Army Group South

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

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.

In September 1944, 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

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.

Case Blue

In preparation for Case 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. 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.

By the end of December 1943, the strength of Army Group South had been reduced to 328,397 German soldiers, joined by another 109,816 allied soldiers and non-German volunteer troops.

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   SouthGen Friessner GermanSixth ArmyGen Fretter-Pico IV Panzer CorpsLtGen Kleeman 24th Panzer Division  LXXII Army CorpsLtGen Schmidt 76th Infantry Division  HungarianVII Army CorpsMajGen Vörös Hungarian8th Reserve Division  Hungarian12th Reserve Division  III Panzer CorpsLtGen Breith 1st Panzer Division  13th Panzer Division  23rd Panzer Division  FeldherrnhallePanzergrenadier Division  22nd SS Cavalry DivisionMaria Theresa  46th Infantry Division  503rd Heavy Tank Battalion  GermanEighth ArmyGen Wöhler GermanXVII Army CorpsLtGen Kreysing German8th 8th Jäger Division  Hungarian27th Infantry Division  Hungarian9th Frontier Brigade  HungarianIX Army CorpsBrigGen Kovács German3rd Mountain Division  Hungarian2nd Replacement Division  GermanXXIX Army CorpsLtGen Röpke German8th SS Cavalry DivisionFlorian Geyer  German4th Mountain Division  HungarianSecond ArmyLtGen von Dalnoki(Attached toGermanSixth Army) HungarianII Army CorpsMajGen Kiss Hungarian2nd Armored Division  Hungarian25th Infantry Division  German15th Infantry Division  HungarianGroup FintaBrigGen Finta Hungarian7th Replacement Division  Hungarian1st ReplacementMountain Brigade  Hungarian2nd ReplacementMountain Brigade  Army ReserveLtGen von Dalnoki Hungarian9th Replacement Division  HungarianThird ArmyLtGen Heszlényi HungarianVIII Army CorpsMajGen Lengyel Hungarian23rd Reserve Division  Hungarian5th Replacement Division  Hungarian8th Replacement Division  Hungarian1st Armored Division  German LVII Panzer CorpsLtGen Kirchner 4th SSPanzergrenadier Division  Hungarian20th Infantry Division  Hungarian1st Cavalry Division  Army ReserveLtGen Heszlényi HungarianSzent LászlóInfantry Division 

Commanders

See also Army Group Centre Army Group North

References

Further reading