19th Army (Wehrmacht)

19th Army de 19. Armee Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-719-0204-06A, Atlantikwall, Geschützbunker, Inspektion.jpg 1944, anti-tank fortifications in Southern France 26 August 1943 – 21 April 1945 Nazi Germany 20px German Army (16px Wehrmacht) Field army Western Front of World War II Operation Dragoon Colmar Pocket The 19th Army (de 19. Armee) was a World War II field army of the German Army. Active from 1943 to 1945 on the Western Front, it was tasked with defending southern France before being pushed back to the French–German border during Operation Dragoon and then into southern Germany. History Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern France from Armeegruppe Felber (the LXXXIII. Armeekorps), the 19th Army defended southern France, the Vosges Mountains, Alsace, Baden and southern Württemberg during the Allied invasion of southern France and other large Allied military operations that had as their goal the liberation of southern France and the invasion of southern Germany. Although nominally a field army, the 19th Army was under strength and consisted of third tier soldiers, wounded veterans, conscripts and Hiwis. Southern France in general was treated as a third tier theatre and given minimal attention by the OKW. The entire army was outfitted with damaged and obsolete equipment, with four of the 19th army's divisions designated "static divisions," meaning that they were stripped of all mobile assets and forbidden to move from their assigned positions. The Hiwis in particular proved unreliable and typically deserted or surrendered at the first opportunity. One of those units subordinated to the 19th Army was the 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, before it was withdrawn to Germany in December 1944 after sustaining heavy losses. At the time of the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, the 19th Army was headquartered at Avignon and subordinate to Army Group G at Toulouse.Pöhlmann Markus Der Panzer und die Mechanisierung des Krieges: Eine deutsche Geschichte, 1890 bis 1945 Ferdinand Schöningh 2016 9783506783554 de442 During Operation Dragoon, the 19th Army was trapped in an enormous encirclement, suffering 7,000 killed or missing, 20,000 wounded, 130,000-140,000 captured and was largely destroyed as a fighting force. However, its headquarters survived intact, retreated northwards and participated in the defense of the Rhine River. + Organization: 19th Army on July 17, 1944 Army Group Army Corps Division GBlaskowitz 19th ArmyWiese LXII CorpsNeuling 148th Infantry Division  242nd Infantry Division  LXXXV CorpsKnieß 244th Infantry Division  338th Infantry Division  IV Luftwaffe CorpsPetersen 189th Infantry Division  198th Infantry Division  716th Infantry Division  Subordinatedto Army HQ 157th Reserve(Mountain) Division After the debacle in Southern France, the 19th Army was recreated with poorly trained conscripts and tasked with defending the west bank of the Rhine, and the city of Strasbourg. The 19th Army was again encircled and largely destroyed during the battle for the Colmar Pocket in January and February 1945. Once again its headquarters survived capture and was rebuilt largely from Volkssturm and hastily trained replacement troops in early 1945. With many of its best men and junior leaders dead or captured, the 19th Army's effectiveness was seriously impaired and it proved unable to parry the thrusts of its constant foe, the French First Army. Split by deep French armored thrusts into Baden, the Black Forest, and Württemberg, the 19th Army was destroyed in the area of Stuttgart and Münsingen in late April 1945, with remnants of the army surrendering as late as 8 May 1945. Formal surrender was accepted by Maj. General Edward H. Brooks, Commander of the U.S. Army's VI Corps. Germany 1937 right 400 Location of corps of the 19th ArmyApril 19, 1945 XVIII SS right white 48 02 07 41 Black pog.svg LXIV left white 48 32 07 56 Black pog.svg LXXX right white 48 48 09 12 Black pog.svg + Organization: 19th Army on April 12, 1945 Army Group Army Corps Division GSchulz 19th ArmyBrandenberger XVIII SS CorpsKeppler Baur Infantry Brigade  1005th Infantry Brigade  805th Infantry Division  405th Infantry Division  LXIV CorpsGrimmeiß 106th Infantry Division  257th Volksgrenadier Division  716th Infantry Division  LXXX CorpsBeyer 16th Volksgrenadier Division  47th Volksgrenadier Division  198th Infantry Division  559th Volksgrenadier Division  Subordinatedto Army HQ 189th Infantry Division  Commanders y y Commander y n n 1 General der Infanterie Georg von Sodenstern Sodenstern, Georg 1889 1955 26 August 1943 29 June 1944 1943 08 26 1944 06 29 2 blank.png General der Infanterie Friedrich Wiese Wiese, Friedrich 1892 1975 29 June 1944 15 December 1944 1944 06 29 1944 12 15 3 General der Infanterie Siegfried Rasp Rasp, Siegfried 1898 1968 15 December 1944 15 February 1945 1944 12 15 1945 02 15 4 Hermann Foertsch Nuremberg Trial defendant.jpg General der Infanterie Hermann Foertsch Foertsch, Hermann 1895 1961 15 February 1945 28 February 1945 1945 02 15 1945 02 28 5 Hans von Obstfelder.jpg General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder Obstfelder, Hans 1886 1976 1 March 1945 26 March 1945 1945 03 01 1945 03 26 6 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-209-0086-12, Russland-Nord, Brandenberger (cropped).jpg General der Panzertruppe Erich Brandenberger Brandenberger, Erich 1892 1955 26 March 1945 6 May 1945 1945 03 26 1945 05 06 See also 19th Army (German Empire) for the equivalent formation in World War I References Further reading Tessin, Georg, (1976). Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (Volume IV), Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück. 3-7648-1083-1. Category:1943 establishments in Germany Category:1945 disestablishments in Germany 19 Category:Military units and formations established in 1943 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Category:Southern France