View source for Army Group Courland

{{Short description|German army group formed in 1945}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=July 2023}}

{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Army Group Courland
| native_name                   = {{langx|de|Heeresgruppe Kurland}}
| image                         = Ärmelband Kurland.jpg
| alt                           = 
| caption                       = Armband
| dates                         = 25 January – 10 May 1945
| country                       = {{flag|Nazi Germany}}
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| branch                        = [[File:Heer - decal for helmet 1942.svg|16px]] [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|Heer]] ([[File:Balkenkreuz.svg|16px]] [[Wehrmacht]])
| type                          = [[Army group]]
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| commander1                    = [[Carl Hilpert]]
| commander1_label              = Last commander
| commander2                    = [[Friedrich Foertsch]]
| commander2_label              = Chief-of-Staff
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| notable_commanders            = [[Lothar Rendulic]]
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'''Army Group Courland''' ({{langx|de|Heeresgruppe Kurland}}) was a [[Germany|German]] Army Group on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. It was created from remnants of the [[Army Group North]], [[blockade|isolated]] in the [[Courland Peninsula]] by the advancing [[Soviet Army]] forces during the 1944 [[Baltic Offensive]] of the [[Second World War]]. The army group remained isolated in the [[Courland Pocket]] until the [[end of World War II in Europe]]. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated [[Wehrmacht]] command on 8 May 1945.

At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the [[German Instrument of Surrender, 1945]]), the [[16th Army (Wehrmacht)|Sixteenth]] and [[18th Army (Wehrmacht)|Eighteenth]] armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) [[Carl Hilpert]], ended hostilities at 23:00, on 8 May 1945, surrendering to [[Leonid Govorov]], commander of the [[Leningrad Front]]. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the [[Courland Pocket]] had surrendered.<ref name=m9004259>[http://eng.9may.ru/09.05.1945/eng_inform/m9004259 May 9th 1945 (From the Soviet Information Bureau)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526185504/http://eng.9may.ru/09.05.1945/eng_inform/m9004259 |date=2007-05-26 }} part of the [[RIA Novosti]] [http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ 60 anniversary of surrender project] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514183758/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ |date=May 14, 2007 }}</ref>

==History==

===Naming===
[[File:Kurland6pf20apr1945.jpg|thumb|200px|Stamp used in Courland pocket (1945)]]
The aggregation of troops that became named '''Army Group Courland''' was created when the Red Army reached the [[Baltic Sea]] near the [[Neman River|Memel]] river on Tuesday, 10 October 1944.

As a result, what was then known as [[Army Group North]] was cut off in one section of [[Latvia]] from the rest of the [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]] and was to stay cut off for the remainder of the war. Approximately 200,000 German troops in 26 divisions were in what was to become known as the Courland Pocket, pushed against the [[Baltic Sea]] in the West, the [[Irbe Strait]] in the North and the [[Gulf of Riga]] in the East. It covers northwestern [[Latvia]]. Army Group Courland remained in existence until the end of the war in Europe.

Army Group Courland was created on 25 January 1945, when German dictator [[Adolf Hitler]] renamed [[Army Group North]], [[Army Group Center]], and [[Army Group A]]. Hitler's name changes meant that Army Group North became Army Group Courland (''Heeresgruppe Kurland''), Army Group Center became Army Group North (''Heeresgruppe Nord''), and Army Group A became Army Group Center (''Heeresgruppe Mitte)''.

===Isolation===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0531-500, Kurland, Evakuierung aus Windau.jpg|thumb|German civilians and soldiers of Army Group Courland evacuate via [[Windau (Ventspils)]], 19 October 1944.]]
Army Group Courland consisted of the [[16th Army (Wehrmacht)|German Sixteenth Army]] and the [[18th Army (Wehrmacht)|German Eighteenth Army]]. The two armies had been sent to [[Courland]] partly to protect training grounds for the remaining Nazi [[U-boat]] forces.<ref name="Willmott">''World War II'' - Willmott, H.P. et al., Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd, 2004</ref>

Bypassed by the main Soviet thrusts, Army Group Courland remained relatively intact. Even towards the end of the war, the army was able to field between twenty-four and thirty-one divisions, with the exact number of divisions depending on how many of the associated or understrength divisions are counted.<ref name="Willmott" />  Even so, with its back to the [[Baltic Sea]], it also remained largely cut off from re-supply, and was unable to break out or evacuate.

