Military unit
The 18th Army (German: 18. Armee ) was a World War II field army in the German Wehrmacht .
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
No.
Portrait
Commander
Took office
Left office
Time in office
1 Küchler, Georg Generalfeldmarschall Georg von Küchler (1881–1968) 5 November 1939 16 January 1942 2 Lindemann, Georg Generaloberst Georg Lindemann (1884–1963) 16 January 1942 29 March 1944 3 Loch, Herbert General der Artillerie Herbert Loch (1886–1976) 29 March 1944 2 September 1944 4 Boege, Ehrenfried General der Infanterie Ehrenfried-Oskar Boege (1889–1965) 5 September 1944 8 May 1945
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
XXVI Army Corps
X Army Corps
Direct control of Army Headquarters
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
^ Boog, Horst (1983). "Die Landkriegführung". In Boog, Horst; et al. (eds.). Der Angriff auf die Sowjetunion . Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg (in German). Vol. 4. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. pp. 190– 277. ISBN 3421060983
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.
