8th Army (German Empire)

The 8th Army (German: 8. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 8 / A.O.K. 8) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 from the I Army Inspectorate.[1] The army was dissolved on 29 September 1915, but reformed on 30 December 1915.[2] It was finally disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.

8. Armee
8th Army
Flag of the Staff of an Armee Oberkommando (1871–1918)
Active2 August 1914 – 29 September 1915
30 December 1915 – 21 January 1919
Country German Empire
TypeArmy
EngagementsWorld War I
Insignia
AbbreviationA.O.K. 8

History

On mobilisation in August 1914, the 8th Army Headquarters was formed in Posen to command troops stationed in East Prussia to defend against the expected Russian attack, Plan XIX. Initially, the Army commanded the following formations:[3]

Concerned by the defeat at Gumbinnen and the continued advance of the Russian Second Army from the south, Prittwitz ordered a retreat to the Vistula, effectively abandoning East Prussia. When he heard of this, Helmuth von Moltke, the German Army Chief of Staff, recalled Prittwitz and his deputy to Berlin. They were replaced by Paul von Hindenburg, called out of retirement, with Erich Ludendorff as his chief of staff. Under its new command, the Army was responsible for the victories at the Battles of Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes.

Dissolved and reformed

The Army of the Niemen was formed on 26 May 1915 to control the troops in Courland.[5] The commander of the 8th Army, General der Infanterie Otto von Below, along with his Chief of Staff, Generalmajor von Böckmann, assumed command. In the meantime, the 8th Army got a deputy commander, General der Artillerie Friedrich von Scholtz, who was simultaneously commander of XX Corps. 8th Army was dissolved on 29 September 1915.[6] On 30 December 1915 the Army of the Niemen was renamed as the 8th Army with von Below still in command.[7]

Commanders

The original 8th Army had the following commanders from mobilisation until it was dissolved 29 September 1915.[8]

8th Army
FromCommanderPreviouslySubsequently,
2 August 1914Generaloberst Maximilian von PrittwitzI Army Inspectorate (I. Armee-Inspektion)Retired
23 August 1914Generaloberst Paul von HindenburgBrought out of retirement9th Army
18 September 1914General der Artillerie Richard von SchubertXIV Reserve CorpsXXVII Reserve Corps
from 27 October 1914
9 October 1914General der Infanterie Hermann von FrançoisI CorpsXXXXI Reserve Corps
from 24 December 1914
7 November 1914General der Infanterie Otto von BelowI Reserve CorpsArmy of the Niemen
26 May 1915General der Artillerie Friedrich von ScholtzSimultaneously commander of XX CorpsXX Corps

A "new" 8th Army was formed by renaming the Army of the Niemen on 30 December 1915. It was dissolved after the end of the war on 21 January 1919.

"New" 8th Army
FromCommanderPreviouslySubsequently,
30 December 1915General der Infanterie Otto von BelowArmy of the NiemenHeeresgruppe Below
5 October 1916General der Infanterie Max von Fabeck12th ArmyDied 16 December 1916
22 October 1916General der Infanterie Bruno von MudraXVI CorpsArmee-Abteilung A
2 January 1917General der Artillerie Friedrich von ScholtzArmee-Abteilung ScholtzHeeresgruppe Scholtz
22 April 1917General der Infanterie Oskar von HutierArmee-Abteilung D18th Army
from 27 December 1917
12 December 1917General der Infanterie Günther Graf von KirchbachArmee-Abteilung DHeeresgruppe Kiev
27 January 1918Generaloberst Günther Graf von Kirchbach
31 July 1918General der Infanterie Hugo von KathenXXIII Reserve CorpsCommander of German troops in Lithuania and Estonia

Glossary
  • Armee-Abteilung or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.[9]
  • Armee-Gruppe or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
  • Heeresgruppe or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

See also

References
  1. Cron 2002, p. 395
  2. Cron 2002, p. 80
  3. Cron 2002, pp. 322–326
  4. Cron 2002, p. 52 Detached in Silesia. On 4 September 1914 came under the command of 1st Austro-Hungarian Army. Joined 9th Army on 24 September 1914.
  5. Cron 2002, pp. 82–83
  6. Cron 2002, p. 80
  7. Cron 2002, pp. 395–396
  8. Cron 2002, p. 395
  9. Cron 2002, p. 84

Bibliography
  • Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914–18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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