German Eighteenth Army
Encyclopedia
The 18th Army was a World War I
and World War II
field army
.
.
(Battle of the Netherlands
) and Belgium
(Battle of Belgium
) during Fall Gelb and later moved into France
in 1940. The 18th Army was then moved East and participated in Operation Barbarossa
in 1941.
The Army was a part of the Army Group North
until early 1945, when it was subordinated to Army Group Kurland. In October 1944, the army was encircled by the Red Army
offensives and spent the remainder of the war in the Courland Pocket
.
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...
and 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...
field army
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
.
World War I
The 18th Army was formed in 1918 by the German OHL and commanded by General Oskar von HutierOskar von Hutier
Oskar von Hutier was one of Imperial Germany's most successful and innovative generals of World War I.-Biography:Hutier was born in Erfurt, in the Prussian Province of Saxony...
.
World War II
Formed in November 1939 in Military Region (Wehrkreis) VI, the 18th Army was part of the offensive into the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(Battle of the Netherlands
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
) and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(Battle of Belgium
Battle of Belgium
The Battle of Belgium or Belgian Campaign formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive campaign by Germany during the Second World War...
) during Fall Gelb and later moved into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1940. The 18th Army was then moved East and participated in Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in 1941.
The Army was a part 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...
until early 1945, when it was subordinated to Army Group Kurland. In October 1944, the army was encircled by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
offensives and spent the remainder of the war 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...
.
Commanders
- November 5, 1939 – January 16, 1942 Generalfeldmarschall Georg von KüchlerGeorg von KüchlerGeorg Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von Küchler was a German Field Marshal during the Second World War. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
- January 16, 1942 – March 29, 1944 Generaloberst Georg LindemannGeorg LindemannGeorg Heinrich Lindemann was a German cavalry officer and field commander who served in the German army during World War I and World War II . He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
- March 29, 1944 – September 2, 1944 General der Artillerie Herbert LochHerbert Loch (general)Herbert Loch was a highly decorated General der Artillerie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the XXVI. Corps. 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...
- September 5, 1944 – May 8, 1945 General der Infanterie 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...
Chiefs of the Generalstab
- November 5, 1939 – December 10, 1940 Generalmajor Erich MarcksErich MarcksErich Marcks was a German general of artillery in World War II.-Biography:Born in Schöneberg, Marcks was the son of the German historian Erich Marcks. He began advanced studies in philosophy in Freiburg in 1909. He broke off his studies after only three semesters and became a career officer of...
- December 10, 1940 – January 19, 1941 Generalmajor Wilhelm HasseWilhelm Hasse (general)Wilhelm Otto Oswald Hasse was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 17. Armee. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
- January 19, 1941 – November 17, 1942 Generalmajor Dr. Ing. h.c. Kurt Waeger
- November 24, 1942 – December 1, 1943 Generalmajor Hans Speth
- December 1, 1943 – January 25, 1945 Generalmajor 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 ....
- January 25, 1945 – March 5, 1945 Oberst i.G. Wilhelm Hetzel
- March 5, 1945 – May 8, 1945 Generalmajor Ernst Merk
May 10, 1940
- XXVI Army Corps
- 256th Infantry Division
- 254th Infantry Division
- SS "Der Führer" DivisionDas ReichDas Reich is the name of:* a German SS-division, see 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich* a national socialist newspaper, see Das Reich * the main work of German right-wing intellectual Friedrich Hielscher...
- X Army Corps
- SS "Adolf Hitler" Division
- 227th Infantry Division227th Infantry Division (Germany)The 227th Infantry Division named "Rheinisch-Westfälische" was created on 26 August 1939 in Krefeld. The Division was deployed for the last time in February 1945 in the Tuchola Forest.-Commanding officers:...
- 207th Infantry Division
- 1st Cavalry Division1st Cavalry Division (Germany)The 1st Cavalry Division was formed in October 1939. It fought in Holland, Belgium, France and on the Eastern Front. It was officially transformed into the 24th Panzer Division in late 1941.- Formation :...
- Direct control of Army Headquarters
- SS "Verfügungstruppe" Division
- 9th Panzer Division
- 208th Infantry Division
- 225th Infantry Division
July 1, 1941
- XXXVIII Army Corps
- 58th Infantry Division58th Infantry Division (Germany)The 58th Infantry Division was a unit of the German Army during World War II. It was formed in 1939, took part in the Battle of France in 1940, and then Operation Barbarossa in 1941...
- 291st Infantry Division
- 58th Infantry Division
- XXVI Army Corps
- 1st Infantry Division
- 61st Infantry Division
- 217th Infantry Division
- I Army Corps
- 11th Infantry Division11th Infantry Division (Germany)The 11th Infantry Division was a formation of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. Formed 1 October 1934 as Infanterieführer I in Allenstein it was renamed 11. Infanterie-Division on 15...
- 21st Infantry Division21st Infantry Division (Germany)-History:The division was formed in 1934 in Elbing, East Prussia, by expanding the 3rd Prussian Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division of the old Reichswehr. As this was a direct breach of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, its existence was initially concealed; it was formally designated as...
- 11th Infantry Division
September 1941
- L Army Corps
- LIV Army Corps
- XXVI Army Corps
- XXVIII Army Corps
- I Army Corps
July 15, 1944
- XXVIII Army Corps
- 12th Luftwaffe Division
- Kampfgruppe Hoefer
- 21st Infantry Division
- 30th Infantry Division
- XXXVIII Army Corps
- 121st Infantry Division
- 32nd Infantry Division
- 21st Luftwaffe Division
- 83rd Infantry Division
- L Army Corps
- 218th Infantry Division
- 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)The 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS was an Infantry Division of the Waffen SS during World War II. It was the second Latvian division formed in January 1944, after its sister unit, the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS...
- 126th Infantry Division
- 93rd Infantry Division
- 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)The 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS was formed in the Waffen SS's drive for manpower in the wake of Operation Barbarossa; Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941...
- Kampfgruppe Streckenbach
- Direct control of Army Headquarters
- Headquarters VI SS Corps
- 207th Security Division
- 300th Division zbV (Estonian border guard units)
April 12, 1945
- L Army Corps
- 11th Infantry Division
- 290th Infantry Division
- II Army Corps
- 563rd Volksgrenadier Division
- 126th Infantry Division
- 263rd Infantry Division
- 87th Infantry Division
- I Army Corps
- 225th Infantry Division
- 132nd Infantry Division
- X Army Corps
- 30th Infantry Division
- 121st Infantry Division
- Kampfgruppe Gise
- Direct control of Army Headquarters
- 52nd Security Division
- 14th Panzer Division
Further reading
- Kurowski, Franz (2000). "Todeskessel Kurland", Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Wölfersheim-Berstadt. ISBN 3-7909-0716-2.
- Tessin, Georg (1976). "Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945" (Volume IV), Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück. ISBN 3-7648-1083-1.