Why did the German Army never advanced any further in Africa

[BLUE THOR]

70% stayed in Australia after the war , so they are still amongst you

Was a German area anyway after a large Lutheran migration in the 1800´s, especially in the region between Adelaide and the Victorian border. Became an attractive area for many homeless or otherwise Germans after WW2 as well.
My theory on the lack of Germans not going any further into Africa is that they were far too busy already having to do the Italians job as well (Nth Africa, Greece, Balkans) - most of the forces that ended up clearing out Greece were supposed to hit Russia in Operation Barbarossa, same same with Africa, Italians being rubbish at their jobs meant more Germans had to be diverted from the war in Europe.

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

The Germans never went south in Africa because they would have to cross 1100 miles of desert.

When I say desert, I mean either sand dunes where tanks would sink into the sand or rocks where they would break a track.

Germans barely had enough supplies to fight along the coast, and never had adequate air support compared to the Allies, how were they supposed to advance across 1100 miles of open territory?

And how were they supposed to conquer all of Africa with 3 divisions?

I got a better question: Why did Free French never advance north from French Equitorial Africa and take Rommel from the rear?

[JUNKHO]

The Germans never went south in Africa because they would have to cross 1100 miles of desert.

When I say desert, I mean either sand dunes where tanks would sink into the sand or rocks where they would break a track.

Germans barely had enough supplies to fight along the coast, and never had adequate air support compared to the Allies, how were they supposed to advance across 1100 miles of open territory?

And how were they supposed to conquer all of Africa with 3 divisions?

I got a better question: Why did Free French never advance north from French Equitorial Africa and take Rommel from the rear?

Because there was no "Stephane of Sahara" to organize local indiges and move north across the desert to the Med sea?

[Bidoul33t]

That and the fact that the Sahara Desert is bigger than Nazy Germany at it's peak, it's about the size of Europe with the Russian part in it...

[mas-36]

I got a better question: Why did Free French never advance north from French Equitorial Africa and take Rommel from the rear?

Because gathering the necessary forces (i.e. - men, materiel, weapons, logistical means, food, and etc., etc.,) takes a lot of time. Besides, the Free French under Gen. de Gaulle had to rally French Equatorial Africa to the call of Free France, and that too takes some time. When this was done, a force was assembled by throwing together the few local colonial troops there, plus French troops which had come down from the UK. That, and then scrambling to find the vehichles capable of crossing that vast desert. Last obstacle was raiding and eliminating the various enemy outposts on their way to North Africa, in this case the furthest point of Axis reach which existed in the form of Italian outposts. The little Free French force did this, one at a time, until they eventually reached North Africa in time to participate in the fighting in Tunisia, where they actually managed to check the 15th and 21st Panzer Division at the Mareth Line (specifically the Battle of Ksar Ghilan) in May 1943.

This whole episode of the Free French forces crossing the Sahara northwards is nothing short of a miracle, and something of epic legend in France today. By contrast very few in the US/UK ever heard of this amazing adventure.

Because there was no "Stephane of Sahara" to organize local indiges and move north across the desert to the Med sea?

There was.....the leader of the above force was then-Colonel Philippe Leclerc, later general and commander of the French 2nd AD.

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

That and the fact that the Sahara Desert is bigger than Nazy Germany at it's peak, it's about the size of Europe with the Russian part in it...

Why didn't the USA cross the North Pole and fight the Germans in Russia?

This whole episode of the Free French forces crossing the Sahara northwards is nothing short of a miracle, and something of legend in France. By contrast very few in the US/UK ever heard of this.

Well...I was making a sarcastic joke...I had no idea the French actually did this.

As far as I knew, the only units that crossed the Sahara were LRDG, SAS, Saharianas and related units. Which had to carry a ton of fuel with them, and be well camouflaged, because getting caught in the desert by aircraft was a death sentence.

[mas-36]

As far as I knew, the only units that crossed the Sahara were LRDG, SAS, Saharianas and related units. Which had to carry a ton of fuel with them, and be well camouflaged, because getting caught in the desert by aircraft was a death sentence.

I believe there actually was a contingent of LRDGs with the Leclerc force, acting as reece. Interesting story, one of the more famous engagements during the Sahara crossing was the Battle of Kufra in southern Libya, taken from the Italians. A French soldier, whose name escapes me at the moment, made a bit of a sensation there. The LRDGs and a French soldier were pinned down under heavy fire, and the French soldier received a nasty bullet wound in the leg. He calmly asked for a cigarette, lit it, and then alternately smoked it and used it to cauterize the gash in his leg and stopped the bleeding, after which he struggled back to his feet and continued firing his weapon. The Brits were so impressed with this that they made him an honorary LRDG on the spot.

[JUNKHO]

I also owe an apology for being somewhat whimsical in my post.

Did not know of Leclerc's efforts. Interesting.

Thank you

[Tyon]

Ah yes the Sahara desert. Quite obviously the most important place to conquer. Who needs egypt or some ****ty channel.

We need the desert!

[Connaught Ranger]

The long term German plans were to move along the North African continent coast road to Alexander then onto Cairo, where the indigenous Egyptian population would already have risen in revolution to defeat the evil Brits, igniting a wave of Arab compassion all through the Middle-East, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran and allowing the D.A.K. to link up with the Wehrmacht forces swinging down from the by then captured Russian Caucasus to meet them . . . . . . however reality prooved to be some what different from the little corporals dreams.

[Violet Fashion by Mindy]

They failed due to precisly the same reason Napoleon failed. They failed to gain control of the seas.

[Indiana Jones]

[...]

As far as I knew, the only units that crossed the Sahara were LRDG, SAS, Saharianas and related units.

Look up "Unternehmen Dora". The Brandenburger actually operated across the Sahara on more than one occasion.
This link features some of the pertinent pictures and documents and might be of interest:
http://www.bundesarchiv.de/oeffentli.../index.html.de

And as for the general picture, the Axis (not solely German, mind you) effort in North Africa foundered quite simply because it never had the required mass to be more than a nuisance to the Allied presence. It is rather astonishing how much was actually archieved by it.

[Connaught Ranger]

.........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



However claims with regards of the actions of a small band of "boy scouts" does not equate to an all out German campaign in the North African Theater of Operations.

[johanness]

Look up "Unternehmen Dora". The Brandenburger actually operated across the Sahara on more than one occasion.
This link features some of the pertinent pictures and documents and might be of interest:
http://www.bundesarchiv.de/oeffentli.../index.html.de

Thanks for posting the link IJ

plus there are some more information about other Kommando actions in other theatres.

Nice stuff to make some further research ...

[baboon6]

Ah yeah that's a complicated issue. He was praised initially by the government and given an important command soon after. Even promoted.......**** hit the fan after war.

Being a Brigadier and higher in the Australian Army of WW2 was not a easy job. Lots of back stabbing, infighting, Blamey appointing "yes men"......Wasn't pretty,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Gordon_Bennett

But never saw any action again and was retired in 1944- before the end of the war.

The ADB article on Bennett is pretty scathing, seems he managed to piss off almost everyone, both above and below him in the chain of command. Clearly his own biggest fan and didn't have too many others.