Any of you Axis experts know if the Marder II was used in North Afika. I remember seeing a photo in a Polish publication that credited one of its photo to a North Afrikan example.

Hi Rod
The Marder II was used in North Africa, but I can't remember by wich unit. Sorry!
Jacob

Rod,
There is a photo in Concord's North Africa book and in Bellona Military Vehicle Prints series 21 of a marder II and the caption claims the vehicle belonged to the 10th Panzer Division in Tunisia. The 10th Panzer did refit in France prior to being shipped to Tunisia in the summer of 1942 so it would be highly probable for them to have been equiped with Marder II's based on the F chassis. However, there does not seem to be any documents to varify this.
This would ne be to much of a problem except the very same photo has also be captioned in other sources as belonging to the Fallschirmjaeger Panzer Jaeger Abteilung 1, Liri Valley, Italy in may of 1944. We all know that some authors frequently stuff their books with mislabeled photos, right?

You had to ask,... well

German Practice was to instantly send new equipment to assembly areas as soon as possible and issue it to whom ever was being refitted at the time. A large percentage of this was performed in france and it was a first come first served basis. The 10th Panzer was in the right place at the right time.

Having examined this photo myself I have always felt that the mosque in the background places it in Tunisia and certainly not Italy.

Well Rod, there is my two cents for what it's worth.

JGriffon

Jacob
Thanks

Joe
That is the very picure that I recall. Nice to know that I am not losing my marbles after all/