II Army Corps (Germany)

The Second Army Corps of the German army, in the full title of General Command of II Army Corps, was the name given to the appropriate command authority but also for the association of several divisions and its own corps of troops, which was managed by this general command and was under the command of an army or army group.

List

The Second Army Corps was established in October 1934 in Military District II of the 2nd Division of the Reichswehr in Szczecin. Commanding General since November 1938, was the general of the infantry and later Colonel General Adolf Strauss.

In the Polish campaign

In the Polish campaign, the association of the 4th Army was under General Günther von Kluge of artillery, which belonged to the Army Group North under Colonel-General Fedor von Bock. On September 2, 1939, the Second Army Corps broke through with the 3rd Infantry Division and the 32nd Infantry Division, the strongly fortified positions on both sides of the Polish crown ( Koronowo ) on the Brda River ( Brda ), the next day the Vistula near Kulm ( Chelmno ) to cross. Thus, a connection between Pomerania and East Prussia was produced by the Polish Corridor; German troops could now be moved by land from. On 4 September, the corps was going toward Briesen ( Wąbrzeźno ), more divisions were led into the bridgehead. The further pursuit led the corps on both sides of the Vistula to Warsaw.

In the western campaign

From December 1939, the II Corps was during the so-called seat war as border guards in the area of the Eifel on the Western Front and was again placed under the 4th Army. In the commenced on 10 May 1940 western campaign the corps made ​​a breakthrough by the south of Belgium fortifications and the invasion of the Ardennes. This was followed by the occupation of Lille and further fighting at Cambrai and the Scarpe. On 30 May 1940, took Infantry General Carl -Heinrich von Stülpnagel the leadership of the corps for the second phase of the campaign of the Army Group B ( Colonel-General Fedor von Bock) was assumed. In the " Case Red " the Weygand line was from June 6 through broken and forced the passage of the Somme. The attack was directed south to the Seine, then it came for further persecution of the French to the Loire. Between August 1940 and February 1941, the Corps of the 6th Army ( GFM Walter von Reichenau ) has been covered on the Channel coast to take part in the invasion of England. After the Operation Sea Lion but never got to run was the relocation to the eastern front.

On the eastern front

The Second Army Corps was supplied in March 1941, the 18th Army ( Colonel-General Georg von Küchler ) to East Prussia, later but before the start of Operation Barbarossa, the 16th Army ( Colonel-General Ernst Busch) transferred to Gumbinnen. Took place on 22 June 1941 under the Commanding General Walter von Brockdorff- Ahlefeldt the attack of imputed 12th, 32nd and 121st Infantry Division south of Castle Hill on the Lithuanian border. Together with the south attacking VI. Army Corps ( General Forster ) of the 9th Army of the breakdown between Mariampol and Calvary has been forced. Together with the northerly operating XXVIII. Army Corps crossed the II Corps on 25 June, the Memel in Kovno. East of Dvinsk in Krāslava takes place on July 3 of the Daugava river junction until July 8 Sarjanka was reached. The Corps was involved in the battle of encirclement Newel, then the advance followed for Lovat, to August 2, Chelm was taken. By the end of fighting in space Demyansk and follow the Valdai area.

On January 8, 1942, the Soviet Northwest Front between the Seliger Ilmensee and opened the attack on the positions of the X and the Second Army Corps. The Soviet 11th Army ( Lieutenant General Morozov ) broke through on the southern shore of Ilmensee the positions of the 290th Infantry Division and was already on 9 January before Staraya Russa, by the II Corps was encircled with Demyansk (→ Kesselschlacht Demyansk ). By Entsatzoperation " bridge " of General Seydlitz end of March 1942, the connection has been restored to the cut Corps, the exhausting front arc but was still held on Hitler's orders to March 1943. End of February 1943 Demyansk was cleared and used the vacant General Command for defense struggles in space Chelm and Newel.

Following the lifting of the blockade of Leningrad, the 18th Army had to go back in February 1944 to Narva, therefore, the General Command was transferred to Estonia to be supplied to the Army Department of Narva. Under the leadership of Commanding General Wilhelm Hasse took place from 21 August 1944, the defensive battle between Tartu and Walk. In July 1944, following the collapse of Army Group Centre and the withdrawal of the 16th Army fighting over Polotsk to Riga and Daugavpils, by the General Command came briefly under their leadership.

After the Russian 51st Army ( Genlt. Kreiser ) had achieved the breakthrough to the Baltic Sea in Palanga on 10 October 1944 had to be abandoned by the Second Army Corps east Riga held front again. The loss of Riga, including the evacuation of Estonia was enforced it. The retreat brought the II Army Corps in the Kurland kettle, it was incorporated in the western sector under the 18th Army in the new front. In six Kurlandschlachten the Corps defended by General of Infantry John Mayer and from April 1945 under Lieutenant-General Alfred Gause the section between Moscheiken and Vainode end of the war against the Soviet Baltic Front of Marshal Hovhannes Baghramjan. On the day of the surrender of the Army Group Courland on 9 May 1945 the II Army Corps was in the area southwest fissures.

Leadership

Commanding generals:

  • Lieutenant General Fedor von stand 1st October 1934 to April 1935
  • Infantry General Johannes Blaskowitz April 1935 to 10 November 1938
  • Colonel General Adolf Strauss November 10, 1938 to May 30, 1940
  • Infantry General Carl -Heinrich von Stülpnagel 30 May to 21 June 1940
  • General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff- Ahlefeldt 21. June 1940 to May 1942
  • General of Panzer Troops Otto von Knobelsdorffstraße June to July 1, 1942
  • General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff- Ahlefeldt 1 July to 28 November 1942
  • General der Infanterie Paul Laux November 28, 1943 to April 1, 1944
  • Lieutenant General Wilhelm Hasse 1 April to 5 May 1944
  • Lieutenant General Kurt von Tippelskirch 5th - 11th May 1944
  • General der Infanterie Paul Laux May 11 to July 3 1944
  • General der Infanterie Wilhelm Hasse July 15, 1944 to January 15, 1945
  • Infantry General Johannes Mayer 15 January to 1 April 1945
  • Lieutenant General Alfred Gause 1 April to 8 May 1945
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