The 3rd Reconnaissance Division was formed in 1934. It was an organic unit of the 3rd Panzer Division (MPa). In 1941, however, he was assigned to the 5th Light Division, later the 21st Infantry Division, in whose ranks he acted, exemplary, in North Africa. His action in the early stages of the German involvement on the North African front was unique in history.
On 14 February 1941 the first division of what was to become the famous Afrika Korps arrived on the African continent. It was the 3rd Reconnaissance Brigade led by Major Baron Infried von Wechmar. Stepping ashore, Wehmar saw before him a strangely dressed officer, who, however, carried the Knight's Cross, but also the famous Pour le Merite, the highest decoration of Imperial Germany. It was of course Erwin Rommel.
Like rockets...
Vehmar, along with other officers, disembarked from the ship. They were immediately summoned by Rommel. Vehmar was the first to introduce himself to the strange general. “Vehmar you must land your unit and be ready to go within five hours at the latest. Report to me as soon as you are ready," Rommel snapped to the surprised major.
Everything happened as Rommel expected. Six hours later the general was inspecting the 3rd Division accompanied by high-ranking Italian officers. Pleased with the performance of the men, he said to Vehmar and his men:"Only forward, boys, only forward."
The division had four-wheeled armored vehicles Sd. Kfz 221, Sd. Kfz 222 and radio Sd. Kfz 223, but also eight-wheeled Sd. Kfz. 231 and Sd. Kfz. 232, motorcycles and utility trucks. Then Rommel called Vehmar and after "welcoming him to the desert" assigned him to cover the right flank of the Italian Pavia Infantry Division and at the same time to carry out reconnaissance as far as El Aguila, at a distance of more than 300 km from Tripoli Libya where he was!
“Your code name is Tiger. I hope you justify it Vehmar and prove to me that you deserve to be in Africa," said Rommel. And so the 3rd began. Vehmar ordered Second Lieutenant von Falois to go ahead with the ulama of heavy armored vehicles. The ulama's mission was to reach En Nofilia, a small village almost halfway between Tripoli and El Aguila.
Without encountering resistance the heavy ulama reached En Nofilia and informed Vehmar. Immediately he moved the rest of the battalion and together with a German anti-tank battalion and an Italian battalion they reached the small town.
The unstoppable command
The 3rd then continued its movement towards El Aguila. During the march the battalion clashed, for the first time, with the British. In the ensuing engagement between German and British armored vehicles, three British were destroyed by the German vehicles' 20mm guns.
Vehmar, who had meanwhile been promoted to lieutenant colonel, ordered his motorcycle company to move as the battalion's vanguard along the coastal road, the famous Via Balbia. The motorcyclists moved through the night and when they approached the British positions they stopped and spent the night in front of them, without being noticed.
Their leader, Lieutenant Burr, sent foot patrols to the outskirts of El Aguila. Patrols reported the presence of sick British forces in the city. Ber immediately informed the battalion and they soon reached the positions also held by a platoon of armored vehicles under Lt. Zeibel.
On the arrival of reinforcements, Vehmar ordered Behr to attack immediately, telling him that he was following with the rest of the battalion and four tanks under command. That's how it happened, the Germans arrived with their vehicles and motorcycles and occupying the British six minutes later, they took over the city.
After this success Rommel ordered the 3rd to continue its eastward movement and, bypassing Agendabia, move along the Via Balbia, eastward. During this operation the German armored vehicles were confronted by British light tanks, equipped only with machine guns. Against tanks these German vehicles, carrying 20mm guns, had a clear advantage.
But as the division began to come under artillery fire, Vehmar ordered Sergeant Pletcher to move, with three vehicles, and flank the British right. Pletcher did move and get to the side of the British. Seeing a British chariot he immediately ordered to fire. The 20 mm shell penetrated the tank's light armor, which caught fire immediately. They then destroyed a British tank which was directing the shots of the British artillery.
After these successes the German forces continued their advance. Rommel's goal was the immediate capture of Tobruk. At noon on April 3, 1941, the 3rd moved toward Benghazi. Vehmar, as usual, was in the vanguard so as to form the same perception of the tactical situation.
The 3rd moved at speed along the Via Balbia and reached Benghazi at midnight the same day. After a brief exchange of fire with British patrols, the latter hastily retreated.
Suddenly a car appeared. It was Rommel. Vehmar went to talk to him.
"So Vehmar, what do your patrols tell you?", Rommel caught up with him. "Light contact with the enemy, my general," he replied. "I have the same information from the air force. So proceed to Benghazi, but with caution. There may be Tomydes in town. I'll give you a hil of tanks and a ulama of artillery. In other words, you will command half of the DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps =German Africa Corps)," said Rommel, laughing and literally, as there were still very few German forces on African soil.
A few moments later Lieutenant Wolff returned with the patrol he was leading carrying the information that the British were evacuating Benghazi . A few hours later the train of tanks and artillery that Rommel had promised Vehmar arrived.
