Army Group South

Army Group South
source
Unit name	Army Group South
Dates	1939–1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Heer
Type	Army group
Command structure	OKH
Battles	World War II, Invasion of Poland, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Kursk, Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, Operation Bagration, Vistula–Oder Offensive
Notable commanders	Gerd von Rundstedt, Fedor von Bock, Walther von Reichenau, Erich von Manstein, Johannes Frießner, Ferdinand Schörner, Otto Wöhler

Army Group South. It was one of the principal German army groups during World War II, activated multiple times for major campaigns. Its operational history spanned from the Invasion of Poland in 1939 to the final defensive battles in Hungary and Austria in 1945. The formation was most famously associated with the southern sector of the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa and the subsequent brutal warfare in Ukraine and southern Russia.

History

The formation was first established in August 1939 under the command of Gerd von Rundstedt for the Invasion of Poland, where it advanced from Silesia towards Kraków and Lwów. Following the Battle of France, it was reformed in 1941 as the primary southern strategic formation for Operation Barbarossa, tasked with securing Ukraine and the Caucasus oil fields. After catastrophic defeats at Stalingrad and Kursk, it was repeatedly redesignated and reconstituted, eventually fighting a protracted retreat through Romania, Hungary, and into Austria. Its final iteration, often referred to as Army Group Ostmark, surrendered to American forces in May 1945.

Organization

At the start of Operation Barbarossa, it comprised First Panzer Group, Sixth Army, Eleventh Army, and Seventeenth Army, supported by Luftflotte 4. It was later reinforced by allied contingents including the Romanian Third Army, the Italian Army in Russia, and the Hungarian Second Army. After the disaster at Stalingrad, it was reorganized as Army Group Don and later again as Army Group South, absorbing units from the dissolved Army Group B. By 1944, its major components included Army Group North Ukraine (briefly), Sixth Army, Eighth Army, and various Waffen-SS panzer divisions like the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.

Commanders

Its first commander was Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, who led it in Poland and the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa. He was succeeded in December 1941 by Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Reichenau, and upon Reichenau's death, by Fedor von Bock in early 1942. The most famous commander was Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein, who took command in November 1942 following the Battle of Stalingrad and led it through the Third Battle of Kharkov and Kursk. Later commanders included Generaloberst Johannes Frießner (during the battles in Romania), Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner, and General der Infanterie Otto Wöhler.

Operations

Its initial operation was the successful Invasion of Poland in 1939. In 1941, it executed the southern thrust of Operation Barbarossa, winning major battles at Uman and the Battle of Kiev, which resulted in enormous Soviet losses. It was checked at Rostov in late 1941. In 1942, it spearheaded Operation Blue, advancing to the Volga River and the Caucasus, culminating in the Battle of Stalingrad. After the defeat there, Manstein's Third Battle of Kharkov temporarily stabilized the front. It suffered a decisive strategic defeat at the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. Subsequent operations involved a fighting retreat across the Dnieper, failed attempts to relieve the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket, and desperate defenses during the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive and the Vistula–Oder Offensive.

Dissolution

The final dissolution occurred in the closing weeks of the war in Europe. After failing to hold Budapest during the Siege of Budapest and being defeated in the Lake Balaton Offensive, its remnants, redesignated as Army Group Ostmark, were pushed into Austria. Facing the advancing Red Army under Rodion Malinovsky and Fyodor Tolbukhin, and the United States Army from the west, the surviving units surrendered in early May 1945. Key surrenders included forces in the area of Graz and those retreating towards Linz, effectively ending the existence of this major Wehrmacht formation.

Category:Army groups of Germany in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1939 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945