Army Group B

Army Group B (German: Heeresgruppe B) was the title of three

Army Group B
German Army Groups that saw action during World War II.
Heeresgruppe B
Active October 1939 -
Contents June 1941
July 1942 -
Operational history February 1943
Commanders July 1943 - April
Chiefs of Staff 1945
Order of battle Country Nazi
Notes Germany

References Insignia

Bibliography Identification
symbol

Operational history
Army Group B first took part in the Battle of France in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The second formation of Army Group B was established when Army Group South was divided for the
summer offensive of 1942 on the Eastern Front. Army Group B was given the task of protecting the
northern flank of Army Group A, and included the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. In February
1943, Army Group B and Army Group Don were combined to create a new Army Group South.

A new Army Group B was formed in northern Italy under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in July 1943. Its
task was to secure Northern Italy after the overthrow of Mussolini and to disarm the Italian Army there as
part of Operation Achse.

After the stabilisation of the front on the Winter Line south of Rome by Kesselring's Army Group C, and
the creation of the Salo Republic in Northern Italy, Army Group B was moved to Northern France on 26
November 1943. Army Group B participated in the Battle of Normandy. On 19 July 1944, Field Marshal
Günther von Kluge took command from the injured Rommel. During the Allied offensive in August when
the Falaise Pocket threatened to completely encircle Army Group B Kluge was replaced by Field Marshal
Walter Model on 17 August. Kluge was recalled to Berlin and on 19 August committed suicide out of fear
he was implicated in the July 20 plot against Hitler. Army Group B escaped across the Seine but lost
around 60,000 troops and much of its equipment.

Moving to the Low Countries, Model with his HQ located at Osterbeek close to Arnhem, was surprised on
17 September by the start of Operation Market Garden. The army group also participated in the Battle of
the Bulge.[1] The army group was isolated in the Ruhr Pocket in northern Germany, and after being
divided up into smaller and smaller sections, the final section surrendered to the Allies on 21 April 1945.
Model committed suicide the same day rather than be tried by the Soviets for war crimes committed on the
Eastern Front.[2]
Commanders
Western Front

No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office

Generalfeldmarschall
1 Fedor von Bock 12 October 1939 22 June 1941 1 year, 8 months
(1880–1945[a] )

Eastern Front

No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office

Generaloberst
1 Maximilian von Weichs August 1942 February 1943 6 months
(1881–1954)

Northern Italy/Northern France

 No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office

Generalfeldmarschall
19 July 1944
1 Erwin Rommel 14 July 1943 1 year, 5 days
(severely injured)
(1891–1944[b] )

Generalfeldmarschall
2 Günther von Kluge 19 July 1944 17 August 1944 29 days
(1882–1944[c] )

Generalfeldmarschall
3 Walter Model 17 August 1944 21 April 1945 † 247 days
(1891–1945[d] )

Chiefs of Staff
12 October 1939 – 9 May 1941 General Hans von Salmuth
20 May 1941 General Hans von Greiffenberg

Eastern Front

August 1942 – 20 May 1943 General Georg von Sodenstern

Order of battle
 Date Subordinated commands
November
4th Army, 6th Army, 18th Army
1939
May 1940 6th Army, 18th Army
June 1940 9th Army, 6th Army, 4th Army, Panzer Group Kleist
July 1940 7th Army, 4th Army
August 1940 7th Army, 4th Army, 6th Army
September
18th Army, 4th Army, 6th Army
1940
January 18th Army, 4th Army, 17th Army, 2nd Panzer Group, Military commander in the General
1941 Government
May 1941 9th Army, 4th Army
Eastern Front
August 1942 2nd Army, Hungarian 2nd Army, Italian 8th Army, XXIX Army Corps, 6th Army, 4th Panzer Army
September
2nd Army, Hungarian 2nd Army, Italian 8th Army, 6th Army, 4th Panzer Army
1942
October 2nd Army, Hungarian 2nd Army, Italian 8th Army, 4th Panzer Army, Romanian 3rd Army,
1942 Romanian 4th Army
November 2nd Army, Hungarian 2nd Army, Italian 8th Army, Romanian 3rd Army, 6th Army, 4th Panzer
1942 Army, Romanian 4th Army
December
2nd Army, Hungarian 2nd Army, Italian 8th Army
1942
January
2nd Army, Hungarian 2nd Army, Italian 8th Army, Army Detachment Fretter-Pico
1943
February
2nd Army, Army Detachment Lanz, Italian 8th Army, Hungarian 2nd Army
1943
Italy
September
LI Army Corps, II SS Corps, LXXXVII Army Corps
1943
North-west Europe
December
in disposal of the OKW in Denmark
1943
May 1944 7th Army, 15th Army, Wehrmacht commander in the Netherlands
June 1944 7th Army, 15th Army, Wehrmacht commander in the Netherlands, Panzer Group West
August 1944 1st Army, 5th Panzer Army, 7th Army, 15th Army, Wehrmacht commander in the Netherlands
September
7th Army, 1st Parachute Army, 15th Army
1944
November
7th Army, 5th Panzer Army, Student Army Group
1944
December
7th Army, 5th Panzer Army, 6th Panzer Army
1944
January
7th Army, 5th Panzer Army, 6th Panzer Army, 15th Army
1945
February
7th Army, 5th Panzer Army, 15th Army
1945
 April 1945 15th Army, 5th Panzer Army, Army Detachment von Lüttwitz

Notes
a. Killed when car strafed by Allied fighter
b. Committed suicide in aftermath of July 20 plot
c. Committed suicide in aftermath of July 20 plot
d. Committed suicide to avoid capture

References
1. Builder, Bankes & Nordin 1999, p. 106.
2. D'Este, Carlo (1989). Barnett, Corelli (ed.). Hitler's Generals. London: Phoenix. p. 329.
ISBN 978-1-85799-285-4.

Bibliography
Builder, Carl H.; Bankes, Steven C.; Nordin, Richard (1999). Command Concepts: A Theory
Derived from the Practice of Command and Control (https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/
pubs/monograph_reports/2006/MR775.pdf) (PDF). Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
OCLC 831691894 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/831691894).

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This page was last edited on 22 July 2021, at 22:26 (UTC).

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