German_18th_Army

18th Army (Wehrmacht)

18th Army (Wehrmacht)

Military unit


The 18th Army (German: 18. Armee) was a World War II field army of the German Army.

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Formed in November 1939 in Military Region (Wehrkreis) VI, the 18th Army was part of the offensive into the Netherlands (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.

History

On 22 July 1940, the 18th Army consisted of XXVI Corps (161st and 271st Infantry Divisions), XXX Corps (76th and 258th Infantry Divisions), Higher Command XXXV (162nd and 292nd Infantry Divisions), III Corps (62nd and 75th Infantry Divisions), XVII Corps (297th and 298th Infantry Divisions) and Higher Command XXXIV (68th and 257th Infantry Divisions), as well as XXXXIV Corps and 291st Infantry Division as reserves and limited authority extended to Panzer Group Guderian with XXXX Corps and XVI Corps.[1]:208

Commanders

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Chiefs of the Generalstab

  • 5 November 1939 – 10 December 1940 Generalmajor Erich Marcks
  • 10 December 1940 – 19 January 1941 Generalmajor Wilhelm Hasse
  • 19 January 1941 – 17 November 1942 Generalmajor Dr. Ing. h.c. Kurt Waeger
  • 24 November 1942 – 1 December 1943 Generalmajor Hans Speth
  • 1 December 1943 – 25 January 1945 Generalmajor Friedrich Foertsch
  • 25 January 1945 – 5 March 1945 Oberst i.G. Wilhelm Hetzel
  • 5 March 1945 – 10(!) May 1945 Generalmajor Ernst Merk

Orders of Battle

10 May 1940

1 July 1941

September 1941

  • L Army Corps
  • LIV Army Corps
  • XXVI Army Corps
  • XXVIII Army Corps
  • I Army Corps

15 July 1944

12 April 1945


References

Literature

  • Tessin, Georg (1970). "Die Landstreitkräfte 15—30". Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939—1945 (in German). Vol. 4. Frankfurt/Main: E.S. Mittler. pp. 80–85.


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