German Afrika Corps 1941-1945

Deutsches Afrika Korps

Last modified: 2006-08-19 by jarig bakker
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• German Afrika Corps

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German Afrika Corps

Palm & swastika was the emblem of the Afrika Korps, under Rommel.
Knut A. Berg, 10 Jul 2002

The emblem is real.  It was the emblem of the Afrika Corps commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
I believe that there were Afrika Corps flags which used the emblem as well.
Its use in the movie was a bit out of place, as the movie was supposedly set at a time before the beginning of World War II, and therefore before the existence of the Afrika Corps.
Devereaux Cannon, 10 Jul 2002

I am not aware of any Afrika Korps flag that incorporated a palm and swastika device.
This seemed limited to tracked and soft-skinned vehicles and not all German vehicles were stenciled as such. Use of German flags in war-time photographs were primarily Nazi swastika flags.
During the high-point of the Afrika Korps campaign, tank crews would sometimes wire or tie a Nazi flag to the deck for aerial recognition. The Italians, it seems did not follow suit. They limited their aerial recognition devices to a large white circle on the top of turrets.
John Evosevic, 10 Jul 2002

It appears that you are correct. The flags I remember seeing were apparently spurious designs marketed in the 1970.
Devereaux Cannon, 10 Jul 2002

The Palm and Swastika insignia was originally a vehicle insignia for the 15th and 21st Panzerdivisions, which made up most of "Aufklärungsstab Rommel", and later was used by all units attached to the Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK), except for the Italian divisions.
It was also used to decorate other equipment. It was also used as a newspaper masthead for field newspapers, and was used on DAK souvenir jewelry.
Photographs of Rommel's Corp Command Flag (a metal plate on a staff affixed to a fender) show the word AFRIKA stenciled in black on the lower red triangle.
The Palm and Swastika does not appear on any of the flags for either the command or staff positions of the unit. This is according to the research I did while I was at Paramount.

Afrika Korps Flags, bearing the palm and swastika, have been offered for sale. They were part of a series of flags marketed by the Collectors Armory of Alexandria, Virginia in the starting in the 1970's.
They come in at least three versions, all cotton bunting.
They all took the form of a German Panzer Army HQ flag with the palm and swastika insignia in one corner, and a unit designation in the other corner.
The first ones were printed in Japan, and are all appox 24" square and can be identified by small leather triangles sewn on to both hoist corners to reinforce small white ties.
The next two versions of which I am personally aware were screen printed exclusively for Collectors Armory by the Paramount Flag Company of San Francisco.
The second type was identical to the Japanese made flags except in that the flags were finished with a loop and toggle or heading and grommets.
The third was identical to the second except in that it was screened on to tan cotton instead of white. One of these spurious flags recently sold on e-bay as original.
The DAK was created 26 Feb. 1941 so the insignia cannot date from prior to that date.
Jim Ferrigan, 10 Jul 2002

I've never seen a photo of a Nazi palm flag. I should mention that I am almost certain that 10th Panzer Division vehicles did not use the Afrika Korps stencil. The 10th Panzer Div. was sent to shore up the AK in Tunisia near the end of the NA campaign.
John Evosevic, 11 Jul 2002

Image based on a photo sent to the files-section of the Yahoo-FOTW depository.
Jarig Bakker, 16 Aug 2006