“Die Roten Teufel”: The Red Devils Remembered

Among the many handcrafted cigarette cases made by prisoners of war in North Africa, this example stands out for both its craftsmanship and its story.

Many Allied and German POWs fashioned cigarette cases from aluminium food containers, recycling what they could from the supply tins that once held rations. Most surviving examples feature familiar scenes such as pyramids, palm trees or maps of Africa. This one, however, was clearly a commission, an individual soldier’s request for a reminder of his service.

The case bears the inscription “HQ 1st Parachute Brigade”, framed within the famous parachute wings badge. Below it appears the German phrase “DIE ROTEN TEUFEL” (“The Red Devils”), the nickname given to the 1st Parachute Brigade by the German troops they fought in North Africa. Inside, the engraved panels include space for photographs and a tender scene of a couple embracing beneath a lamplight, most likely a reference to Lili Marleen, the haunting wartime song loved by soldiers on both sides.

The 1st Parachute Brigade, formed in 1941 as part of the 1st Airborne Division, earned its fearsome nickname during the fierce fighting in Tunisia. Their HQ staff were at the heart of operations in the desert campaign.