L Army Corps (Germany)

The L. Army Corps was a major unit of the German army and was built in 1941 in the Balkans, and from 1941 to 1945 used against the Soviet Union.

Installation and inserts

The General Command L. Army Corps was established on 8 October 1940 at the military district V ( Stuttgart), Infantry General Georg Lindemann became the first Commanding General of the Corps.

The corps was moved in the spring of 1941 to Bulgaria, where he was the command of the 12th Army (General Field Marshal Wilhelm List ) was assumed. From 6 to 23 April 1941, the Corps was subordinate to the 46th and 294th Infantry Division used in the Balkan campaign. The Corps was here most of the time the Army Reserve and hardly came into the fight. The advance of the corps was on the Shipka Pass to Plovdiv, about Dubnitza and Veles to Prilep.

Following the Balkan campaign Lindemann's General Command of the end of June 1941 it was moved to East Prussia in order to reinforce the attack of Army Group North ( Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb ) on the Soviet Union. The L. Army Corps abdicated in July 1941 under the command of the 16th Army (General Field Marshal Ernst Busch) and penetrated on the southern flank of Army Group North in front of the room Welikije Luki. To connect to the Army Group Centre not to weaken further was on 28 July 1941, the corps L. briefly the 9th Army ( Generaloberst Adolf Strauß) assumed. On August 2, there was fierce fighting around the heights southwest of Welikije Luki, in the course of the 251 Infantry Division suffered heavy losses and had to dodge behind the Lovat.

For the attack on Leningrad the L. corps then in the area of the 18th Army ( Georg von Küchler ) was laid. On August 22, the attack on the Soviet defensive position at the Luga and the breakthrough on Siverskaya began. Asked underpass of 4th Panzer Group, the L. Army Corps took in September 1941 in the attack on Leningrad part. The L. Corps was already earmarked for the invasion of Leningrad and General Lindemann as commandant of the city, but the capture of the city was no longer possible. On January 17, 1942 shocked Hitler Field Marshal Ritter von Leeb as commander in chief, in his place took over Army Group North, the previous leader of the 18th Army, Colonel General von Küchler. The election of a new Supreme Commander of the 18th Army fell to Georg Lindemann, who took this position on January 18, 1942, the liberated L. Army Corps took over on Cavalry General Philip Kleffel.

In 1942, the corps was with L. 58th and 215th Infantry Division as the right wing of the 18th Army south of Pushkin in defensive position and held together with the XXVI. and XXVIII. Army Corps the " Leningrad " upright. In October 1942, the vacant after the conquest of the Crimea LIV was. Thrown Army Corps to Leningrad and inserted on the right wing of the corps. The L. Corps received in addition to the tried and true 215 ID. temporarily, the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe Field Division assumed. After the takeover of the coastal section in the room Oranienbaum by the III. Luftwaffe Field Corps received the L. Corps to compensate subordinated to the 250th and 170th Infantry Division. On February 13, 1943, the L. Corps led to parts of the 24th, 58th and 215th Infantry Division counterattacks against the enemy forces collapsed at Lyuban and prevented the association of this group with the troops of the Leningrad Front south Mga. On September 17, 1943, General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener took the leadership of the Corps, which were now subordinated to the 126th, 170th and 215th Infantry Division.

After the offensive of the Soviet front under General Leonid Goworow in January 1944, the German retreat from Leningrad was forced. By April 1944, the corps was thrown back by the Soviet offensive in Pskov, where he received the Association of the 16th Army ( General of the Artillery Hansen) to July 1944, the term " group Wegener ." In September 1944, the General Command of the 122nd, 126th and 290th Infantry Division was assigned and the parent 16th Army had to retreat to the west in October 1944 after the Soviet breakthrough to the Baltic via Riga. For now trapped in Kurlandkessel L. Corps, the new front formed north Jelgava. At the turn of 1945, the corps fought with the 24th, 122nd and 389th Infantry Division in the area to the northeast Rubeni Lielauce Lake. In March 1945, the 18th Army ( General of the Infantry Ehrenfried Boege ) was imputed. The corps surrendered under the leadership of Lieutenant General Erpo von Bodenhausen on 8 May 1945 with the 24th and 218th Infantry Division northeastward wife Castle ( Saldus ) and went into captivity.

Leadership

Commanding generals:

Cavalry General Georg Lindemann October 8, 1940 - January 19, 1942
Cavalry General Philip Kleffel January 19, 1942 - March 3, 1942
Infantry General Herbert von Boeckmann March 3, 1942 - July 20, 1942
Cavalry General Philip Kleffel July 20, 1942 - September 17, 1943
General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener September 17, 1943 - September 24, 1944
Lieutenant General Hans Boeckh -Behrens September 24, 1944 - October 24, 1944
General of the mountain troops Friedrich Jobst Volckamer of Kirchensittenbach October 25, 1944 - April 11, 1945
Lieutenant General Erpo von Bodenhausen April 12, 1945 - May 8, 1945

Chief of Staff:

Colonel Rudolf Sperl October 25, 1940 - June 25, 1943
Colonel Kurt Spitzer June 25, 1943 - April 1944
Lieutenant Colonel Werner Richter April 1944 - October 1944
Colonel Ernst- Friedrich Lange Strasbourg in October 1944 - May 1945

First General Staff Officer:

Major iG Hans Refior October 1940 - February 24, 1942
Major iG Klaus Hoch Eisel February 25, 1942 - October 1942
Major iG Horst Ogilvie October 1942 - March 1943
Major iG Heinrich Graf Strachwitz of Grosszauche and Camminetz March 1943 - September 1943
Major iG Günter Goebel July 1944 - January 1945
Major iG Bernd Bosselmann January 1945 - May 8, 1945

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