The 6th Army was a German field army which saw action in World War I and World War II. A Field Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national Military forces for a formation superior to a Corps and beneath an World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including It is perhaps best known for its involvement in the Battle of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the
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World War I
At the outbreak of WWI, command of the army was given to Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern. Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria or Crown Prince Rupert of Bavaria ( German: Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern) ( 18 May 1869 &ndash During the execution of Plan XVII, it was stationed in the Central sector, covering Lorraine. Plan XVII was the name of the battle plan adopted by the French General Staff in 1913 to be put into effect by the French Army in the event of war between France and Germany Lorraine (Lorraine Lothringen is a historical area in present-day northeast France.
In August 1914, in the Battle of Lorraine, Rupprecht's 6th Army managed to hold against the French offensive, using a feigned withdrawal to lure the advancing armies onto prepared defensive positions. The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of Battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of
After the Western Front turned to stalemate and the opposing forces formed lines of trenches, the 6th Army was based near Loos in Belgium. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those On 24 September, 1915, the 6th Army was the target for the British Army's first chlorine gas attack of the war. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Chlorine (ˈklɔriːn from the Greek word 'χλωρóς' ( khlôros, meaning 'pale green' is the Chemical element with Atomic number 17 and The use of poison gas in World War I was a major military innovation Despite the horrific casualties inflicted, the British offensive became bogged down after several days.
In March 1917, the 6th Army was the target for the assault of the British and Canadian forces at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military offensive by the Canadian Corps against elements of the German Sixth Army in World War I. The 6th Army, now under the command of General Ludwig von Falkenhausen, suffered over 20,000 casualties in the ensuing fighting and were pushed back from the ridge by the Canadian Corps. Ludwig Freiherr von Falkenhausen ( 13 September 1844 &ndash 4 May 1936) was a German General. The Canadian Corps was a World War I Corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian
Commanders
- Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern
- General Ludwig von Falkenhausen
Order of Battle - August 1914, Lorraine
- Armee-Oberkommando 6
- Königlich Bayerisches Fußartillerie Brigade-Oberkommando 1
- Pionier-General 5
- Königlich Bayerische 5 Gemischte Landwehrbrigade
- XXI. Armeekorps
- I. The 31st Division ( 31 Division) was a unit of the Prussian German Army. The 42nd Division ( 42 Division) was a unit of the Prussian German Army. Königlich Bayerisches Armeekorps
- II. The 1st Royal Bavarian Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army which served alongside the Prussian Army as part of the Imperial German Army. The 2nd Royal Bavarian Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army which served alongside the Prussian Army as part of the Imperial German Army. Königlich Bayerisches Armeekorps
- III. The 3rd Royal Bavarian Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army which served alongside the Prussian Army as part of the Imperial German Army. The 4th Royal Bavarian Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army which served alongside the Prussian Army as part of the Imperial German Army. Königlich Bayerisches Armeekorps
- I. The 5th Royal Bavarian Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army which served alongside the Prussian Army as part of the Imperial German Army. The 6th Royal Bavarian Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army which served alongside the Prussian Army as part of the Imperial German Army. Königlich Bayerisches Reservekorps
World War II
Western campaigns
Originally numbered as the 10th Army, this combat unit was formed on October 10, 1939 with General Walther von Reichenau in command. The 1st Bavarian Reserve Division ( 1 Bayerische Reserve-Division) was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army part of the German Army, in World War The 5th Bavarian Reserve Division ( 5 Bayerische Reserve-Division) was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army part of the German Army, in World War Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Walter von Reichenau ( October 8, 1884 &ndash January 17, 1942) was a German Generalfeldmarschall. Its primary mission was to guard the western defenses of Germany against British and French attacks during the Polish campaign. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. During the invasion of the Low Countries the 10th Army saw active service linking up with paratroopers and destroying fortifications at Eben Emael, Liège, and Namur. The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt Eben-Emael was a Belgian fortress between Liège and Maastricht, near the Albert Canal, defending the Belgian-German border Liège (ljɛːʒ Older English: Luick, Walloon: Lidje, German: Lüttich; Latin: Leodium, Dutch Namur ( Namen in Dutch, Nameur in Walloon, Namurcum in Latin) is a City and municipality in The 10th Army was then involved in the breakthrough of the Paris defences on June 12, 1940, before acting as a northern flank for German forces along the Normandy coast. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy.
