History

During the Second World War, German troops stationed in northern Africa are generally referred to as the Afrikakorps. Technically, this is not entirely correct, since some German units operating in Africa were not actually part of the DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps), and some units of it were, in fact, Italian ones. However, for the purpose of collecting so-called “tropical” uniforms and insignia, collectors have simplified the meaning of the term.

The first German troops were sent to northern Africa in February of 1941, to support their Italian allies against the British. The climate of the African continent made it necessary to wear specialised uniforms and gear that not only supported the soldiers in serving in a hot and arid environment, but also helped them in blending in with the landscape, which, in general, presented itself as brown, olive, khaki, or sand/tan in colour. Worn over long periods of time under the blistering desert sun, some uniforms were eventually bleached to white or off-white. Uniforms and insignia in these colours are often referred to as “tropical”, and it is worth noting that they weren’t just worn by members of units stationed in Africa, but in the entire Mediterranean theatre of war, including southern France, Italy, the Balkans, and Greece, as well as in southern Russia during the summer months. Tropical uniforms were worn by members of all three branches of the Wehrmacht: the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy), and the Luftwaffe (air force). Members of the Waffen-SS stationed in southerly regions also wore tropical-style uniforms, and even though they technically have no connection to the DAK, all tropical uniforms and insignia of all branches of the German military are listed here.

Sonderverband (special purpose unit) 287 and 288 were also known as the German-Arab Legion and were tasked with supporting Arab resistence against the British in the Middle East. While Sonderverband 287 was to push forward through Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Iran, Sonderverband 288 was to go through Libya, Egypt, and Iraq.
Both units were composed of Germans with desert fighting experience and Arab volunteers.

The units wore a special sleeve patch showing a wreath of palm branches with a swastika at the bottom, and a palm tree and a rising sun inside the wreath. The sun (and sometimes the ground) is yellow while the rest is white, and the cloth backing colour ranged from tan to brown or dark green.