Army Group Courland
Encyclopedia
Army Group Courland was a German
Army Group on the Eastern Front
which was created from remnants of the Army Group North
, isolated
in the Courland
peninsula
by the advancing Soviet Army
forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end of World War II in Europe
. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated Wehrmacht
command on 8 May 1945.
At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945
), the Sixteenth and Eighteenth armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) Carl Hilpert
, ended hostilities at 23:00 on 8 May 1945 surrendering to Leonid Govorov
commander of the Leningrad Front
. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the Courland Pocket
had surrendered.
near the Memel
river on Tuesday, 10 October 1944.
As a result, what was then known as Army Group North
was cut off in Latvia
from the rest of the German Army
, and was to stay cut off for the remainder of the war. Approximately 200,000 German troops in 26 divisions were in what was to become known as the Courland Pocket. Army Group Courland remained in existence until the end of the war in Europe.
Army Group Courland was created on 25 January 1945, when German dictator Adolf Hitler
renamed Army Group North
, Army Group Center, and Army Group A
. Hitler's name changes meant that Army Group North became Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland), Army Group Center became Army Group North (Heeresgruppe Nord) and Army Group A became Army Group Center (Heeresgruppe Mitte).
and the German Eighteenth Army
. The two armies had been sent to Courland
partly to protect training grounds for the remaining Nazi U-boat
forces.
Bypassed by the main Soviet thrusts, Army Group Courland remained relatively intact. Even towards the end of the war, the army was able to field between twenty-four to thirty-one divisions, with the exact number of divisions depending on how many of the associated or understrength divisions are counted. Even so, with its back to the Baltic Sea
, it also remained largely cut off from re-supply, and was unable to break out or evacuate.
Army Group Courland fought six major battles in the Courland Pocket between 15 October 1944, and 4 April 1945. The dates for the six battles were as follows:
On 7 May 1945, German Head of State
(Staatsoberhaupt) and President (Reichspräsident
) Karl Dönitz
ordered Colonel-General Carl Hilpert
, to surrender Army Group Courland. Hilpert was the army group's last commander-in-chief. Hilpert surrendered himself, his personal staff, and three divisions of the XXXVIII Corps to Marshal of the Soviet Union
Leonid Govorov
. Hilpert sent the following message to his troops: "To all ranks! Marshall Govorod (sic) has agreed to a cease-fire beginning at 14:00 hours on 8 May. Troops to be informed immediately. White flags to be displayed. Commander expects loyal implemenation of order, on which the fate of all Courland troops depends."
On 8 May, a General Rauser (Chief of Logistics of the Army Group) succeeded in obtaining better surrender terms from the Soviets. On 9 May, the Soviet commission in Peilei started to interrogate the captive staff of Army Group Courland. The Soviets began a general round-up of all remaining German troops in the Courland Pocket. By end of the 11 May the troops of the Lenigrad Front had secured the Courland peninsula, reaching the coast of the Riga Bay and the Baltic Sea.
From 9 May to 12 May 140,408 men and non-commissioned officers, 5,083 officers and 28 generals in the Courland Pocket, surrendered. The equipment captured in the same period consisted of 75 aircraft; 307 tanks and self-propelled guns; 1,427 guns; 557 mortars; 3,879 machineguns; 52,887 rifles and submachine-guns; 219 armored personnel carriers; 310 radio stations; 4,281 motor vehicles; 240 tractors, 3,442 carts loaded with military cargoes, 14,056 horses.
On 23 May, the Soviet round-up of the German troops in the Courland Pocket was completed. A total of about 180,000 German troops were taken into captivity. Captive German officers were turned over to the NKVD. The bulk of the captives were taken to camps in Valdai Hills
.
. This was an act reminiscent of similar actions taken at the end of World War I
, but atypical for the end of World War II
. The formation of a Freikorps was prevented by the Soviets, who were obviously unwilling to allow such an action by a beaten foe. In addition, the Soviets did not intend for Germans to remain settled in the Courland area after the war.
After the surrender, a number of German, Estonian and, Latvian soldiers evaded Soviet capture. Many of these ex-soldiers joined the Forest Brothers
resistance organization, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian nationalist partisans
who waged guerrilla warfare
against the Soviets to gain independence for the Soviet-occupied Baltic states.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Army Group on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
which was created from remnants of the Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
, isolated
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
in the Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
by the advancing Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end of World War II in Europe
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
command on 8 May 1945.
