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18th Army (Wehrmacht)

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18th Army
German: 18. Armee
Georg Lindemann visiting the trenches at Leningrad
Active4 November 1939 – 8 May 1945
Country Nazi Germany
Branch German army ( Wehrmacht)
TypeField Army
SizeField army
EngagementsWorld War II

The 18th Army (German: 18. Armee) was a World War II field army in the German Wehrmacht.

Formed in November 1939 in Military Region (Wehrkreis) VI, the 18th Army was part of the offensive into the Netherlands (Battle of the Netherlands) and Belgium (Battle of Belgium) during Fall Gelb and later moved into France in 1940. The 18th Army was then moved East and participated in Operation Barbarossa in 1941.

The Army was a part of the Army Group North until early 1945, when it was subordinated to Army Group Kurland. In October 1944, the army was encircled by the Red Army offensives and spent the remainder of the war in the Courland Pocket.

History

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On 22 July 1940, the 18th Army consisted of XXVI Corps (161st and 271st Infantry Divisions), XXX Corps (76th and 258th Infantry Divisions), Higher Command XXXV (162nd and 292nd Infantry Divisions), III Corps (62nd and 75th Infantry Divisions), XVII Corps (297th and 298th Infantry Divisions) and Higher Command XXXIV (68th and 257th Infantry Divisions), as well as XXXXIV Corps and 291st Infantry Division as reserves and limited authority extended to Panzer Group Guderian with XXXX Corps and XVI Corps.[1]: 208 

Commanders

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No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office
1
Georg von Küchler
Küchler, GeorgGeneralfeldmarschall
Georg von Küchler
(1881–1968)
5 November 193916 January 19422 years, 72 days
2
Georg Lindemann
Lindemann, GeorgGeneraloberst
Georg Lindemann
(1884–1963)
16 January 194229 March 19442 years, 73 days
3
Herbert Loch
Loch, HerbertGeneral der Artillerie
Herbert Loch
(1886–1976)
29 March 19442 September 1944157 days
4
Ehrenfried-Oskar Boege
Boege, EhrenfriedGeneral der Infanterie
Ehrenfried-Oskar Boege
(1889–1965)
5 September 19448 May 1945245 days

Chiefs of the Generalstab

  • 5 November 1939 – 10 December 1940 Generalmajor Erich Marcks
  • 10 December 1940 – 19 January 1941 Generalmajor Wilhelm Hasse
  • 19 January 1941 – 17 November 1942 Generalmajor Dr. Ing. h.c. Kurt Waeger
  • 24 November 1942 – 1 December 1943 Generalmajor Hans Speth
  • 1 December 1943 – 25 January 1945 Generalmajor Friedrich Foertsch
  • 25 January 1945 – 5 March 1945 Oberst i.G. Wilhelm Hetzel
  • 5 March 1945 – 10(!) May 1945 Generalmajor Ernst Merk

Orders of Battle

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10 May 1940

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1 July 1941

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September 1941

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  • L Army Corps
  • LIV Army Corps
  • XXVI Army Corps
  • XXVIII Army Corps
  • I Army Corps

15 July 1944

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12 April 1945

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References

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Literature

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  • Tessin, Georg (1970). "Die Landstreitkräfte 15—30". Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939—1945 (in German). Vol. 4. Frankfurt/Main: E.S. Mittler. pp. 80–85.