Army Group South
Army Group South (German: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II.
Not to be confused with Army Group South Ukraine.Army Group South
1 September – 26 October 1939
22 June 1941 – 9 July 1942
9 February 1943 – 4 April 1944
23 September 1944 – 1 April 1945
On 1 July 1942:
1,210,861 in total[1]
It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the Invasion of Poland Army Group South was led by Gerd von Rundstedt and his chief of staff Erich von Manstein.
Two years later, Army Group South became one of three army groups into which Germany organised their forces for Operation Barbarossa. Army Group South's principal objective was to capture Soviet Ukraine and its capital Kiev.[2]
In September 1944, the Army Group South Ukraine was renamed Army Group South in Eastern Hungary. It fought in Western Hungary until March 1945 and retired to Austria at the end of the Second World War, where it was renamed Army Group Ostmark on 2 April 1945.
Case Blue[edit]
In preparation for Case Blue, the 1942 campaign in southern Russia and the Caucasus, Army Group South was split into two army groups: Army Group A and Army Group B.[3] Army Group A was ordered south to capture the oil fields in the Caucasus.
In February 1943, Army Group Don and the existing Army Group B were combined and re-designated Army Group South. A new Army Group B became a major formation elsewhere. The German Sixth Army, which was destroyed in the Battle of Stalingrad, was re-constituted and later made part of Army Group South in March 1943. On 4 April 1944, Army Group South was re-designated Army Group North Ukraine. Army Group North Ukraine existed from 4 April to 28 September.
In September 1944, Army Group South Ukraine was re-designated Army Group South. At the end of World War II in Europe, Army Group South was again renamed; as Army Group Ostmark, the remnants of Army Group South ended the war fighting in and around Austria and Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Army Group Ostmark was one of the last major German military formations to surrender to the Allies.