# Army Group South

Army Group South (German: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II.
It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Gerd von Rundstedt and his chief of staff Erich von Manstein.
Two years later, Army Group South became one of three army groups into which Germany organised their forces for Operation Barbarossa. Army Group South's principal objective was to capture Soviet Ukraine and its capital Kiev.
In September 1944, Army Group South Ukraine was renamed Army Group South in Eastern Hungary. It fought in Western Hungary until March 1945 and retired to Austria at the end of the Second World War, where it was renamed Army Group Ostmark on 2 April 1945.

## Operation Barbarossa

Ukraine was a major center of Soviet industry and mining and had the good farmland required for Hitler's plans for Lebensraum ('living space'). Army Group South was to advance up to the Volga River, engaging a part of the Red Army and thus clearing the way for the Army Group North and the Army Group Center on their approach to Leningrad and Moscow respectively.
To carry out these initial tasks its battle order included the First Panzer Group (Gen. Kleist) and the German Sixth (Gen. Reichenau), Seventeenth (Gen. Stülpnagel) and Eleventh Armies (Gen. Schobert), Luftlotte 1 (Keller) and the Romanian Third and Fourth Armies.

## Case Blue

In preparation for Case Blue, the 1942 campaign in southern Russia and the Caucasus, Army Group South was split into two army groups: Army Group A and Army Group B. Army Group A was ordered south to capture the oil fields in the Caucasus.
In February 1943, Army Group Don and the existing Army Group B were combined and re-designated Army Group South. A new Army Group B became a major formation elsewhere. The German Sixth Army, which was destroyed in the Battle of Stalingrad, was re-constituted and later made part of Army Group South in March 1943.
By the end of December 1943, the strength of Army Group South had been reduced to 328,397 German soldiers, joined by another 109,816 allied soldiers and non-German volunteer troops.$^{:386}$
On 4 April 1944, Army Group South was re-designated Army Group North Ukraine. Army Group North Ukraine existed from 4 April to 28 September.
In September 1944, Army Group South Ukraine was re-designated Army Group South. At the end of World War II in Europe, Army Group South was again renamed; as Army Group Ostmark, the remnants of Army Group South ended the war fighting in and around Austria and Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Army Group Ostmark was one of the last major German military formations to surrender to the Allies.

## Order of battle for Army Group South, October 1944

| Army Group | Army | Corps | Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | IV Panzer Corps LtGen Kleeman | 24th Panzer Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | LXXII Army Corps LtGen Schmidt | 76th Infantry Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | Hungarian VII Army Corps MajGen Vörös | Hungarian 8th Reserve Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | Hungarian VII Army Corps MajGen Vörös | Hungarian 12th Reserve Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | III Panzer Corps LtGen Breith | 1st Panzer Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | III Panzer Corps LtGen Breith | 13th Panzer Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | III Panzer Corps LtGen Breith | 23rd Panzer Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | III Panzer Corps LtGen Breith | Feldherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | III Panzer Corps LtGen Breith | 22nd SS Cavalry Division Maria Theresa |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | III Panzer Corps LtGen Breith | 46th Infantry Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Sixth Army Gen Fretter-Pico | III Panzer Corps LtGen Breith | 503rd Heavy Tank Battalion |
| South Gen Friessner | German Eighth Army Gen Wöhler | German XVII Army Corps LtGen Kreysing | German 8th 8th Jäger Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Eighth Army Gen Wöhler | German XVII Army Corps LtGen Kreysing | Hungarian 27th Infantry Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Eighth Army Gen Wöhler | German XVII Army Corps LtGen Kreysing | Hungarian 9th Frontier Brigade |
| South Gen Friessner | German Eighth Army Gen Wöhler | Hungarian IX Army Corps BrigGen Kovács | German 3rd Mountain Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Eighth Army Gen Wöhler | Hungarian IX Army Corps BrigGen Kovács | Hungarian 2nd Replacement Division |
| South Gen Friessner | German Eighth Army Gen Wöhler | German XXIX Army Corps LtGen Röpke | German 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer |
| South Gen Friessner | German Eighth Army Gen Wöhler | German XXIX Army Corps LtGen Röpke | German 4th Mountain Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Second Army LtGen von Dalnoki (Attached to German Sixth Army) | Hungarian II Army Corps MajGen Kiss | Hungarian 2nd Armored Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Second Army LtGen von Dalnoki (Attached to German Sixth Army) | Hungarian II Army Corps MajGen Kiss | Hungarian 25th Infantry Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Second Army LtGen von Dalnoki (Attached to German Sixth Army) | Hungarian II Army Corps MajGen Kiss | German 15th Infantry Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Second Army LtGen von Dalnoki (Attached to German Sixth Army) | Hungarian Group Finta BrigGen Finta | Hungarian 7th Replacement Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Second Army LtGen von Dalnoki (Attached to German Sixth Army) | Hungarian Group Finta BrigGen Finta | Hungarian 1st Replacement Mountain Brigade |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Second Army LtGen von Dalnoki (Attached to German Sixth Army) | Hungarian Group Finta BrigGen Finta | Hungarian 2nd Replacement Mountain Brigade |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Second Army LtGen von Dalnoki (Attached to German Sixth Army) | Army Reserve LtGen von Dalnoki | Hungarian 9th Replacement Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | Hungarian VIII Army Corps MajGen Lengyel | Hungarian 23rd Reserve Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | Hungarian VIII Army Corps MajGen Lengyel | Hungarian 5th Replacement Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | Hungarian VIII Army Corps MajGen Lengyel | Hungarian 8th Replacement Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | Hungarian VIII Army Corps MajGen Lengyel | Hungarian 1st Armored Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | German LVII Panzer Corps LtGen Kirchner | 4th SS Panzergrenadier Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | German LVII Panzer Corps LtGen Kirchner | Hungarian 20th Infantry Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | German LVII Panzer Corps LtGen Kirchner | Hungarian 1st Cavalry Division |
| South Gen Friessner | Hungarian Third Army LtGen Heszlényi | Army Reserve LtGen Heszlényi | Hungarian Szent László Infantry Division |

## Commanders

| No. | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Rundstedt, GerdGeneralfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953) | 1 September 1939 | 26 October 1939 | 55 days |
| (1) | Rundstedt, GerdGeneralfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953) | 22 June 1941 | 1 December 1941 | 162 days |
| 2 | Reichenau, WalterGeneralfeldmarschall Walter von Reichenau (1884–1942) | 1 December 1941 | 12 January 1942 † | 42 days |
| 3 | Bock, FedorGeneralfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock (1880–1945) | 12 January 1942 | 9 July 1942 | 178 days |
| 4 | Weichs, MaximilianGeneralfeldmarschall Maximilian von Weichs (1881–1954) | 9 July 1942 | 12 February 1943 | 218 days |
| 5 | Manstein, ErichGeneralfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein (1887–1973) | 12 February 1943 | 2 April 1944 | 1 year, 50 days |
| 6 | Frießner, JohannesGeneraloberst Johannes Frießner (1892–1971) | 23 September 1944 | 28 December 1944 | 96 days |
| 7 | Wöhler, OttoGeneral der Infanterie Otto Wöhler (1894–1987) | 28 December 1944 | 6 April 1945 | 99 days |
| 8 | Rendulic, LotharGeneraloberst Lothar Rendulic (1887–1971) | 7 April 1945 | 30 April 1945 | 23 days |