View source for Army Group South

{{Short description|Name of three distinct German Army groups in the Eastern Front of World War II}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Army Group South
| abbreviation                  = 
| native_name                   = {{langx|de|Heeresgruppe Süd}}
| image                         = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B24543, Hauptquartier Heeresgruppe Süd, Lagebesprechung.jpg
| image_size                    = 280
| caption                       = Briefing at the headquarters of Army Group South at [[Poltava]] on 1 June 1942
| dates                         = 1 September – 26 October 1939<br>22 June 1941 – 9 July 1942<br>9 February 1943 – 4 April 1944<br>23 September 1944 – 1 April 1945
| country                       = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
| branch                        = [[File:Heer - decal for helmet 1942.svg|16px]] [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|Heer]] ([[File:Balkenkreuz.svg|16px]] [[Wehrmacht]])
| size                          = [[Case Blue|On 1 July 1942]]:<br>1,210,861 in total<ref>Liedtke, Gregory. Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941–1943. Wolverhampton Military Studies, 2016, p. 228.</ref>
| battles                       = [[World War II]]
* [[Invasion of Poland]]
* [[Operation Barbarossa]]
** [[Battle of Brody (1941)|Battle of Brody]]
** [[Operation München]]
** [[Battle of Uman]]
** [[Battle of Kiev (1941)|Battle of Kiev]]
** [[First Battle of Kharkov]]
** [[Crimean campaign|Crimean Campaign]]
** [[Battle of Rostov (1941)|Battle of Rostov]]
* [[Second Battle of Kharkov]]
* [[Operation Blue]]
** [[Battle of Voronezh (1942)|Battle of Voronezh]]
* [[Third Battle of Kharkov]] 
* [[Battle of Kursk]]
** [[Operation Citadel]]
** [[Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation|Belgorod-Kharkov offensive]]
* [[Battle of the Dnieper]]
** [[Battle of Kiev (1943)|Battle of Kiev]]
* [[Dnieper–Carpathian offensive|Dnieper-Carpathian offensive]]
** [[Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive|Zhitomir-Berdichev offensive]]
** [[Kirovograd offensive]]
** [[Battle of Korsun–Cherkassy|Korsun-Cherkassy pocket]]
** [[Rovno–Lutsk offensive|Rovno-Lutsk offensive]]
** [[Kamenets–Podolsky pocket|Kamenets-Podolsky pocket]]
** [[Uman–Botoșani offensive]]
* [[Battle of Debrecen]]
* [[Budapest offensive]]
** [[Siege of Budapest]]
** [[Operation Konrad]]
* [[Operation Spring Awakening]] 
* [[Vienna offensive]]
| notable_commanders            = [[Gerd von Rundstedt]], [[Fedor von Bock]], [[Walter von Reichenau]], 
[[Erich von Manstein]]
| identification_symbol         = 
| identification_symbol_label   = 
| identification_symbol_2       = 
| identification_symbol_2_label = 
}}{{confuse|Army Group South Ukraine}}

'''Army Group South''' ({{langx|de|Heeresgruppe Süd}}) was the name of one of three [[German Army Group]]s during [[World War II]].

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 (military)|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 [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet Ukraine]] and its capital [[Kiev]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Operation Barbarossa 1941 (1): Army Group South |author=Robert Kirchubel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ieQbDAAAQBAJ&q=Group+South+Barbarossa |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2012 |isbn=978-1846036514 |id=Illustrated |pages=3–10}}</ref>

In September 1944, [[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.

==Operation Barbarossa==
[[File:German troops crossing the Soviet border.jpg|thumb|left|Soldiers of the Army Group South crossing the Soviet border in Ukraine during Operation Barbarossa]]
Ukraine was a major center of Soviet industry and mining and had the good farmland required for Hitler's plans for ''[[Lebensraum]]'' ('living space'). Army Group South was to advance up to the [[Volga River]], engaging a part of the [[Red Army]] and thus clearing the way for the [[Army Group North]] and the [[Army Group Centre|Army Group Center]] on their approach to [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] and [[Moscow]] respectively.

To carry out these initial tasks its battle order included the [[1st Panzer Group|First Panzer Group]] (Gen. Kleist) and the German [[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|Sixth]] (Gen. Reichenau), [[17th Army (Wehrmacht)|Seventeenth]] (Gen. Stülpnagel) and [[11th Army (Wehrmacht)|Eleventh]] Armies (Gen. Schobert), Luftlotte 1 (Keller) and the Romanian [[Romanian Third Army|Third]] and [[Romanian Fourth Army|Fourth]] Armies.

==Case Blue==
[[File:Hitler, Keitel with officers of the Army Group South Paulus Loehr 1 June 1942.jpg|thumb|right|Meeting between Adolf Hitler (left) and officers in the headquarters of Army Group South at Poltava. 1 June 1942]]
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]].<ref name=Adam>{{Cite book |last1=Adam |first1=Wilhelm |first2=Otto |last2=Ruhle |translator=Tony Le Tissier |title=With Paulus at Stalingrad |publisher=Pen and Sword Books Ltd. |year=2015 |isbn=9781473833869 |page=25}}</ref> 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 [[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|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.

