The LIX Army Corps (German: LIX. Armeekorps), initially known as the Higher Command for Special Deployment LIX (German: Höheres Kommando z. b. V. LIX) was an army corps of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. The formation was active between 1940 and 1945.

History

1940

The Höheres Kommando z. b. V. LIX was formed on 10 October 1940 in Lübeck. It was part of the 1st Army (Johannes Blaskowitz) under Army Group D (Erwin von Witzleben) between November 1940 and February 1941.[1][2] The command served as part of the 7th Army (Friedrich Dollmann), still under Army Group D, between March 1941 and January 1942.[1][3] The initial commander of the Höheres Kommando was Maximilian Schwandner.[4] The corps was on occupation duty in occupied France for the three months of 1940 during which it existed.[1]

1941

Throughout the year 1941, the LIX Army Corps continued to serve as an occupation force in France.[1]

The command came under the leadership of Kurt von der Chevallerie on 28 December 1941.[4]

1942

The Höheres Kommando was renamed LIX. Armeekorps on 20 January 1942, and transferred to the Eastern Front. The corps joined the Velikiye Luki and Velizh sectors.[1]

The corps was moved to the 3rd Panzer Army (Georg-Hans Reinhardt) under Army Group Centre (Günther von Kluge) in February 1942, where it stayed until April.[1][5] Between May 1942 and January 1943, the LIX Army Corps served directly under Army Group Centre.[1] The corps was briefly under the command of Carl Hilpert between 22 June and 25 July, before Chevallerie returned to the command post of LIX Army Corps for a second term.[4] Hilpert, after his tenure as acting commander of LIX Army Corps, would go on to command XXIII Army Corps and LIV Army Corps.[6] The LIX Army Corps was known as Gruppe v. d. Chevallerie between November 1942 and January 1943.[1]

In late November 1942, the Soviet 3rd Shock Army advanced towards and encircled Velikiye Luki and cut the LIX Army Corps into several parts during the Battle for Velikiye Luki. Hitler initially intended for the encircled city to be held and recaptured, but a counterattack by German forces failed by mid December.[7]

1943

Velikiye Luki was captured by Soviet forces by 16 January 1943.[7]

Between 17 January and 15 March 1943, the LIX Army Corps was under command of Erich Brandenberger, before Chevallerie returned to the command post for a third and final term.[4] Between February and September 1943, the LIX Army Corps was once again part of 3rd Panzer Army. It was then moved to the 4th Panzer Army under Army Group South, where it remained between October 1943 and February 1944.[1][8]

During the defensive battles of late 1943, the LIX Army Corps stood at the southern end of Army Group Centre (just north of Army Group South) and had to give way when the Soviet 13th Army and 60th Army broke through over Chernobyl, Korosten and Ovruch.[9][10] The other corps that fought alongside LIX Army Corps as part of Hoth's 4th Panzer Army were the VII Army Corps and the XIII Army Corps.[11] As VII Army Corps was forced back after Soviet victory at the Second Battle of Kiev on 13 November, LIX Army Corps was unable to stop the Soviet 60th Army from recapturing Korosten on 17 November. North of Korosten, a gap subsequently opened between the 4th Panzer Army and Army Group Centre, as the 2nd Army had retreated following the evacuation of Chernobyl.[12]

The German forces attempted a counterattack to retake Kiev under the leadership of the XXXXVIII Panzer Corps (Hermann Balck). While the Germans were unable to retake the city itself due to the autumn mud, the front sector was temporarily stabilized. On 27 November, the LIX Army Corps led a successful attack on Korosten, the city which it had given up to the 60th Army ten days earlier.[13]

1944

Starting in the end of January 1944, the 4th Panzer Army undertook a fighting retreat westwards through northern Ukraine. The gap that had opened between the 4th Panzer Army and Army Group Centre in November 1943 had now grown to over a hundred kilometers, a situation exacerbated by extensive partisan activity in the Pinsk Marshes.[14] On 9 March 1944, some 18 Soviet Rifle Divisions, as well as 5 Armored/Mechanized Corps and a Cavalry Corps stood opposite to the 4th Panzer Army.[15]

Between 8 February and 22 March 1944, the LIX Army Corps was under the command of Friedrich Schulz.[4] After his tenure as acting commander of LIX Army Corps, Schulz would assume command of the XXXXVI Panzer Corps on 22 March 1944.[16] The LIX Army Corps was moved to the 1st Panzer Army in March 1944, where it remained until July 1944. The 1st Panzer Army was part of Army Group South until March and was subsequently moved to Army Group North Ukraine in April.[1][17]

