German Forces

Deutsche Motorisierte Kompanie in training

The mg platoon of the Compagnia autocarrata tedesca in training under Italian officers (note the Schwarzlose mgs). The company was composed by about 160 volounteers enlisted among German people living, or blocked by the WW2 burst, in Italian Eastern Africa (AOI). It was commanded by the tenente (Oberleutnant) Gustav Hamel directly assigned to the unit by the German war ministry, and arrived in AOI from Germany by Lybia with another German officer and 4 NCOs (the flights to AOI passed over the Lybian desert). It was organized on 3 motorized platoons, 2 infantry and one mg. The unit was fastly trained and finally fought at Agordat, Cheren and Asmara, suffering 39 losses and much more WIAs. The last survivors of the unit fought in the defense of the Amba Alagi in the army of the Duke of Aosta, following the destiny of the Amba Alagi garrison. DVX