At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945
German Instrument of Surrender, 1945
The German Instrument of Surrender was the legal instrument that established the armistice ending World War II in Europe. It was signed by representatives of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and the Allied Expeditionary Force together with the Soviet High Command, French representative signing as...
), the Sixteenth and Eighteenth armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) Carl Hilpert
Carl Hilpert
Carl Hilpert was an officer in the German Army during World War II.Hilpert was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria....
, ended hostilities at 23:00 on 8 May 1945 surrendering to Leonid Govorov
Leonid Govorov
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
commander of the Leningrad Front
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the Courland Pocket
Courland Pocket
The Courland Pocket referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland peninsula during the closing months of World War II...
had surrendered.
Naming
The aggregation of troops that became named Army Group Courland was created when the Red Army reached the Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
near the Memel
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
river on Tuesday, 10 October 1944.
As a result, what was then known as Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
was cut off in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
from the rest of the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
, and was to stay cut off for the remainder of the war. Approximately 200,000 German troops in 26 divisions were in what was to become known as the Courland Pocket. Army Group Courland remained in existence until the end of the war in Europe.
Army Group Courland was created on 25 January 1945, when German dictator Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
renamed Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
, Army Group Center, and Army Group A
Army Group A
Army Group A was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.-Western Front, 1940:During the German invasion of the Low Countries and France Army Group A was under the command of General Gerd von Rundstedt, and was responsible for the break-out through the Ardennes...
. Hitler's name changes meant that Army Group North became Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland), Army Group Center became Army Group North (Heeresgruppe Nord) and Army Group A became Army Group Center (Heeresgruppe Mitte).
Isolation
Army Group Courland consisted of the German Sixteenth ArmyGerman Sixteenth Army
The 16th Army was a World War II field army.It took part in the Battle of France. It was then deployed with Army Group North during Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It fought its way into northern Russia where in January 1942 it was encircled by the Soviets near...
and the German Eighteenth Army
German Eighteenth Army
The 18th Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-World War I:The 18th Army was formed in 1918 by the German OHL and commanded by General Oskar von Hutier.-World War II:...
. The two armies had been sent to Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
partly to protect training grounds for the remaining Nazi U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
forces.
Bypassed by the main Soviet thrusts, Army Group Courland remained relatively intact. Even towards the end of the war, the army was able to field between twenty-four to thirty-one divisions, with the exact number of divisions depending on how many of the associated or understrength divisions are counted. Even so, with its back to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, it also remained largely cut off from re-supply, and was unable to break out or evacuate.
Army Group Courland fought six major battles in the Courland Pocket between 15 October 1944, and 4 April 1945. The dates for the six battles were as follows:
- From 15 October 1944, to 22 October 1944
- From 27 October 1944 to 25 November 1944
- From 23 December 1944 to 31 December 1944
- From 23 January 1945 to 3 February 1945
- From 12 February 1945 to 19 February 1945
- From 17 March 1945 to 4 April 1945
On 7 May 1945, German Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
(Staatsoberhaupt) and President (Reichspräsident
Reichspräsident
The Reichspräsident was the German head of state under the Weimar constitution, which was officially in force from 1919 to 1945. In English he was usually simply referred to as the President of Germany...
) Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
ordered Colonel-General Carl Hilpert
Carl Hilpert
Carl Hilpert was an officer in the German Army during World War II.Hilpert was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria....
, to surrender Army Group Courland. Hilpert was the army group's last commander-in-chief. Hilpert surrendered himself, his personal staff, and three divisions of the XXXVIII Corps to Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Leonid Govorov
Leonid Govorov
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
. Hilpert sent the following message to his troops: "To all ranks! Marshall Govorod (sic) has agreed to a cease-fire beginning at 14:00 hours on 8 May. Troops to be informed immediately. White flags to be displayed. Commander expects loyal implemenation of order, on which the fate of all Courland troops depends."
On 8 May, a General Rauser (Chief of Logistics of the Army Group) succeeded in obtaining better surrender terms from the Soviets. On 9 May, the Soviet commission in Peilei started to interrogate the captive staff of Army Group Courland. The Soviets began a general round-up of all remaining German troops in the Courland Pocket. By end of the 11 May the troops of the Lenigrad Front had secured the Courland peninsula, reaching the coast of the Riga Bay and the Baltic Sea.
