Original German WWII DAK Afrikakorps Enlisted Man Framed Large Portrait Photograph – 13″ × 17″ Original Items

Original Items: One-Of-A-Kind. Here we have a very nice framed portrait photograph, showing a German Heer Army soldier in a Tropical Afrikakorps uniform, wearing the correct DAK style M43 Field Cap. Looking at their shoulder insignia, they are probably the lowest enlisted rank of Soldat or Schütze, though we cannot see what color the piping on the shoulder straps or the soutache on the cap are, so we do not know what branch of the army they are in. This photo was probably taken right after they had enlisted and completed training, before being sent to the front.

The photograph measures approximately 7″ × 9 1/4″ and is matted and glazed into a frame which measures 13″ × 17″. There is a signature below the lower right of the phto, but we are not able to read it.

A great piece of German WWII DAK memorabilia!

History of the German Africa Korps
The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (Deutsches Afrikakorps or DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of their African colonies, the formation fought on in Africa, under various appellations, from March 1941 until its surrender in May 1943. The term “Afrika Korps” is pseudo-German (so-called “cod-German”), deriving from an incomplete German title. The German term referred solely to the initial formation, the Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK), which formed part of the Axis command of the German and Italian forces in North Africa. The name stuck, with both news media and Allied soldiers, as the name for all subsequent German units in North Africa. The unit is known for having been commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

The dry climate of Africa proved to be an issue with much of the standard leather field gear that the German Army usually used. It would dry out and crack quickly, and become unusable. To deal with this, the standard field gear such as belts, Y-straps, A-frames, bayonet frogs, and other items, were issued in special tropical web versions.