ground transportation; i.e. trucks. This bridge supported a key Allied supply line in Tunisia, but because of the military situation, the loss of the bridge did not seriously hamper the Allied offensive in Tunisia.

Brandenburg troops in a commandeered British Bedford Truck. In the desert the use of captured vehicles was widespread by both sides and suited the Brandenburgers style of covert warfare.
One of the most daring undertakings attempted by the Brandenburger's in Africa was "Unternehmen Dora". This most ambitious plan was to disrupt the Allied supply roads emanating from the Gulf of Guinea to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. These roads were of vital importance to the British 8th Army.
Specifically, Leutnant von Leipzig was ordered to take a Brandenburg commando team and begin a reconnaissance effort of today's Niger and Chad to determine if German efforts could indeed be channeled to disrupting this supply line. Lake Chad and its surrounding areas were selected as being the most effective zones of disruption. About 100 Brandenburger troops were made available for "Dora". They were equipped with 24 British military vehicles, 12 40mm armed trucks, 4 British Jeeps with AA MG's, a command sedan, a signals truck, a gasoline and a water supply truck and a small mobile mechanical service truck. All participants had a solid command of either English or French, three also spoke fluent Arabic.
The team departed Tripolis in either June or July of 1942. The convoy drove via Hun and Sabbah bound for Marzuq (an Italian garrison in south eastern Libya). A "Feldflugplatz" was constructed about 35 miles from the town of Al-Qatrun (south of Marzuq). The idea was to deploy a number of refurbished Spitfires there (they were to be flown by Brandenburger pilots). Al-Qatrun was to serve as the primary base of operations. In July of 1942, von Leipzig divided his 100 man team into three smaller teams. He took charge of the first group.
The first group proceeded to advance towards the Tassili plateau in south-eastern Algeria. From there, the Brandenburger's proceeded to build another forward staging base. No sooner had they reached the Tassili mountain region, they were discovered by a French armored unit which immediately opened up fire. Over the course of the next few days, the Germans worked hard to stay one step ahead of the French. The French then proceeded to set up a trap for the Brandenburgers in a small Arab village located about 35 miles from the town of Ghezehida (Algeria).
The British and the French reacted in total panic - they had not expected to see German troops in that part of Africa. Additional French troops, British Colonial troops, special commando units, etc., were now ordered to converge on the Brandenburgers. To better effect their escape, the Brandenburgers now switched over to wearing French uniforms; having buried their German uniforms deep in the sand. The Brandenburgers did something cool and calculated - they drove right up to a French unit and told them that they were one of the many parties sent to the region to catch the dreaded German infiltrators. Because of their French language skills, the ruse worked. The local French commander gave them food and supplies. But then disaster struck. A French commander gave one of the Brandenburgers an order - to the only Brandenburg team member who spoke no French. Von Leipzig quickly took advantage of the confusion, ordered his men to their trucks and escaped with all his men - now bound for the Libyan border again. The French were so dumfounded that they waited until a more senior French military officer had arrived to help make sense of what just happened. Of this team, only four were killed in action (in a firefight with French forces on a mountain top).
The second group under the command of Feldwebel Stegmann proceeded to advance over the Tibesti mountain range in northern Chad and from there proceed towards Lake Chad. Their assignment was to operate in French Equatorial Africa and cause as much havoc as possible. Two days after departing, the team was "attacked" by Bedouins. Feldwebel Stegmann however maintained his composure and ordered every Brandenburger to remain perfectly still. It turned out that the "attack" was a Bedouin test of courage and allegiance. The Tibbu Bedouins also hated the French and they were very willing to help the Germans. With help, the Germans were able to infiltrate the ancient caravan town of Bardai. It was held by only a company sized unit of French troops. It did not take the Germans long to ascertain the fact that a strong contingent of French troops were on their way. A decision was thus made to return to Libya. 14 days later, all German Brandenburgers arrived safely in Marzuq.
The third group under the command of Leutnant Becker was to advance towards the Libyan town of Ghat (south-western Libya) and penetrate southern Algeria. They were to avoid combat situations if possible. After crossing the border town of Ghat, they ran into a village occupied by French forces. Through a series of clever subterfuges, the Brandenburgers were able to create a condition of medical quarantines in the region. This worked, and no additional French forces dared to enter a quarantine area. The local Arab people were willing participants to this ruse, as it made the hated French look as foolish as possible. The third group too returned unharmed to German lines in Libya.
After being recalled from Marzuq due to the British attack at El-Alamein, the Brandenburg commando's reported back that it would take at least a few divisions worth of men to successfully complete the designed mission. On the day that the Brandenburger's were recalled to Tripoli, the promised Spitfire a/c arrived. A few reconnaissance missions were flown, the resulting reports were however not encouraging. But it was too late, "Dora" was then canceled. Operation "Dora" was separate from the 1944 undertaking of KG 200 when it used B-17's in a planned aerial attack against the Allied supply depots in Lagos Nigeria.
Shortly before the capitulation of all German and Italian forces in north Africa, the surviving members of the Brandenburger's in Africa were withdrawn and brought back to Brandenburg in Germany. Their next missions would take them to the Balkans.

Regards
Verrieres

 

Ooooooooooooooooooooh; there is a mixup everywhere. Honestly; since even the Bundesarchiv mentions that they have no documents, since even the "Number 2" of the German Abwehr does not mention "Unternehmen Dora" etc. I actually doubt that this operation took place!

Sonderverband 287 was ordered to operate in the most southern regions of the German lines - in exactly the same area as Britain "Long Range Desert Group" operated under the command of Colonel Stirling.

A) Sonderverband 287 was never in North Africa but only Sonderveband 288. SV.288 had no Arab staff and was not at all related to zbV.800 Brandenburg.

B) Actually the LRDGs main area of operation was not in the deep south. Besid the early and famous Murzuk Raid all their operations were concentrated to the North. Their task was reconaissance - reconaissance makes no sense in an area where you hardly find enemy troops...

C) And Stirling was not the C/O of the LRDG but only the SAS