From 9 May to 12 May 140,408 men and non-commissioned officers, 5,083 officers and 28 generals in the Courland Pocket, surrendered. The equipment captured in the same period consisted of 75 aircraft; 307 tanks and self-propelled guns; 1,427 guns; 557 mortars; 3,879 machineguns; 52,887 rifles and submachine-guns; 219 armored personnel carriers; 310 radio stations; 4,281 motor vehicles; 240 tractors, 3,442 carts loaded with military cargoes, 14,056 horses.
On 23 May, the Soviet round-up of the German troops in the Courland Pocket was completed. A total of about 180,000 German troops were taken into captivity. Captive German officers were turned over to the NKVD. The bulk of the captives were taken to camps in Valdai Hills
Valdai Hills
The Valdai Hills are an upland region in north-west of central Russia running north-south, about midway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, spanning the Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, and Smolensk Oblasts....
.
Aftermath
After the surrender, some elements of Army Group Courland briefly attempted to reform itself as a FreikorpsFreikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
. This was an act reminiscent of similar actions taken at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but atypical for the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The formation of a Freikorps was prevented by the Soviets, who were obviously unwilling to allow such an action by a beaten foe. In addition, the Soviets did not intend for Germans to remain settled in the Courland area after the war.
After the surrender, a number of German, Estonian and, Latvian soldiers evaded Soviet capture. Many of these ex-soldiers joined the Forest Brothers
Forest Brothers
The Forest Brothers were Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian partisans who waged a guerrilla war against Soviet rule during the Soviet invasion and occupation of the three Baltic states during, and after, World War II...
resistance organization, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian nationalist partisans
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
who waged guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
against the Soviets to gain independence for the Soviet-occupied Baltic states.
Commanders
- 15 January to 27 January 1945 - Commander-in-Chief Lothar RendulicLothar RendulicGeneraloberst Lothar Rendulic was an Austro-Hungarian and Austrian Army officer of Croatian origin who served as a German general during World War II. He commanded the 14. Infanterie-Division, 52. Infanterie-Division, XXXV Armeekorps, 2. Panzer-Armee, 20...
- 27 January to 10 March 1945 - Commander-in-Chief Heinrich von VietinghoffHeinrich von VietinghoffHeinrich Gottfried Otto Richard von Vietinghoff genannt Scheel was a German Colonel-General of the German Army during the Second World War....
- Von Vietinghoff surrendered to the Allies in Italy. He was briefly imprisoned and was released in 1946. He died in 1952. - 10 March to 25 March 1945 - Commander-in-Chief Lothar Rendulic (again) - Rendulic surrendered to the Allies near Prague. He was tried, sentenced, and convicted of war crimeWar crimeWar crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s in 1948, serving ten years of a twenty year sentence. He was released from prison in 1958, and died in 1971. - 25 March to 8 May 1945 - Commander-in-Chief Carl HilpertCarl HilpertCarl Hilpert was an officer in the German Army during World War II.Hilpert was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria....
Senior officers at capitulation
- General of Infantry Carl HilpertCarl HilpertCarl Hilpert was an officer in the German Army during World War II.Hilpert was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria....
, Commander of Army Group Courland; - Lieutenant-General Friedrich FoertschFriedrich FoertschFriedrich Albert Foertsch was a German general serving during World War II and from 1961 to 1963 the second Inspector General of the Bundeswehr ....
, Chief of Staff of the German Army Group Courland; - Major-General Rauser, Chief of Logistics of the Army Group Courland;
- Lieutenant-General Keler, chief of the veterinary service of the Army Group Courland;
- Lieutenant-General Volckamer von KirchensittenbachFriedrich-Jobst Volckamer von KirchensittenbachFriedrich-Jobst Volckamer von Kirchensittenbach was a highly decorated General der Gebirgstruppe in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 16. Armee. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, Commander of the Sixteenth Army; - Lieutenant-General Ehrenfried-Oskar BoegeEhrenfried-Oskar BoegeEhrenfried-Oskar Boege was a German general who held several Corps level commands during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield...
