III Army Corps (Germany)
The III. Army Corps of the German army, in the full title of General Command III. Army Corps, later III. Army Corps ( mot ) and III. Panzer Corps, was the name given to the appropriate command authority but also for the association of several divisions and corps troops own, which was out of this general command and was under the command of an army or army group.
History
The III. Army Corps was established in October 1934 in Berlin Military District III from the 3rd Division of the Reichswehr and was initially code named commander in the military district III. First Commanding General was Lieutenant General Erwin von Witzleben, who was replaced in November 1938 by Artillery General Curt Haase. On August 26, 1939, the Corps was mobilized leaving a Deputy Commanding General ( Lieutenant-General Franz Maria von Dalwigk to Lichtenfels ).
In the Polish campaign the Corps 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 the advance by West Prussia with the 50th Infantry Division and the brigade networks ( border guards ) reached the III. Army Corps on September 4, 1939, the northern edge of Bromberg. The further advance was made on Hohensalza in the room Gostynin where it came to fighting during the Battle of the Bzura from 13 to 21 September.
After the end of the Polish campaign, the corps was transferred in October to the Eifel, where the 6th Army, the 12th Army was assumed initially later. In the Western campaign in May 1940, the Corps pushed through Luxembourg to Belgium before, broke through the fortifications south of Belgium and came up to the room of the French Rethel. In the second phase of the campaign in the west, it broke through on the Aisne and the Marne and pushed up to the Loire before. Thereafter, it was used for a short time to protect the line of demarcation. From mid-July 1940, the transfer was made to Poland for the 18th Army.
After repeatedly changing insinuations came the new III. Army Corps (Motorised ) ( renamed on 21 March 1941) in May 1941 to the 6th Army at the beginning of the Russian campaign of Army Group South (former Army Group A) belonged. In the German attack on the Soviet Union, the Corps from Galicia was scheduled. It was involved in fighting on the Stalin Line and the room Zhitomir. In July, the 1st Panzer Army of Army Group South, it was assumed, reaching the end of the month the Dnepr in Dnepropetrovsk. The further advance it led to Mariupol and in November to Rostov on Don. After the forced by a Soviet counterattack retreat from Rostov (→ Battle of Rostov ) the Corps spent the winter on the Mius before it intervened in the Battle of Kharkov in May. From February to April 1942 and June 1942, the Corps was also referred to as a group of Mackensen.
During the German summer offensive of 1942 (from June 1942 referred to as III. Panzer Corps ) joined the corps in the association of the 1st Panzer Army of Army Group A on Rostov, Armavir and Maikop to Terek ago. After fighting to Nalchik and Ordzhonikidze, the corps withdrew after the onset of the Soviet North Caucasian operation from the Caucasus. In March 1943 Appearances followed at Stalino and Lisichansk / Slavjansk. After that, the Corps has been refreshed in the Kharkov area and prepared for Operation Citadel. It came in July as part of the Army Detachment Kempf used. This was followed by the end of retreat fights as part of the 4th Panzer Army and 8th up to the Dnepr.
In January and February 1944, the Corps was refreshed again. From March to April was involved as part of the 1st Panzer Army at the battle of encirclement of Kamenetz -Podolsk. It was then made available to the Army Group North Ukraine. As a result of the Lviv - Sandomierz operation of the Red Army in the summer of 1944, the Corps had to withdraw to the Vistula, where it participated in the battles for the Baranov bridgehead. In September, the installation was carried out to Hungary, where the corps was again placed under the 6th Army. It was released in October in the defense of the Soviet Debrecen operation to use. From November 1944 to January 1945 it was part of the group Breith, which was led by his Commanding General Hermann Breith and the other corps units were assumed. During this time it was involved in the Battle of Budapest, in the surrender of the trapped there associations could not be prevented. In March, the participation followed the failed Balaton offensive. About Veszprém and Raab, the Corps then moved back to Styria and went on track village into captivity.
Structure
Corps troops (selection)
- Arko 3
- Corps News Department 43
- Corps supply troops 403
Imputed associations
- 50th Infantry Division
- Brigade networks
- 3rd Infantry Division
- 23rd Infantry Division
- 52nd Infantry Division
- 7th Armoured Division
- 19th Panzer Division
- 6th Panzer Division
- 168th Infantry Division
- 25 Hungarian Division
- 3rd Panzer Division
- 1st Armored Division
- 23 Panzer Division