The Luftwaffe’s involvement in North Africa began in early 1941 as a limited intervention to support the Italian forces after their heavy defeats at the hands of the British during Operation Compass. In January 1941 elements of the X. Fliegerkorps, initially based in Sicily and under the command of General der Flieger Hans Geisler, commenced operations against British shipping and targets in the eastern Mediterranean. The first major German raid on African soil, an attempted attack on the Suez Canal by Heinkel He 111 bombers of II./Kampfgeschwader 26 on 17 January 1941, ended in costly failure. Shortly afterwards the specialised tactical command Fliegerführer Afrika was established on 20 February 1941 within Luftgau VII and transferred to Libya, initially under Oberstleutnant Martin Harlinghausen and then under Generalmajor Stefan Fröhlich from 24 February. Its primary task was to provide close air support, fighter cover and reconnaissance for the newly arrived Deutsches Afrikakorps under Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel.
Early Luftwaffe strength in the desert was modest. The first fighters to arrive in April 1941 were the Messerschmitt Bf 109E of I./Jagdgeschwader 27 under Hauptmann Eduard Neumann, based at Ain-el-Gazala. They were soon joined by further Gruppen of JG 27, including II./JG 27 under Hauptmann Wolfgang Lippert, as well as the twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110 of III./Zerstörergeschwader 26. Dive-bomber support came from units of Sturzkampfgeschwader 1, 2 and 3 equipped with the Junkers Ju 87, while medium bombers of Lehrgeschwader 1 flying the Junkers Ju 88 conducted longer-range strikes from both African and Sicilian bases. Reconnaissance was performed by specialised Staffeln operating the Ju 88 and other types. From the outset the desert environment imposed severe difficulties: abrasive sand damaged engines and airframes, extreme heat reduced aircraft performance, and the long supply lines across the Mediterranean were constantly threatened by British forces based on Malta.
During Rommel’s first offensive in the spring of 1941 the Luftwaffe provided effective close support that helped the Deutsches Afrikakorps recapture Cyrenaica and invest Tobruk. The siege of Tobruk saw repeated Stuka attacks on the fortress and harbour, while fighters of JG 27 contested air superiority with the Royal Air Force’s Hurricanes and later Kittyhawks. In November 1941 the British launched Operation Crusader; Fliegerführer Afrika, still under Fröhlich and operating from airfields around Derna, struggled to provide adequate cover as Axis forces were pushed back to El Agheila. By the end of the year the headquarters had moved repeatedly in step with the ground fighting.
In early 1942 Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring assumed overall responsibility for the Mediterranean theatre as Oberbefehlshaber Süd, and Fliegerführer Afrika came under Luftflotte 2. On 12 April 1942 Generalleutnant Otto Hoffmann von Waldau replaced Fröhlich. The improved organisation and reinforcement of fighter and bomber units contributed to Axis success in the Battle of Gazala in May–June 1942. Concentrated Stuka and fighter-bomber attacks helped break the Free French defence of Bir Hacheim, after which Tobruk fell on 21 June. The rapid advance to the Egyptian frontier brought Fliegerführer Afrika forward to airfields at Gambut, Sidi Barrani and finally Fuka, close to the El Alamein line. At this peak the command controlled roughly 130–150 serviceable aircraft of all types on African soil, supplemented by longer-range operations from Sicily and Crete.
The first Battle of El Alamein in July 1942 and the subsequent defensive fighting exhausted both ground and air forces. On 30 August Generalleutnant Hans Seidemann took command of Fliegerführer Afrika. During the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein in October–November 1942 the Luftwaffe was heavily outnumbered by the reinforced Desert Air Force and suffered severe losses. After the Axis defeat the remnants of the flying units conducted a fighting withdrawal across Libya. The Anglo-American landings of Operation Torch in Morocco and Algeria on 8 November 1942 forced a rapid redeployment of additional Luftwaffe forces into Tunisia. Units of Jagdgeschwader 53, Jagdgeschwader 77 and further elements of JG 27 were rushed to the new front, while transport aircraft of the Ju 52 and the large Messerschmitt Me 323 flew continuous supply missions across the Sicilian Narrows.
In February 1943 the Stab of Fliegerführer Afrika was redesignated Fliegerkorps Tunis. Despite determined efforts, including the temporary concentration of remaining fighters and the use of Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter-bombers, the Luftwaffe could not prevent the gradual isolation of the Axis bridgehead. Allied air superiority became overwhelming. Operation Flax in April 1943 systematically destroyed the Axis air-transport fleet, culminating in the “Palm Sunday Massacre” of 18 April when large numbers of Ju 52s were shot down. By early May 1943 fuel, ammunition and serviceable aircraft were critically short. Tunis and Bizerta fell on 7 May, and the remaining Luftwaffe personnel either escaped by air or were taken into captivity with the final surrender of Axis forces in North Africa on 13 May 1943.
Throughout the campaign the Luftwaffe never possessed the numerical strength or logistical depth to achieve lasting air superiority. Its successes in 1941 and the first half of 1942 were achieved through qualitative superiority of the Bf 109, skilled pilots such as those of JG 27 (including the famous Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Marseille), and close cooperation with the ground forces. Once the Allies concentrated superior resources, the same factors that had limited the original German intervention—distance, vulnerability of sea supply routes, and the harsh desert environment—contributed to the ultimate failure of Axis air power in North Africa.
Source :
https://avi-8.com/blogs/the-aviation-journal/the-desert-foxs-air-war-aerial-combat-in-north-africa-during-world-war-ii?srsltid=AfmBOorRRacAwYkUvANHfbtcQHkIe-3-4yYOXHTGgodVuyd_B_1VSdC5
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fliegerf%C3%BChrer_Afrika
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=78684
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