[[File:Leonid Govorov Ultimatum DE.jpg|left|thumb|Soviet ultimatum]]
On 7 May 1945, German [[Head of State]] (''Staatsoberhaupt'') and President (''[[Reichspräsident]]'') [[Karl Dönitz]] ordered Colonel-General [[Carl Hilpert]], to surrender Army Group Courland. Hilpert was the army group's last commander-in-chief.<ref name=m9004262-1>[http://eng.9may.ru/eng_inform/m9004262 May 12th, 1945 (From the Soviet Information Bureau Our Victory)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927030325/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_inform/m9004262 |date=September 27, 2007 }} part of the [[RIA Novosti]] [http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ 60 anniversary of surrender project] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514183758/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ |date=May 14, 2007 }} notes that Hilpert was commander of the XXXVIII Corps, it explains why only three divisions surrendered with him</ref>  Hilpert surrendered himself, his personal staff, and three divisions of the [[German XXXVIII Corps|XXXVIII Corps]] to [[Marshal of the Soviet Union]] [[Leonid Govorov]]. Hilpert sent the following message to his troops:  "To all ranks! Marshal {{sic|Govorod}} has agreed to a cease-fire beginning at 14:00 hours on 8 May. Troops to be informed immediately. White flags to be displayed. Commander expects loyal implementation of order, on which the fate of all Courland troops depends."<ref>Hans Dollinger '''The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan'' -, {{LCCN|6727047}}, Page 290</ref>

On 8 May, a General Otto Friedrich Rauser (Chief of Logistics of the Army Group) succeeded in obtaining better surrender terms from the Soviets. On 9 May, the Soviet commission in Peilei started to interrogate the captive staff of Army Group Courland. The Soviets began a general round-up of all remaining German troops in the Courland Pocket.<ref name="Imperial Japan' Page 278">''The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan'' - Hans Dollinger, {{LCCN|6727047}}, Page 278</ref> By the end of the 11th of May, the troops of the Leningrad Front had secured the Courland peninsula, reaching the coast of the Riga Bay and the Baltic Sea.<ref name=m9004261>[http://eng.9may.ru/09.05.1945/eng_inform/m9004261 May 11th, 1945 (From the Soviet Information Bureau Our Victory)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927031330/http://eng.9may.ru/09.05.1945/eng_inform/m9004261 |date=2007-09-27 }} part of the [[RIA Novosti]] [http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ 60 anniversary of surrender project] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514183758/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ |date=May 14, 2007 }}</ref>

From 9 May to 12 May 140,408 men and non-commissioned officers, 5,083 officers and 28 generals in the Courland Pocket, surrendered. The equipment captured in the same period consisted of 75 aircraft; 307 tanks and self-propelled guns; 1,427 guns; 557 mortars; 3,879 machine-guns; 52,887 rifles and submachine guns; 219 armored personnel carriers; 310 radio stations; 4,281 motor vehicles; 240 tractors, 3,442 carts loaded with military cargoes, 14,056 horses.<ref name=m9004262-2>[http://eng.9may.ru/eng_inform/m9004262 May 12th, 1945 (From the Soviet Information Bureau Our Victory)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927030325/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_inform/m9004262 |date=September 27, 2007 }} part of the [[RIA Novosti]] [http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ 60 anniversary of surrender project] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514183758/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ |date=May 14, 2007 }}</ref>

On 23 May, the Soviet round-up of the German troops in the Courland Pocket was completed. A total of about 180,000 German troops were taken into captivity. Captive German officers were turned over to the NKVD. The bulk of the captives were taken to camps in [[Valdai Hills]].<ref name="Imperial Japan' Page 278" />

===Aftermath===
After the surrender, some elements of Army Group Courland briefly attempted to reform itself as a [[Freikorps]]. This was an act reminiscent of similar actions taken at the end of [[World War I]], but atypical for the end of [[World War II]]. The formation of a Freikorps was prevented by the Soviets, who were obviously unwilling to allow such an action by a beaten foe.<ref name="Willmott" /> In addition, the Soviets did not intend for Germans to remain settled in the Courland area after the war.