(Behe), Commander of the Eighteenth Army; - Lieutenant-General Usinger, Commander of the I Army Corps;
- Lieutenant-General GauseAlfred GauseAlfred Gause was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
, Commander of the II Army CorpsII Army Corps (Germany)-Commanders:*Generalleutnant Fedor von Bock, creation – April 1935*General der Infanterie Johannes Blaskowitz, April 1935 – 10 November 1938*Generaloberst Adolf Strauß, 10 November 1938 – 30 May 1940...
; - General of Artillery ThomaschkiSiegfried ThomaschkiSiegfried Paul Leonhard Thomaschki was a German general who commanded the 11. Infanterie Division during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
, Commander of the X Army Corps; - Lieutenant-General WeberGottfried Weber (general)Gottfried Weber was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a Generalmajor in the Bundeswehr. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
, Commander of the XVI Army CorpsXVI Army Corps (Germany)The XVI Corps was a corps in the German Army during both world wars.The original XVI Army Corps was formed in Metz in 1891 and fought in the First World War on the western front. The XVI Corps ended the war under command of the 3rd Army....
; - General of Artillery HerzogKurt HerzogKurt Herzog was a German general who commanded the 291. Infanterie Division during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield...
, Commander of the XXXVIII Army CorpsXXXVIII Corps (Germany)The German XXXVIII Corps was a German army corps during World War II.On 8 January 1945, the XXXVIII Corps was redesignated as the XXXVIII Tank Corps .-Commanders:...
; - Major-General Schultz, Commander of the 24th Infantry Division24th Infantry Division (Germany)The 24th Infantry Division was a German Army infantry division in World War II.-Formation and the Polish Campaign:...
; - Major-General HenzeAlbert HenzeAlbert Henze was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
, Commander of the 30th Infantry Division30th Infantry Division (Germany)The 30nd Infantry Division of the German Army was created on 1 October 1936 in Lübeck and mobilized on 26 August 1939 for the upcoming invasion of Poland...
; - Lieutenant-General Benzeweni, Commander of the 81st Infantry Division81st Infantry Division (Germany)The 81st Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 1 December 1939.-81. Infanterie-Division 1939:*Infanterie-Regiment 161*Infanterie-Regiment 174*Infanterie-Regiment 189...
; - Lieutenant-General Strachwitz, Commander of the 87th Infantry Division87th Infantry Division (Germany)The German 87th Infantry Division was created on 26 August 1939 in Altenburg. The division went into captivity in the Courland pocket.-Commanding officers:*Generalleutnant Bogislav von Studnitz, 26 August 1939...
; - Major-General Schatz, Commander of the 122nd Infantry Division122nd Infantry Division (Germany)The 122nd Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 5 October 1940- Organisation :-Commanding officers:*Generalleutnant Siegfried Macholz, 5 October 1940 – 8 December 1941...
; - Major-General HaehlingKurt HaehlingKurt Haehling was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
, Commander of the 126th Infantry Division126th Infantry Division (Germany)The 126th Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 15 October 1940 in Münster.-Commanding officers:* General der Infanterie Paul Laux, 15 October 1940 – 8 October 1942...
; - Major-General DemmeRudolf DemmeRudolf August Demme was a German General during World War II.-Biography:Demme was born in Mühlhausen in Thuringia. He entered Army Service on September 15, 1914 as a volunteer in the 1st Recruitment-Depot of the 11th Pioneer Replacement Battalion. During the first years of World War I he served...
, Commander of the 132nd Infantry Division132nd Infantry Division (Germany)The 132nd Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 5 October 1940 in Landshut and was destroyed in the Courland Pocket in 1945.-Commanding officers:...
; - Major-General Gise, Commander of the 205th Infantry Division205th Infantry Division (Germany)The 205th Infantry Division was a German division during the Second World War.Initially formed as the 14th Militia Division , the division was mobilized a few days before the invasion of Poland in 1939, and remained on garrison duty in Germany throughout that campaign...
; - Major-General Bauer, Commander of the 207th Guard Division;
- Major-General Risse, Commander of the 225th Infantry Division;
- Major-General Hoeman, Commander of the 263rd Infantry Division;
- Major-General Ebert, Commander of the 300th Infantry Division;
- Lieutenant-General Mennel, Commander of the 329th Infantry Division;
- Lieutenant-General Neuman, Commander of the 563rd Infantry Division;
- Major-General Bart, Commander of a combat group of the 21st Airfield Division;
- Lieutenant-General Band, Commander of the Courland Fortified Area;
- Major-General Muller, commandant of the city of Libava.