Eastern campaign
It began its involvement in the Russian Campaign as the spearhead of Army Group South. The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the Army Group South (Heeresgruppe Süd was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. Shortly after being promoted to Field Marshal, von Reichenau died in an aircraft accident while being transported to a hospital after a heart attack in January 1942. He was succeeded by his former chief of staff, General der Panzertruppen Friedrich Paulus. Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus ( 23 September 1890 &ndash 1 February 1957) was an officer in the German Military Paulus led the 6th Army to a major victory at the Second Battle of Kharkov during the spring of 1942. The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel was an Axis counteroffensive against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted from May 12 to Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This victory sealed the 6th Army's destiny because it was selected by the OKH for the attack on Stalingrad. The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH was Germany 's Army High Command from 1936 to 1945 The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the The 6th Army failed to obtain a quick victory; winter came and with it Operation Uranus -- the massive attack of Soviet forces on the flanks of the German corridor between the Don and Volga rivers in November 22-23. Operation Uranus was the Soviet encirclement of German forces in the Battle of Stalingrad during World War 2. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Don (Дон is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 Kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast The 6th Army was isolated and a major relief operation, (Operation Wintergewitter), which eventually failed, was undertaken by Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. This article is about Operation Wintergewitter - Eastern Front. Erich von Manstein ( November 24, 1887 &ndash June 9 1973) served the German military as a lifelong professional soldier Paulus was promoted by Hitler to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall on January 31, 1943 ostensibly in part because until that day no German Field Marshal had ever surrendered. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In other words, Adolf Hitler expected Paulus to commit suicide, but Paulus soon surrendered to the Soviet Forces, contrary to orders by his political chief. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately The remaining forces of the 6th Army, under the independent command of General Karl Strecker, surrendered three days after in the Tractor Factory, at the north of Stalingrad. Although that was not the definitive end of the 6th Army on this occasion, it was one of the worst military disasters in German history. Despite the lack of a German nation state prior to 1871 the History of Germany dates back to the era of the Germanic tribes. For the first time, an entire German field army had been completely destroyed.
Reformation - Battles in the East
During the last days of the Stalingrad encirclement, Hitler, in denial of events, had one man from every division in the 6th Army flown out in order to 'reconstitute' a new 6th Army (A. O. K. 6). This new formation became active on March 5, 1943, and was commanded by General Karl Adolf Hollidt and based on Army Detachment Hollidt. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It later fought in Ukraine and Romania as part of Army Group South and Army Group South Ukraine. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Army Group South (Heeresgruppe Süd was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. Army Group South Ukraine (Heeresgruppe Südukraine was a German army group on the Eastern Front during World War II. The army was again largely destroyed in a large encirclement during the Iassy-Kishinev Operation, but this time the army HQ survived. The 6th Army was the only German army to be encircled and destroyed thrice (including the final capitulation).
In October 1944, under the command of General of Artillery Maximilian Fretter-Pico, the 6th Army encircled and destroyed three Soviet tank corps of Mobile Group Pliyev under the command of Issa Pliyev in the Battle of Debrecen. Issa Alexandrovich Pliyev (Плиты Алыксандры фырт Иссæ Исса Александрович Плиев ( in Stary Batakoyurt &mdash 2 February The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the Debrecen Offensive Operation, (6 October - 28 October 1944 was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the During this time, the 6th Army had the Hungarian Second Army placed under its command, and it was known as Armeegruppe Fretter-Pico. The Hungarian Second Army (Second Magyar Honved was a Hungarian field army which saw action during World War II.
Command passed to General der Panzertruppen Hermann Balck in December 1944. Hermann Balck ( December 7, 1893 &ndash November 29, 1982) was a General in Nazi Germany 's Wehrmacht during In January 1945, one of the 6th Army's subordinate units, the IX. SS-Gebirgskorps, was encircled in Budapest. IXWaffen-Gebirgskorps der SS (kroatisches IXSS-Gebirgs-Korps The IX Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, SS-Gruppenführer Herbert Otto Gille's IV. SS-Panzerkorps was transferred to the 6th Army's command and a relief attempt, codenamed Operation Konrad, was launched. Herbert Otto Gille ( March 8, 1897 in Gandersheim - December 26, 1966) was a German general and as a winner of the Knight's Cross The IVSS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured Corps which saw action on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans during World Operation Konrad was the German - Hungarian effort to relieve the encircled garrison of Budapest during the Battle of Budapest in January 1945
After the failure of Konrad III, the 6th Army (as part of Armeegruppe Balck) fell back to the area near Lake Balaton, and several units, including the III.Panzerkorps, were involved in Operation Frühlingserwachen, while the rest of the Sixth Army provided defence for the left flank of the offensive, in the region near Stuhlweissenburg. Lake Balaton, located in Hungary, is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the foremost regional tourist destinations III Corps was a Corps level formation of the German Army during World War II. Operation Spring Awakening ( Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen) ( 6 March 1945 &ndash 16 March 1945) was the last major German offensive Székesfehérvár (ˈseːkɛʃfɛˈheːrvaːr, colloquial Fehérvár Stuhlweißenburg İstolni Belgrad is a city in central Hungary, located around southwest of After the failure of the offensive, the Sixth Army held the line until a major Soviet offensive, the Vienna Operation on 15 March, 1945. The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in order to capture Vienna, Austria. This offensive tore a gap in the Sixth Army between the IV. SS-Panzerkorps and the 3. Hungarian Army (subordinated to Balck's command), shattering the formation. The Hungarian Third Army was a Hungarian field army which saw action during World War II.
By the end of March 1945, the 6th Army was involved in a retreat towards Vienna. The shattered remnants of 6th Army surrendered to the Americans on 9 May, 1945.
Commanders
- Field Marshal Walther von Reichenau (October 10, 1939 - December 29, 1941)
- Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus (December 30, 1941 - February 3, 1943)
- General Karl Adolf Hollidt (March 5, 1943 - April 7, 1944)
- General Maximilian de Angelis (April 8, 1944 - July 16, 1944)
- General Maximilian Fretter-Pico (July 17, 1944 - December 22, 1944)
- General Hermann Balck (December 23, 1944 - May 8, 1945)
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