A number of German, Estonian and Latvian soldiers evaded Soviet capture. Approximately 4000 Latvian soldiers went to the forests and formed [[Latvian partisans|partisan]] organizations to continue their fight against the Soviets and to gain independence for the Soviet-occupied Latvia.<ref name="Bleiere 2006 364">{{cite book| last = Bleiere| first = Daina |author2=Ilgvars Butulis |author3=Antonijs Zunda |author4=Aivars Stranga |author5=Inesis Feldmanis| title = History of Latvia : the 20th century.| publisher = [[Jumava (publisher)|Jumava]]| location = [[Riga]]| pages = 364| year = 2006| isbn = 9984-38-038-6| oclc = 70240317}}</ref>

==Commanders==
[[File:Bletchley decrypt.jpg|thumb|[[Ultra (cryptography)|Ultra]] decrypt of a message from Berlin to Army Group Courland, 14 February 1945]]
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| officeholder_title = Commander
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showdefencebranch  = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1995-027-32A, Lothar Rendulic.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generaloberst''
| officeholder      = [[Lothar Rendulic]]
| officeholder_sort = Rendulic, Lothar
| officeholder_note = 
| born_year         = 1887
| died_year         = 1971
| term_start        = 15 January 1945
| term_end          = 27 January 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|01|15|1945|01|27}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Heinrich von Vietinghoff.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generaloberst''
| officeholder      = [[Heinrich von Vietinghoff]]
| officeholder_sort = Vietinghoff, Heinrich
| officeholder_note = 
| born_year         = 1887
| died_year         = 1952
| term_start        = 27 January 1945
| term_end          = 10 March 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|01|27|1945|03|10}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = (1)
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1995-027-32A, Lothar Rendulic.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generaloberst''
| officeholder      = [[Lothar Rendulic]]
| officeholder_sort = Rendulic, Lothar
| officeholder_note = 
| born_year         = 1887
| died_year         = 1971
| term_start        = 10 March 1945
| term_end          = 25 March 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|03|10|1945|03|25}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = 
| military_rank     = ''Generaloberst''
| officeholder      = [[Carl Hilpert]]
| officeholder_sort = Hilpert, Carl
| officeholder_note = 
| born_year         = 1888
| died_year         = 1947
| term_start        = 25 March 1945
| term_end          = 8 May 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|03|25|1945|05|08}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

