Action-packed history of the Germans in Africa in World War II One of the most famous military units of all time under one of the best commanders The early campaigns in the Western Desert, Tobruk, El Alamein, and more From 1941 to 1943, the German Afrika Korps roared into military legend with its bold exploits in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Before the tide turned in late 1942, Erwin Rommel defeated larger British forces, but supply problems and the arrival of the Americans made it impossible for the Germans to keep up their offensive. The remnants of the Afrika Korps surrendered in May 1943.