Prof. Greg Jackson

Ah, that means the pincer has now closed.

The Nazis realize that there's nothing to be done now, except hope that the terms of surrender are generous.

It's May 12th, 1943.

We're riding into the Africa Corps encampment at St.

Marie du Zit, Tunisia, with two British generals, 5th Corps Commander Charles Alfre and 4th Indian Division Commander Francis Tucker.

They're here, of course, to receive this Nazi army's surrender.

Francis and Charles exit their vehicle.

Feeling the weight of hundreds of Axis eyes following them, the two Brits walk through the ravine-hitting camp and are soon face-to-face with their counterparts, Nazi generals Hans-Jürgen von Arnhem and Hans Kramer.

The two parties stand in jarring contrast.

The Brits are dressed in dusty boots and worn-out trousers.

Francis is in a simple pullover, exactly the sort of look you'd expect from men engaged in hard desert fighting.

But opposite of them, the two Germans are dressed to the nines.

Both are in long-waisted tunics and polished riding boots.

And the contrast only grows as they start to talk.

With a touch of dry British humor and mockery, Francis Tooker introduces himself with a German flair as General von Tooker.

Okay, Tooker played this game.

Hans-Jürgen von Arnhem answers, but not in English, despite speaking the language quite well.

Instead, he uses French, explaining through an interpreter that, I cannot alter Hitler's orders by surrendering all remaining forces in North Africa.

Well, if that's the Nazis' final reply, Charles Alfre has a blunt retort.

He tells the Nazi leaders that if that's the situation, then we'll blow you off the map.