I & II / 361 Afrika Regiment

[David W]

Do any of you guys have a date of arrival in North Africa for these to battalions?
I have sketchy dates of Oct/Nov 1941.
Would they have arrived at Tripoli? I assume so.

[David W]

Please don't make me ask on A.H.F!

[JeffF]

according to Campaign in North Africa they and the regimental companies arrived over the third week of June 1941in Tripoli.

[David W]

Thanks Jeff.
That seems mighty early, I wonder what they used for their sources?

[hero.]

Hello David and Jeff !

According to the entry below in the Lexikon der Wehrmacht (which is based on Tessin),
Afrika Rgt. 361 was formed from June, 15th, 1941 onward, on the trainingsground Baumholder (WK XII)( Staff and I. Btl.)
while II. Btl. was formed in Rheine (WK VI). The Regiment was reinforced by an additional Art.Abt. 316.
In the beginning it belonged to the Heerestruppen (independent army units), later it became part of 90. le. Afrika Div.
The personal consisted of germans, who had been members of the french Foreign Legion.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... R361-R.htm

In Mehner, Die geheimen Tagesberichte der dt. Wehrmachtführung, there is an entry on 22nd of October, 1941 :
>> - Africatransports :
Escort formation (3 destroyers) with 800 men of german troups ( I./Afrika-Regt. 361 and 3./Heer.Küst.Art.Abt. 528 )
had left [the harbor of] Augusta on the evening of Oct., 20th, and arrived at Bengasi on 21st of Oct., after an
unsuccessful enemy U-boat attack (5 torpedos missed). <<

So at least the I. Btl. arrived at the end of October, which sounds reasonable, when the unit was formed in June, had roughly
3 months of training and was then sent to africa. I have no details on the II. Btl., but the full Regiment 361 and its Art.Abt. 361 are listed (subordinated) under the units of the 90th le. Afrika Div. already with the date of Nov., 10th. (see link below,
at the bottom). So the rest of the Rgt. might have arrived around the same time, in accordance with your suspicion !
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 0leDiv.htm

If you need some translation help on the german links, please let me know !

Best regards,
hero.

[David W]

hero, you are one!

Thanks for the great info.

we just need to pin down that II Bataillon now!

[Seppi]

As a new member whose late father was a Swiss national and an ex Legionnaire in 361 Afrika Regiment (later 90 Leichte) I hope I can add a little to the topic. He was drafted into 3 Kompanie Infanterie Ersatz Bataillon zbv Rheine on 1 June 1941. This became 4 Kompanie Panzergrenadier Regiment 361 and then in July 1942 90 Leichten Afrika Division.

[mconrad]

On what legal basis could the German government draft a Swiss national into the Wehrmacht?

[Seppi]

Did Hitler ever worry about legal bases? My father spoke german as his mother tongue having been born in Basel. The Vichy French interned him while serving in the French Foreign Legion and handed him over to the Germans.