Original German WWII DAK Afrikakorps Named Operation Battleaxe Cigarette Case dated June 1941 Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. This was just acquired from a collector at a large military collection. This is a very nice German WWII Cigarette case, made from brass, which was made to Commemorate their service in Africa. The case references “Operation Battleaxe”, which was a failed British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces.

The front lid of the case is marked in a small rectangle in painted black letter type:

Operation Battleaxe
Juni 1941

This is partly worn away, and there is also the remains of a Palm Tree interposed with AFK on the ride side of the front lid. It may at one time have been gold paint.

The interior of the case still has the original securing strap, though it is not attached as it was pulling away from the end hooks. The inside of the brass case is marked in detail with the date, location, name, and rank of the owner:

17 JUNE 41 TOBRUK
8TH PANZER ᛋᛋ
HAUPTMAN
JOHANNES KÜMMEL

The case itself measures approximately 3 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ x 3/8″, and the latch and hinge are fully functional. From what we can gather, the owner of the case was involved with the Siege at Tobruk, and saw action during the battle. The siege was not lifted until November of 1941.

A wonderful piece of German WWII Militaria!

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. Both the Heer and Luftwaffe branches of the Wehrmacht wore uniforms specifically designed for the conditions in the more arid climate.