The vehicles and motorcycles of the command were refueled and ammunitioned. Immediately afterwards, Vehmar ordered Lieutenant Burr's motorcycle company to move towards Benghazi and, if possible, capture it.
At first light on April 4, Burr's bikers reached Benghazi and took it without a fight, as the British had retreated. Burr moved east of the city and waited there for the rest of the battalion, having informed his commander of the developments. A little later, Rommel also arrived in Benghazi and ordered the continuation of the eastward movement. The 3rd was to start again no later than noon on April 4th. His target was the region of Benina and the old fortress there.
Crazy road race
The general indeed continued his, literally, mad march, reaching Benina, with his motorcyclists in the vanguard, from where he received fire from an adjacent hill. The advance was halted and Vehmar ordered the tanks under his command to move forward. Ber's motorcyclists left their motorcycles and followed the tanks on foot.
Suddenly three explosions were heard. Although British artillery fired at them, the tanks were not hit by the artillery. They had entered a minefield and three of them were immobilized with their crawlers "cut".
The bikers, however, continued the attack and forced the Australians defending on the hill to retreat after a fierce, hand-to-hand encounter with sub-machine guns, grenades, stocks and bayonets.
The German motorcyclists captured the hill, capturing six guns and establishing themselves defensively on it. At the same time, the Engineer platoon of the headquarters had begun to clear, at an intensive pace, the minefield, while the repair platoon helped the crews of the immobilized tanks to repair them.
When the situation calmed down, Burr realized that an entire platoon had been lost! It was Lieutenant Langerman's platoon which had been the first to attack the Australians. Everyone then believed that the platoon had been destroyed. However, nothing of the sort had happened.
Langerman and his men simply continued to pursue the retreating Australians to the fortress of Benina. It was dark when they arrived before the fort. Then they heard voices in English behind them. It was obvious that they had been cut off. Without losing his cool, Langermann ordered his men to take cover and not even breathe.
The Australians coming behind them did not notice them and passed in front of them heading towards the fort. Langerman immediately decided to seize the opportunity. Silently, he gave his orders to his men and they faithfully followed him.
Literally tiptoeing, theGermans marched behind the Australians and managed to get close to the fort. However, the Australians were numerous and so Langerman decided to withdraw a little further back and deploy the platoon in line of battle, waiting for dawn.
As soon as the sun began to rise he ordered his machine guns to open fire. The Australians were taken by surprise and considering that they were facing a much stronger German force retreated immediately . Langerman and the "lost" platoon captured the fortress, immediately after the withdrawal of their opponents.
Bardia is the target
Rommel, meanwhile, ordered Wehmar to continue, without rest, his movement. The battalion did indeed move again, having first rounded up the crew of a Stuka who had been shot down and had successfully abandoned the aircraft.
Their aircrew informed the battalion of the presence of British tanks in the direction they were moving. The 3rd moved with the armored vehicles in front, the trucks in the middle and the motorcyclists in the rear.
At one point the battalion approached a hill, at the foot of which it halted. Vehmar ordered Falois to climb the hill and check the field. The lieutenant actually climbed the hill and spotted about 40 British tanks approaching. The chariots, however, suddenly stopped before the eastern slope of the hill.
The Germans did not react and waited for night to fall. After dark a patrol led by Lieutenant Burr moved towards the British tanks. Burr and his men found themselves before a ulama of five British chariots.
Three of the tanks had been abandoned. The crews of the other two were captured by the Germans, without a word being heard. Interrogation of the prisoners revealed the reason why the British tanks had stopped. They had run out of fuel and their crews, at least most of them, had abandoned them.
The next morning Wehmar received an order, directly from Rommel, literally, from the sky, as the German general reconnoitered the battlefield aboard a Fieseler Storch aircraft. Rommel's order was simple. He just said:“Move faster. Your goal is Derna". At the same time, he informed Vehmar that the 8th Machine Gun Battalion was already fighting in that city.
To carry out Rommel's order, Vehmar decided to move by the shortest possible route. Unfortunately, this route was mined. A small vehicle blew up , but the pioneers of the battalion immediately got to work and in a few hours had opened a wide corridor in the middle of the minefield. The liquidation, however, cost the pioneers three dead and six wounded.
After this the advance continued and a few hours later the battalion reached Derna. Immediately afterwards Rommel ordered Vehmar to continue towards Tobruk and Bardia. “Continuously 60 Vehmar. A reconnaissance battalion that does not do 60 a day is worth nothing," Rommel ordered Wehmar, meaning that the battalion had to cover at least 60 km per day.
The general did reach Tobruk, bypassed it and reached Bardia. There he was stopped by the sound of explosions. The British were blowing up their installations in the coastal city as they retreated . The 3rd entered the town and moved further east of it, cutting off the Australian garrison of Tobruk for good.