The LIX Army Corps, under command of Edgar Röhricht between 22 March and 2 June,[4] stayed under Army Group North Ukraine when it was moved from the 1st Panzer Army to the 17th Army in August 1944.[1][18] The 17th Army, commanded by former LIX Army Corps commander Friedrich Schulz, was inserted by Army Group North Ukraine commander Josef Harpe on 23 July between the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies in a desperate attempt to prevent the army group's collapse.[19] Between 2 June and 10 June, the corps was briefly commanded by Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, before Röhricht returned to his post.[4] On 15 July 1944, the LIX Army Corps consisted of the 1st and 208th Infantry Divisions and the 20th Hungarian Division.[17][20] The LIX Army Corps stayed with the 17th Army until January 1945.[1]

1945

Röhricht left his post, this time for good, on 29 January 1945. While Georg Ritter von Hengl was initially supposed to replace him, Joachim von Tresckow assumed command starting on 7 February 1945. He held that command until 10 April 1945, when he was replaced by Ernst Sieler. This would be the last transfer of command, as Sieler remained in office until German surrender on 8 May 1945.[4]

In February 1945, the LIX Army Corps was moved a final time to the 1st Panzer Army and once again returned to the Army Group Centre.[1]

Structure

Organizational structure of the LIX (59th) Wehrmacht Army Corps between 1940 and 1945[1]
Name Year Date Corps Cdr[4] Subordinate Divisions[2][3][5][8][17][18] Army Army Cdr AG AG Cdr Operational area
Höh. Kom. z. b. V. LIX 1940 7 November Schwandner 87th Infantry, 223rd Infantry 1st Army Blaskowitz D von Witzleben France
12 December
1941 15 January 16th Infantry, 87th Infantry, 294th Infantry, SS Polizei Division
10 February
12 March 9th Infantry, 44th Infantry, 81st Infantry, 223rd Infantry, 246th Infantry 7th Army Dollmann French Atlantic Coast
5 April 81st Infantry, 223rd Infantry, 246th Infantry
1 May 81st Infantry, 246th Infantry, 305th Infantry
5 June 81st Infantry, 246th Infantry, 305th Infantry, 715th Infantry
1 July
7 August
3 September
2 October
4 November
4 December
1942 2 January von der Chevallerie 22nd Panzer, 246th Infantry, 305th Infantry, 327th Infantry, 715th Infantry
LIX. Armeekorps 6 February 330th Infantry 3rd Panzer Army Reinhardt Centre von Kluge Velikiye Luki / Velizh
10 March 83rd Infantry, 205th Infantry, 330th Infantry
5 April
May Various directly under army group
June
July Hilpert
August von der Chevallerie
September
October
November
December
1943 January
3 February Brandenberger 205th Infantry, 291st Infantry, 331st Infantry, SS Br. 1, Free Corps Denmark 3rd Panzer Army Reinhardt
4 March 263rd Infantry, 291st Infantry, SS Br. 1
9 April von der Chevallerie
1 May
1 June
7 July 263rd Infantry, 291st Infantry
5 August
5 September
4 October 8th Panzer, 183rd Infantry, 217th Infantry, 291st Infantry, 339th Infantry 4th Panzer Army Hoth South von Manstein Kiev / Zhytomyr
8 November 291st Infantry, Division C
3 December Raus
1944 1 January 147th Infantry, 291st Infantry, 454th Infantry, Division C Vinnytsia
1 February 96th Infantry, 291st Infantry
3 March Schulz 27th SS, 6th Panzer, 19th Panzer, 96th Infantry, 291st Infantry, SSR 1st Panzer Army Kamianets-Podilskyi
15 April Röhricht 1st Panzer, 7th Panzer, 25th Panzer, 20th Infantry, 291st Infantry, 371st Infantry North Ukraine Model Brody
15 May 82nd Infantry, 208th Infantry, 254th Infantry, 291st Infantry, 20th Hungarian
15 June 208th Infantry, 254th Infantry, 20th Hungarian
15 July 1st Infantry, 208th Infantry, 20th Hungarian
31 August 8th Panzer, 24th Panzer, 18th SS, 359th Infantry, 371st Infantry 17th Army Schulz Harpe San, Wisłoka
16 September 359th Infantry, 371st Infantry
13 October 359th Infantry, 371st Infantry, 544th Infantry Kraków
5 November
26 November
31 December
1945 19 February von Tresckow 68th Infantry, 75th Infantry, 253rd Infantry, 359th Infantry, 544th Infantry 1st Panzer Army Heinrici Centre Schörner Loslau, Oderberg
1 March 68th Infantry, 75th Infantry, 253rd Infantry, 544th Infantry
12 April Sieler 16th Panzer, 19th Panzer, 544th Infantry, 715th Infantry, 4th Mountain Nehring
5 May Panzergrenadier Division "Brandenburg"

