11th Army (Wehrmacht)
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| 11. Armee 11th Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1915 - November 1918 October 5, 1940 - November 21, 1942 November 26, 1944 - April 21, 1945 |
| Country |  German Empire Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Field Army |
| Engagements | World War I |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Erich von Manstein |
The 11th Army (German: 11. Armee) was a World War I and a World War II field army.
World War I
The 11th Army was formed in early 1915. It briefly fought on the Western Front during the Battle of Ypres holding the line against the allied attack. On April 22, it was transferred and placed with Austrian 4th Army under Mackensen's command behind the Gorlice-Tarnow gap, south of the Vistula River. In July 1915, the 11th Army advanced into Russian territory in a general German offensive. It continued to fight on the Eastern Front when after armistice in 1917, it was then re-deployed to the Western Front and took part in the German spring offensive in 1918. After the German surrender in November 1918, the Army was disbanded.
World War II
The Army was activated in 1940 to prepare for the forthcoming German attack on the Soviet Union.
The 11th Army was part of Army Group South when it invaded Russia in Operation Barbarossa. In September 1941, Erich von Manstein was appointed commander of 11th Army. Its former commander, Colonel-General Eugen Ritter von Schobert, had perished when his plane landed in a Russian minefield.
Before the start of Barbarossa operation the 11th Army included:
Army Staff
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Army assets
- Rail road operations command
- 19th construction brigade
- 300th tank battalion
- 617th cartography battalion
- 756th traffic controllers battalion
- 766th artillery regiment
- 926th construction command
- 558th army communications regiment
- 693rd propaganda company
The 11th Army was tasked with invading the Crimea and the pursuit of enemy forces on the flank of Army Group South during its advance into Russia.
The 11th Army order of battle included two Corps: 30th Corps, composed of 22nd, 72nd, and Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, and LIXth Mountain Corps, consisting of 170th Infantry Division and the 1st and 4th Mountain Divisions, and LIVth Corps, consisting of 46th, 73rd, and 50th Infantry Divisions. The latter Corps had been in charge of the advance into the Crimean peninsula earlier in September. The Romanian 3rd Army, three Mountain brigades and three cavalry brigades, were also under von Manstein's command.
Battle of Sevastopol
The 11th Army fought in southern Russia from 1941 until mid-summer 1942 and laid siege to Sevastopol. It did not take part in Operation Blue when Army Group South attacked in Southern Russia towards Stalingrad. The 11th Army cut off the Russians from the sea thus sealing the fate of the remaining Russian defenders. An estimated 100,000 prisoners marched into captivity. For his achievements in this battle, Manstein was promoted to Field Marshal. A grateful Adolf Hitler also authorized the Crimean Shield to commemorate the efforts of 11th Army. Manstein recommended that the 11th Army either cross the straits of Kerch and push into the Kuban to aid in the capture of Rostov or be placed into Army Group South reserve. Instead, part of 11th Army, along with the heavy siege train was transferred to Army Group North. Ordered to oversee Leningrad's reduction, Manstein transferred with them. The remainder of 11th Army was parceled out to Army Group Center and Army Group South. Headquarters, 11th Army was inactivated on November 21, 1942, and used to form the newly created Army Group Don.
Order of Battle During the Battle for Sevastopol
The German 11th Army during the battle of Sevastopol had 9 German infantry divisions (including 2 received during the battle) in two corps, and two Romanian rifle corps, plus various supporting elements including 150 tanks, several hundred aircraft, and one of the heaviest concentrations of artillery fielded by the Wehrmacht.
- LIVth Corps
- 22nd Infantry Division - commanded by General der Infanterie Ludwig Wolff
- 24th Infantry Division
- 50th Infantry Division
- 132nd Infantry Division
- XXXth Corps - commanded by General der Infanterie Hans von Salmuth
- Romanian Mountain Corps
October 1944 to April 1945
The 11th SS Panzer Army (SS panzer-Armeeoberkommando 11. ), was not much more than a paper army formed between November 1944 and February 1945 by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler while he was commander of Army Group Vistula. The military historian Antony Beevor wrote that when the Eleventh SS Panzer Army was created the available units at best could constitute a corps, "'But panzer army' observed Eismann 'has a better ring to it'". It also allowed Himmler to promote SS officers to senior staff and field commands within the formation. Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner, probably the best SS officer available, was named its commander.[1] The Army was officially listed as the 11th Army but it was also known as SS Panzer-Armeeoberkommando 11.[2] and is often referred to in English as the 11th SS Panzer Army. After fighting east of the Oder River during February 1945 the 11th was assigned to OB West and reorganized (and given the command of new units) for combat against the Western Allies in March 1945. After defending the Weser River and the Harz mountains, the Eleventh surrendered to the Western Allies on 21 April.[2]
Army Detachment Steiner, fought in the Battle of Berlin, and because Steiner commanded that paper army it can easily be confused with the Eleventh SS Panzer Army.
Commanders
- Generaloberst Eugen Ritter von Schobert (October 5, 1940 – September 12, 1941)
- Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein (September 12, 1941 – November 21, 1942)
- General der Infanterie Anton Grasser (October 1944 – March 1945)
- General der Infanterie Otto Hitzfeld (March 1945 – March 1945)
- General der Artillerie Walter Lucht (March 1945 – April 10, 1945)
References
- Beevor, Antony. Berlin: The Downfall 1945, Penguin Books, 2002, ISBN 0-670-88695-5.
- Tessin, Georg Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939 - 1945, Volume 3, Biblio Verlag, 1974, ISBN 3-7648-0942-6.