==Senior officers at capitulation==
<!-- This list needs to be placed under Army->Corps->Division -->
<!-- The spelling of many of these names is likely wrong -->
* General of Infantry [[Carl Hilpert]], Commander of Army Group Courland;
* Lieutenant-General [[Friedrich Foertsch]], Chief of Staff of the German Army Group Courland; 
* Major-General Otto Friedrich Rauser, Chief of Logistics of the Army Group Courland;
* Lieutenant-General Keler, chief of the veterinary service of the Army Group Courland;
* Lieutenant-General [[Friedrich-Jobst Volckamer von Kirchensittenbach|Volckamer von Kirchensittenbach]], Commander of the [[16th Army (Wehrmacht)|Sixteenth Army]];
* Lieutenant-General [[Ehrenfried-Oskar Boege]], Commander of the [[18th Army (Wehrmacht)|Eighteenth Army]];
* Lieutenant-General [[Christian Usinger|Usinger]], Commander of the [[I Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|I Army Corps]]; 
* Lieutenant-General [[Alfred Gause|Gause]], Commander of the [[II Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|II Army Corps]];
* General of Artillery [[Siegfried Thomaschki|Thomaschki]], Commander of the [[X Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|X Army Corps]];
* Lieutenant-General [[Gottfried Weber (general)|Weber]], Commander of the [[XVI Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XVI Army Corps]];
* General of Artillery [[Kurt Herzog|Herzog]], Commander of the [[XXXVIII Corps (Germany)|XXXVIII Army Corps]];
* Lieutenant-General [[Gerhard Feyerabend|Feyerabend]], Commander of the [[11th Infantry Division (Germany)|11th Infantry Division]];
* Major-General [[Harald Schultz|Schultz]], Commander of the [[24th Infantry Division (Germany)|24th Infantry Division]];
* Major-General [[Albert Henze|Henze]], Commander of the [[30th Infantry Division (Germany)|30th Infantry Division]];
* Lieutenant-General Franz Eccard von Bentivegni, Commander of the [[81st Infantry Division (Germany)|81st Infantry Division]];
* Lieutenant-General [[Mauritz Freiherr von Strachwitz|Strachwitz]], Commander of the [[87th Infantry Division (Germany)|87th Infantry Division]];
* Major-General Ottomar Hansen, Commander of the [[121st Infantry Division (Germany)|121st Infantry Division]]; 
* Major-General [[Bruno Schatz|Schatz]], Commander of the [[122nd Infantry Division (Germany)|122nd Infantry Division]];
* Major-General [[Kurt Haehling|Haehling]], Commander of the [[126th Infantry Division (Germany)|126th Infantry Division]];
* Major-General [[Rudolf Demme|Demme]], Commander of the [[132nd Infantry Division (Germany)|132nd Infantry Division]];
* Major-General Giese, Commander of the [[205th Infantry Division (Germany)|205th Infantry Division]];
* Lieutenant-General [[Werner Ranck|Ranck]], Commander of the [[218th Infantry Division (Germany)|218th Infantry Division]];
* Major-General Bauer;
* Major-General [[Walther Risse|Risse]], Commander of the [[225th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|225th Infantry Division]];
* Major-General [[Alfred Hemmann|Hemmann]], Commander of the [[263rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|263rd Infantry Division]];
* Major-General Eberth, Commander of the [[300th Special Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|300th Special Infantry Division]];
* Lieutenant-General Menkel, Commander of the [[329th Infantry Division (Germany)|329th Infantry Division]];
* Lieutenant-General [[Werner Neumann (officer)|Neuman]], Commander of the [[563rd Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|563rd Volksgrenadier Division]];
* Major-General [[Otto Barth (general)|Otto Barth]], Commander of a combat group of the [[21st Luftwaffe Field Division (Germany)|21st Luftwaffe Field Division]];
* Lieutenant-General Band, Commander of the Courland Fortified Area;
* SS-Gruppenführer [[Bruno Streckenbach|Streckenbach]], Commander of the [[19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)|19th Latvian Division]];
* Major-General [[Horst von Usedom]], Commander of the [[12th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|12th Panzer Division]];
* Colonel Karl-Max Gräßel, Commander of the [[14th Panzer Division]];
* Major-General Muller, commandant of the city of [[Libava]].<ref name=m9004261/><ref name=m9004262-2/><ref name=m9004260>
* SS Obergruppenfuhrer von Pfeffer-Wildenbrauch of the 6th Army Corps 
[http://eng.9may.ru/09.05.1945/eng_inform/m9004260 May 10th, 1945 (From the Soviet Information Bureau Our Victory)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070530175957/http://eng.9may.ru/09.05.1945/eng_inform/m9004260 |date=2007-05-30 }} part of the [[RIA Novosti]] [http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ 60 anniversary of surrender project]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514183758/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ |date=May 14, 2007 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of World War II military units of Germany]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070526185504/http://eng.9may.ru/09.05.1945/eng_inform/m9004259 May 09th 1945 (From the Soviet Information Bureau)] part of the [[RIA Novosti|Russian News and Information Agency Novosti]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070514183758/http://eng.9may.ru/eng_press/ 60 anniversary of surrender project]
* Dollinger, Hans.  ''The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan'', {{LCCN|67-27047}}
*{{cite book
|last=Tessin
|first=Georg
|title=Die Landstreitkräfte: Namensverbände / Die Luftstreitkräfte (Fliegende Verbände) / Flakeinsatz im Reich 1943–1945
|trans-title=Ground forces: Named units and formations / Air forces (Flying units and formations) / Anti–aircraft service in the Reich 1943–1945
|work= Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen–SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945
|volume=14
|publisher=Biblio 
|location=Osnabrück
|year=1980
|isbn=3-7648-1111-0
|language=German
}}
* Willmott, H.P. et al. ''World War II'', Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd, 2004

{{Army Groups Germany}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Army groups of the German Army in World War II|Courland]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1944]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945]]