Street_Disciple
Banned
What if one SS division was sent down to Africa to aid the DAK, let's say the "Leibstandarte", hypotheticly. Now, do you think the presence of the Leibstandarte, Hitlers own if you may, would make Hitler more concerned about the African campaign? Would more supplies possibly have been sent down for aid? If that material had made it to Africa, the whole thing probably would have turned out differently.
The key to North Africa and the Mediterranean was Malta, which brings up an interesting question: Would Hitler's pride in the SS convinced him of the need to take Malta. He would not want to see one of his own lost in the desert. How about this, would the presence of one SS division complicate matters for Rommel? Rommel fought a very "clean" war in North Africa. The Desert War did have its atrocities on both sides, however these were very much the exception, not the rule. Overall both sides had a good reputation on how they treated each others prisoners.
The Waffen SS panzer divisions had a more brutal reputation than the Wehrmacht infantry, panzer and panzergrenadier divisions. If the Waffen SS acted in the Western Desert as they did in Russia or in France, Belgium and Germany, the Desert War could have become much more brutal very quickly. In that case, would Rommel be able to bend the SS to his will or would the friction create more problems for Rommel? (Imagine Rommel trying to discipline an SS unit for killing some local tribesman over some minor dispute).
The key to North Africa and the Mediterranean was Malta, which brings up an interesting question: Would Hitler's pride in the SS convinced him of the need to take Malta. He would not want to see one of his own lost in the desert. How about this, would the presence of one SS division complicate matters for Rommel? Rommel fought a very "clean" war in North Africa. The Desert War did have its atrocities on both sides, however these were very much the exception, not the rule. Overall both sides had a good reputation on how they treated each others prisoners.
The Waffen SS panzer divisions had a more brutal reputation than the Wehrmacht infantry, panzer and panzergrenadier divisions. If the Waffen SS acted in the Western Desert as they did in Russia or in France, Belgium and Germany, the Desert War could have become much more brutal very quickly. In that case, would Rommel be able to bend the SS to his will or would the friction create more problems for Rommel? (Imagine Rommel trying to discipline an SS unit for killing some local tribesman over some minor dispute).