Army Group South

Army Group South (German: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II.

Army Group South
German: Heeresgruppe Süd
Briefing at the headquarters of Army Group South at Poltava on 1 June 1942
Active1 September – 26 October 1939
22 June 1941 – 9 July 1942
9 February 1943 – 4 April 1944
23 September 1944 – 1 April 1945
Country Germany
Branch Heer ( Wehrmacht)
Size1 July 1942: 1,210,861[1]
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Gerd von Rundstedt, Fedor von Bock, Walter von Reichenau, Erich von Manstein

It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the Invasion of Poland Army Group South was led by Gerd von Rundstedt and his chief of staff Erich von Manstein.

Two years later, Army Group South became one of three army groups into which Germany organised their forces for Operation Barbarossa. Army Group South's principal objective was to capture Soviet Ukraine and its capital Kiev.[2]

In September 1944, the Army Group South Ukraine was renamed Army Group South in Eastern Hungary. It fought in Western Hungary until March 1945 and retired to Austria at the end of the Second World War, where it was renamed Army Group Ostmark on 2 April 1945.

Operation Barbarossa

Soldiers of the Army Group South crossing the Soviet border in Ukraine during Operation Barbarossa

Ukraine was a major center of Soviet industry and mining and had the good farmland required for Hitler's plans for Lebensraum ('living space'). Army Group South was to advance up to the Volga River, engaging a part of the Red Army and thus clearing the way for the Army Group North and the Army Group Center on their approach to Leningrad and Moscow respectively.

To carry out these initial tasks its battle order included the First Panzer Group (Gen. Kleist) and the German Sixth (Gen. Reichenau), Seventeenth (Gen. Stülpnagel) and Eleventh Armies (Gen. Schobert), Luftlotte 1 (Keller) and the Romanian Third and Fourth Armies.

Operation Blue

In preparation for Operation Blue, the 1942 campaign in southern Russia and the Caucasus, Army Group South was split into two army groups: Army Group A and Army Group B.[3] Army Group A was ordered south to capture the oil fields in the Caucasus.

In February 1943, Army Group Don and the existing Army Group B were combined and re-designated Army Group South. A new Army Group B became a major formation elsewhere. The German Sixth Army, which was destroyed in the Battle of Stalingrad, was re-constituted and later made part of Army Group South in March 1943. On 4 April 1944, Army Group South was re-designated Army Group North Ukraine. Army Group North Ukraine existed from 4 April to 28 September.

In September 1944, Army Group South Ukraine was re-designated Army Group South. At the end of World War II in Europe, Army Group South was again renamed; as Army Group Ostmark, the remnants of Army Group South ended the war fighting in and around Austria and Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Army Group Ostmark was one of the last major German military formations to surrender to the Allies.

Order of battle for Army Group South, October 1944

Army Group Army Corps Division Remarks
 
South
Gen Friessner
German
Sixth Army
Gen Fretter-Pico
IV Panzer Corps
LtGen Kleeman
24th Panzer Division
 
LXXII Army Corps
LtGen Schmidt
76th Infantry Division
 
Hungarian
VII Army Corps
MajGen Vörös
Hungarian
8th Reserve Division
 
Hungarian
12th Reserve Division
 
III Panzer Corps
LtGen Breith
1st Panzer Division
 
13th Panzer Division
 
23rd Panzer Division
 
Feldherrnhalle
Panzergrenadier Division
 
22nd SS Cavalry Division
Maria Theresa
 
46th Infantry Division
 
503rd Heavy Tank Battalion
 
German
Eighth Army
Gen Wöhler
German
XVII Army Corps
LtGen Kreysing
German
8th 8th Jäger Division
 
Hungarian
27th Infantry Division
 
Hungarian
9th Frontier Brigade
 
Hungarian
IX Army Corps
BrigGen Kovács
German
3rd Mountain Division
 
Hungarian
2nd Replacement Division
 
German
XXIX Army Corps
LtGen Röpke
German
8th SS Cavalry Division
Florian Geyer
 
German
4th Mountain Division
 
Hungarian
Second Army
LtGen von Dalnoki
(Attached to
German
Sixth Army)
Hungarian
II Army Corps
MajGen Kiss
Hungarian
2nd Armored Division
 
Hungarian
25th Infantry Division
 
German
15th Infantry Division
 
Hungarian
Group Finta
BrigGen Finta
Hungarian
7th Replacement Division
 
Hungarian
1st Replacement
Mountain Brigade
 
Hungarian
2nd Replacement
Mountain Brigade
 
Army Reserve
LtGen von Dalnoki
Hungarian
9th Replacement Division
 
Hungarian
Third Army
LtGen Heszlényi
Hungarian
VIII Army Corps
MajGen Lengyel
Hungarian
23rd Reserve Division
 
Hungarian
5th Replacement Division
 
Hungarian
8th Replacement Division
 
Hungarian
1st Armored Division
 
German
LVII Panzer Corps
LtGen Kirchner
4th SS
Panzergrenadier Division
 
Hungarian
20th Infantry Division
 
Hungarian
1st Cavalry Division
 
Army Reserve
LtGen Heszlényi
Hungarian
Szent László
Infantry Division
 

Commanders

No. Portrait CommanderTook officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Gerd von Rundstedt
Rundstedt, GerdGeneralfeldmarschall
Gerd von Rundstedt
(1875–1953)
1 September 193926 October 193955 days
(1)
Gerd von Rundstedt
Rundstedt, GerdGeneralfeldmarschall
Gerd von Rundstedt
(1875–1953)
22 June 19411 December 1941162 days
2
Walter von Reichenau
Reichenau, WalterGeneralfeldmarschall
Walter von Reichenau
(1884–1942)
1 December 194112 January 1942 42 days
3
Fedor von Bock
Bock, FedorGeneralfeldmarschall
Fedor von Bock
(1880–1945)
12 January 19429 July 1942178 days
4
Maximilian von Weichs
Weichs, MaximilianGeneralfeldmarschall
Maximilian von Weichs
(1881–1954)
9 July 194212 February 1943218 days
5
Erich von Manstein
Manstein, ErichGeneralfeldmarschall
Erich von Manstein
(1887–1973)
12 February 19432 April 19441 year, 50 days
6
Johannes Frießner
Frießner, JohannesGeneraloberst
Johannes Frießner
(1892–1971)
23 September 194428 December 194496 days
7
Otto Wöhler
Wöhler, OttoGeneral der Infanterie
Otto Wöhler
(1894–1987)
28 December 19446 April 194599 days
8
Lothar Rendulic
Rendulic, LotharGeneraloberst
Lothar Rendulic
(1887–1971)
7 April 194530 April 194523 days

See also

References

  1. Liedtke, Gregory. Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941-1943. Wolverhampton Military Studies, 2016, p. 228.
  2. Robert Kirchubel (2012). Operation Barbarossa 1941 (1): Army Group South. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 3–10. ISBN 978-1846036514. Illustrated.
  3. Adam, Wilhelm; Ruhle, Otto (2015). With Paulus at Stalingrad. Translated by Tony Le Tissier. Pen and Sword Books Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 9781473833869.
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