One of the most daring undertakings attempted by the Brandenburger's in Africa was "Unternehmen Dora". This most ambitious plan was to disrupt the Allied supply roads emanating from the Gulf of Guinea to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. These roads were of vital importance to the British 8th Army.
Specifically, Leutnant von Leipzig was ordered to take a Brandenburg commando team and begin a reconnaissance effort of today's Niger and Chad to determine if German efforts could indeed be channeled to disrupting this supply line. Lake Chad and its surrounding areas were selected as being the most effective zones of disruption. About 100 Brandenburger troops were made available for "Dora". They were equipped with 24 British military vehicles, 12 40mm armed trucks, 4 British Jeeps with AA MG's, a command sedan, a signals truck, a gasoline and a water supply truck and a small mobile mechanical service truck. All participants had a solid command of either English or French, three also spoke fluent Arabic.
The team departed Tripolis in either June or July of 1942. The convoy drove via Hun and Sabbah bound for Marzuq (an Italian garrison in south eastern Libya). A "Feldflugplatz" was constructed about 35 miles from the town of Al-Qatrun (south of Marzuq). The idea was to deploy a number of refurbished Spitfires there (they were to be flown by Brandenburger pilots). Al-Qatrun was to serve as the primary base of operations. In July of 1942, von Leipzig divided his 100 man team into three smaller teams. He took charge of the first group.
The first group proceeded to advance towards the Tassili plateau in south-eastern Algeria. From there, the Brandenburger's proceeded to build another forward staging base. No sooner had they reached the Tassili mountain region, they were discovered by a French armored unit which immediately opened up fire. Over the course of the next few days, the Germans worked hard to stay one step ahead of the French. The French then proceeded to set up a trap for the Brandenburgers in a small Arab village located about 35 miles from the town of Ghezehida (Algeria).
The British and the French reacted in total panic - they had not expected to see German troops in that part of Africa. Additional French troops, British Colonial troops, special commando units, etc., were now ordered to converge on the Brandenburgers. To better effect their escape, the Brandenburgers now switched over to wearing French uniforms; having buried their German uniforms deep in the sand. The Brandenburgers did something cool and calculated - they drove right up to a French unit and told them that they were one of the many parties sent to the region to catch the dreaded German infiltrators. Because of their French language skills, the ruse worked. The local French commander gave them food and supplies. But then disaster struck. A French commander gave one of the Brandenburgers an order - to the only Brandenburg team member who spoke no French. Von Leipzig quickly took advantage of the confusion, ordered his men to their trucks and escaped with all his men - now bound for the Libyan border again. The French were so dumfounded that they waited until a more senior French military officer had arrived to help make sense of what just happened. Of this team, only four were killed in action (in a firefight with French forces on a mountain top).
The second group under the command of Feldwebel (!) Stegmann proceeded to advance over the Tibesti mountain range in northern Chad and from there proceed towards Lake Chad. Their assignment was to operate in French Equatorial Africa and cause as much havoc as possible. Two days after departing, the team was "attacked" by Bedouins. Feldwebel Stegmann however maintained his composure and ordered every Brandenburger to remain perfectly still. It turned out that the "attack" was a Bedouin test of courage and allegiance. The Tibbu Bedouins also hated the French and they were very willing to help the Germans. With help, the Germans were able to infiltrate the ancient caravan town of Bardai. It was held by only a company sized unit of French troops. It did not take the Germans long to ascertain the fact that a strong contingent of French troops were on their way. A decision was thus made to return to Libya. 14 days later, all German Brandenburgers arrived safely in Marzuq.
The third group under the command of Leutnant Becker was to advance towards the Libyan town of Ghat (south-western Libya) and penetrate southern Algeria. They were to avoid combat situations if possible. After crossing the border town of Ghat, they ran into a village occupied by French forces. Through a series of clever subterfuges, the Brandenburgers were able to create a condition of medical quarantines in the region. This worked, and no additional French forces dared to enter a quarantine area. The local Arab people were willing participants to this ruse, as it made the hated French look as foolish as possible. The third group too returned unharmed to German lines in Libya.
