As the Afrika Korps began to retreat they also lost the battle for another important aspect of desert tank warfare: recovery and repair. Tanks knocked out in battles by shells, mines, or breakdown could not now be rescued on the retreat.
The allies always had numerical superiority in armoured fighting vehicles but axis forces managed to capture and utilise large numbers of allied equipment. For example, the axis victory at Benghazi in late January 1942 provided them with 96 tanks, 38 guns and some one hundred and ninety vehicles, of which a fair number were utilised. The German Afrika Korps was the most notable user of all kinds of captured equipment and it was reported that sometimes the inventory consisted of more captured equipment than that of German origin. On 12th February 1942 Panzer Abteilung z.b.V Panzer Armee Afrika, a special employment unit equipped entirely with captured British and American armoured fighting vehicles, was formed. The oldest British tank captured by the Germans in North Africa was Medium Tank Mk II, which entered service in 1925. The Medium Tank Mk II was an obsolete vehicle by any standards at the time and even the hard-pressed Germans couldn’t bring themselves to use them in service.
The two man Light Tanks, Mk II A and Mk II B, were used during the early part of the North African Campaign and a small number were captured by the DAK and pressed into temporary service. The Mk II A and Mk II B received the German designation Leichter Panzerkampfwagen Mk II 733(e).
The two-man Light Tank Mk V was a further development of earlier light tanks, and also saw service in the early part of the North African Campaign. As with the Mk II A and Mk II B, the small number which were captured by the Afrika Korps were pressed into temporary service as Leichter Panzerkampfwagen Mk IV 734(e).
The DAK also utilised other British vehicles, which had been previously encountered in France. The Matilda II, designated as Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk II 748(e), was one which saw extensive service on the German side in the desert war. In early August 1941 the 15th Panzer Division’s 8th Panzer Regiment had one platoon entirely made up of captured tanks including seven Matilda IIs. One of the captured Matilda IIs was nicknamed ‘Dreadnought’ by its British crew. It was captured, along with six more, at Halfaya Pass in May 1941. In late August 1941 seven Matilda IIs were transferred from the 8th Paiver Regiment to the 33rd Panzer Pionere (engineer) Battalion and, as of November 1941, there were still five Matilda IIs in service. In June 1941 the 21st Panzer Division’s Panzer Regiment also had one platoon equipped with captured tanks, including Matilda IIs, but in August 1941 only one was still in service. In July additional Matilda IIs were captured near Bardia. The best known photo of a captured Matilda II from the 21st Panzer Division’s Panzer Regiment was taken when Allied soldiers (possibly New Zealanders) recaptured it. Matilda IIs were easily repaired by German workshops. Unserviceable vehicles were scrapped for spare parts, and in some cases spare parts were even shipped from France where large numbers of Matilda II tanks, captured in May 1940, were still available. Some Matilda IIs turrets were mounted in the Halfaya Pass on concrete emplacements as fortifications.
The Cruiser Tank Mk VI (AI 5) Crusader, was the development of an unsuccessful Mk V Covenanter. It inherited Mk V’s poor armour protection and unreliability but still saw extensive service in North Africa from 1941. The Crusader was produced in five variants: Mk VI Crusader I armed with a two-pounder. Mk-VI Crusader 1 CS armed with a 3in Howitzer, Mk VI Crusader 11 armed with a two-pounder, Mk VI Crusader II CS armed with a three inch Howitzer, and the Mk VI Crusader III armed with a six-pounder. The first examples were captured as early as June 1941, and the Crusader received the German designation of Kreuzer Panzerkampfwagen Mk VI 746(e). A number of Crusaders were captured in good condition - due to the high incidence of mechanical breakdowns their crews often abandoned them. German repair shops were able to fix a number of them by using other Crusaders as sources for spare parts. In some cases parts were again shipped from France, where Crusader tanks captured in May 1940 were still available. Captured models of the Crusader type were pressed into either short-term service or long-term service, for example in the previously mentioned Panzer Abteilung z.b.V Panzer Armee.
The DAK had a platoon of Crusaders in service from February to December of 1942. Besides the vehicles in service with this unit, additional tanks were in service with a variety of units, including the 21st Panzer Division’s 5th Panzer Regiment and the 90th Light African Division’s 605th Panzerjäger Abteilung. A Number of Crusader tanks were captured after the Sollum battle of June 1941. When, on 13th May 1943 DAK surrendered, the few Crusaders which were still in service were recaptured. In general, the Germans liked Crusaders for their speed and manoeuvrability.
The British Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine was produced in eleven main variants designated Mk I to Mk XI. Allied forces in North Africa utilised the first five variants all armed with two-pounder (40mm) guns. The Valentine Mk I and Mk 11 were operated by a three-man crew, while the Mk III to Mk XI were operated by a four-man crew. The Germans designated Valentine as ‘Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk III 749(e)’. The Valentine was also used as a base for the Bishop self-propelled gun, armed with a 25-pounder (87.6mm) field gun, which also saw service in North Africa. In 1941/42 the Germans captured a number of Valentines, mainly Mk IIs. which were then pressed into service with (Beute) Panzer Abteilung z.b.V Panzer Armee Afrika, which had as many as 12 of them at any one time. Additionally, at least five Valentines were in service with the 90th Light African Division’s 605th Panzerjäger Abteilung. A single Valentine was also shipped back to Kummersdorf for testing purposes. Probably the best known picture of a captured Valentine is that of a Mk V in service with 10th Panzer Division’s 7th Panzer Regiment in Tunisia in early 1943. Unserviceable tanks were either scrapped for parts or were dug in as defensive positions. When the DAK surrendered, a few Valentines, which were still in service, were recaptured by their former owners.
The four-man American M3 Light Tank armed with 37mm gun was known to the British unofficially as the ‘Honey’ and to the Americans as the ‘Stuart’. The Honey saw service with the British before the arrival of American troops in North Africa and then with Americans. Only a small number of Honey and Stuart light tanks were captured and pressed into service by DAK. They were designated as Panzerkampfwagen M3 740(a). On 22nd and 23rd November 1941 the 15th Panzer Division captured 35 Stuarts, most of which were badly damaged, near Gabr Saleh in Libya. A few were made serviceable and were maintained using spare parts from damaged vehicles. Twelve Stuart tanks captured in June 1942 were also pressed into service by the Panzer Company of Rommel’s Kampfstaffel and remained in service as late as March 1943 in Tunisia. The M3 was followed by an improved version M5 Light Tank, also used in North Africa. Only a few M5 tanks were captured by DAK and temporarily used as Panzerkampfwagen M3 740(a).
The six-man American M3 Medium Tank was an interim solution before the introduction of M4 Sherman Medium Tank. It was produced in two versions designated as the ‘Grant’ and the ‘Lee’. The Grant was a version produced with a British-designed turret and saw service with the British before the arrival of American troops in North Africa. The Lee was a standard version produced for the American Army. Both versions were armed with a turret-mounted 37mm gun and a hull-mounted 75mm gun. A Small number of M3 medium tanks were captured by DAK and pressed into temporary service as Panzerkampfwagen M3 747(a).
Inside the tank works tracks are tested for use with the Panzer III.