Army Group A

Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during World War II. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsible for breaking through the heavily-forested Ardennes region. The operation, which was part of Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), was resoundingly successful for the Germans, as the army group outflanked the best troops of France and its allies, eventually leading to France's surrender.[1]

Army Group A
Heeresgruppe A
Country Nazi Germany
Insignia
Identification
symbol

In 1942, Army Group South on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union was split into Army Group A and Army Group B, and Army Group A was responsible for the invasion into the Caucasus. In 1945, months before the fall of Nazi Germany, Army Group A was renamed Army Group Centre.

Western Front, 1940

During the German invasion of the Low Countries and France Army Group A was under the command of Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt and was responsible for the break-out through the Ardennes. It was composed of 45½ divisions, including the 7 panzer divisions of Panzer Group Kleist.

Order of Battle

Eastern Front, 1942

In 1942, Army Group South was in southern Russia on the Eastern Front. For Case Blue (Fall Blau), the summer offensive of the German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht), Army Group South was split into Army Group A and Army Group B. Army Group A was ordered south to capture the oil fields in the Caucasus.

Army Group A included the following armies:

Eastern Front, 1944-1945

Army Group A was formed a third time on September 23, 1944 in southern Poland and the Carpathian region by renaming Army Group North Ukraine.
The army group was used to defend southern Poland and Slovakia.
Subordinate were :

After the breakthrough of the Red Army near Baranow on the Vistula during the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive, on January 16, 1945 Colonel Bogislaw von Bonin, the Chief of the Operational Branch of the Army General Staff (Generalstab des Heeres) gave Heeresgruppe A permission to retreat rejecting a direct order from Adolf Hitler for them to hold fast. Although Heeresgruppe A escaped encirclement and regrouped, von Bonin was arrested by the Gestapo on January 19, 1945, and imprisoned.

On 25 January 1945 Hitler renamed three army groups. Army Group North became Army Group Courland; Army Group Center became Army Group North and Army Group A became Army Group Center.

Commanders
No. CommanderTook officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Rundstedt, GerdGeneralfeldmarschall
Gerd von Rundstedt
(1875–1953)		15 October 19391 October 194011 months
2
List, WilhelmGeneralfeldmarschall
Wilhelm List
(1880–1971)		10 July 194210 September 19422 months
3
Hitler, AdolfAdolf Hitler
(1889–1945)		10 September 194221 November 19422 months
4
Kleist, EwaldGeneralfeldmarschall
Ewald von Kleist
(1881–1954)		22 September 1942June 19436 months
5
Lanz, HubertGeneral der Gebirgstruppe
Hubert Lanz
(1896–1982)		June 1943July 19431 month
(4)
Kleist, EwaldGeneralfeldmarschall
Ewald von Kleist
(1881–1954)		July 194325 March 19448 months
6
Schörner, FerdinandGeneraloberst
Ferdinand Schörner
(1892–1973)		25 March 194431 March 19440 months
7
Harpe, JosefGeneraloberst
Josef Harpe
(1887–1968)		28 September 194417 January 19453 months
(6)
Schörner, FerdinandGeneraloberst
Ferdinand Schörner
(1892–1973)		17 January 194526 January 19450 months

Chiefs of Staff
No. Chief of StaffTook officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Manstein, ErichGeneralleutnant
Erich von Manstein
(1887–1973)		26 October 19391 February 194098 days
2
Sodenstern, GeorgGeneral der Infanterie
Georg von Sodenstern
(1889–1955)		6 February 19401 October 1940238 days
3
Greiffenberg, HansGeneralleutnant
Hans von Greiffenberg
(1893–1951)		10 July 194223 February 1943228 days
4
Gause, AlfredGeneralleutnant
Alfred Gause
(1896–1967)		23 February 194313 May 194379 days
(3)
Greiffenberg, HansGeneralleutnant
Hans von Greiffenberg
(1893–1951)		13 May 194316 July 194364 days
5
Röttiger, HansGeneralleutnant
Hans Röttiger
(1896–1960)		16 July 194324 March 1944252 days
6
Wenck, WaltherGeneralleutnant
Walther Wenck
(1900–1982)		24 March 194422 July 1944120 days
7
Xylander, WolfGeneralleutnant
Wolf-Dietrich von Xylander
(1903–1945)		28 September 194415 February 1945 †208 days
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References
  1. Jackson, J. T. (2003). The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280300-9.
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