Noteworthy individuals

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Tessin, Georg (1977). "Höheres Kommando z. b. V. LIX (H.K. röm. 59) Generalkommando LIX. Armeekorps (röm. 59. AK)". Die Landstreitkräfte 31-70. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 5. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. p. 225. ISBN 3764810971.
  2. ^ a b Tessin, Georg (1977). "1. Armee (AOK 1)". Die Landstreitkräfte 1-5. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 2. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 1–4. ISBN 3764810971.
  3. ^ a b Tessin, Georg (1977). "7. Armee (AOK 7)". Die Landstreitkräfte 6-14. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 3. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 49–53. ISBN 3764810971.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s MacLean, French L. (2014). Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II. Pickle Partners Publishing. pp. 113–115. ISBN 9781782895220.
  5. ^ a b Tessin, Georg (1977). "3. Panzer-Armee (Pz. AOK 3)". Die Landstreitkräfte 1-5. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 2. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 154–158. ISBN 3764810971.
  6. ^ a b Mitcham, Samuel W. (2001). The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45 (1st ed.). Stackpole Books. p. 155. ISBN 9780811733717.
  7. ^ a b Boog, Horst; et al. (2001). The Global War: Widening of the Conflict into a World War and the Shift of the Initiative 1941-1943. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 6. Translated by Osers, Ewald. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 1198.
  8. ^ a b Tessin, Georg (1977). "4. Panzer-Armee (Pz. AOK 4)". Die Landstreitkräfte 1-5. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 2. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 225–229. ISBN 3764810971.
  9. ^ Frieser, Karl-Heinz; et al. (2007). The Eastern Front 1943–1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 8. Translated by Smerin, Barry. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 311. ISBN 9780198723462.
  10. ^ Frieser, Karl-Heinz; et al. (2007). The Eastern Front 1943–1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 8. Translated by Smerin, Barry. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 346. ISBN 9780198723462.
  11. ^ Frieser, Karl-Heinz; et al. (2007). The Eastern Front 1943–1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 8. Translated by Smerin, Barry. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 362. ISBN 9780198723462.
  12. ^ Frieser, Karl-Heinz; et al. (2007). The Eastern Front 1943–1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 8. Translated by Smerin, Barry. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 368. ISBN 9780198723462.
  13. ^ Frieser, Karl-Heinz; et al. (2007). The Eastern Front 1943–1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 8. Translated by Smerin, Barry. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 370. ISBN 9780198723462.
  14. ^ Frieser, Karl-Heinz; et al. (2007). The Eastern Front 1943–1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 8. Translated by Smerin, Barry. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 413. ISBN 9780198723462.
  15. ^ v. Manstein, Erich (1998) [1955]. Verlorene Siege (in German) (15th ed.). Bonn: Bernard und Graefe. p. 597. ISBN 3763752536. OCLC 75863994.
  16. ^ a b Mitcham, Samuel W. (2001). The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45 (1st ed.). Stackpole Books. p. 93. ISBN 9780811733717.
  17. ^ a b c Tessin, Georg (1977). "1. Panzer-Armee (Pz. AOK 1)". Die Landstreitkräfte 1-5. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 2. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 5–10. ISBN 3764810971.
  18. ^ a b Tessin, Georg (1977). "17. Armee (AOK 17)". Die Landstreitkräfte 15-30. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 4. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 50–55. ISBN 3764810971.
  19. ^ Mitcham, Samuel W. (2001). The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45 (1st ed.). Stackpole Books. p. 167. ISBN 9780811733717.
  20. ^ Mitcham, Samuel W. (2001). The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45 (1st ed.). Stackpole Books. p. 66. ISBN 9780811733717.
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