By the end of December 1943, the strength of Army Group South had been reduced to 328,397 German soldiers, joined by another 109,816 allied soldiers and non-German volunteer troops.<ref name="Frieser 2007 Ukraine">{{Cite book |last=Frieser, Karl-Heinz |title=Die Ostfront 1943/44: Der Krieg im Osten und an den Nebenfronten |publisher=Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt |year=2007 |isbn=9783421062352 |editor-last=Frieser, Karl-Heinz |series=Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg |volume=8 |location=Munich |pages=339–450 |chapter=Die Rückzugsoperationen der Heeresgruppe Süd in der Ukraine |display-editors=et al.}}</ref>{{Rp|page=386}}

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 [[End of World War II in Europe|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 under National Socialism|Austria]] and [[Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]]. Army Group Ostmark was one of the last major German military formations to surrender to the Allies.

==Order of battle for Army Group South, October 1944==
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="font-size: 90%; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: center;"
|- style="background-color:grey; color:black;"
! Army Group
! Army
! Corps
! Division
! Remarks
|-
! colspan="14" style="background: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;" | &nbsp;
|-
!  ROWSPAN=33 style="background:#ccc;" style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| South<br><small>Gen [[Johannes Frießner|Friessner]]</small>
|  ROWSPAN=11 | '''German'''<br>'''[[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|Sixth Army]]'''<br><small>Gen [[Maximilian Fretter-Pico|Fretter-Pico]]</small>
|  ROWSPAN=1 | [[IV Panzer Corps]]<br><small>LtGen [[Ulrich Kleemann|Kleeman]]</small>
| [[24th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|24th Panzer Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=1 | [[LXXII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|LXXII Army Corps]]<br><small>LtGen [[August Schmidt (Wehrmacht)|Schmidt]]</small>
| [[76th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|76th Infantry Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=2 | Hungarian<br>VII Army Corps<br><small>MajGen Vörös</small>
| Hungarian<br>8th Reserve Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>12th Reserve Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=7 | [[III Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|III Panzer Corps]]<br><small>LtGen [[Hermann Breith|Breith]]</small>
| [[1st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|1st Panzer Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| [[13th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|13th Panzer Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| [[23rd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|23rd Panzer Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| [[German Feldherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Division|''Feldherrnhalle'']]<br>Panzergrenadier Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| [[22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Maria Theresa|22nd SS Cavalry Division]]<br>''Maria Theresa''<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| [[46th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|46th Infantry Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| [[German 503rd Heavy Panzer Detachment|503rd Heavy Tank Battalion]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=7 | '''German'''<br>'''[[8th Army (Wehrmacht)|Eighth Army]]'''<br><small>Gen [[Otto Wöhler|Wöhler]]</small>
|  ROWSPAN=3 | German<br>[[XVII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XVII Army Corps]]<br><small>LtGen [[Hans Kreysing|Kreysing]]</small>
| German<br>8th [[8th Jäger Division (Wehrmacht)|8th Jäger Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>27th Infantry Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>9th Frontier Brigade<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=2 | Hungarian<br>IX Army Corps<br><small>BrigGen Kovács</small>
| German<br>[[3rd Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)|3rd Mountain Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>2nd Replacement Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=2 | German<br>[[XXIX Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXIX Army Corps]]<br><small>LtGen [[Kurt Röpke|Röpke]]</small>
| German<br>[[8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer|8th SS Cavalry Division]]<br>''Florian Geyer''<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| German<br>[[4th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)|4th Mountain Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=7 | '''Hungarian'''<br>'''[[Hungarian Second Army|Second Army]]'''<br><small>[[Lajos Veress|LtGen von Dalnoki]]</small><br>''(Attached to''<br>''German''<br>''Sixth Army)''
|  ROWSPAN=3 | Hungarian<br>II Army Corps<br><small>MajGen Kiss</small>
| Hungarian<br>2nd Armored Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>25th Infantry Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| German<br>[[15th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|15th Infantry Division]]<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| ROWSPAN=3 | Hungarian<br>Group Finta<br><small>BrigGen Finta</small>
| Hungarian<br>7th Replacement Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>1st Replacement<br>Mountain Brigade<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>2nd Replacement<br>Mountain Brigade<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| ROWSPAN=1 | Army Reserve<br><small>[[Lajos Veress|LtGen von Dalnoki]]</small>
| Hungarian<br>9th Replacement Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=8 | '''Hungarian'''<br>'''[[Hungarian Third Army|Third Army]]'''<br><small>LtGen [[József Vitéz Heszlényi|Heszlényi]]</small>
|  ROWSPAN=4 | Hungarian<br>VIII Army Corps<br><small>MajGen Lengyel</small>
| Hungarian<br>23rd Reserve Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>5th Replacement Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>8th Replacement Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>1st Armored Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=3 | German<br> [[LVII Panzer Corps]]<br><small>LtGen [[Friedrich Kirchner|Kirchner]]</small>
| [[4th SS Polizei Division|4th SS]]<br>Panzergrenadier Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>20th Infantry Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
| Hungarian<br>1st Cavalry Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|  ROWSPAN=1 | Army Reserve<br><small>LtGen [[József Vitéz Heszlényi|Heszlényi]]</small>
| Hungarian<br>[[Szent László Infantry Division|Szent László]]<br>Infantry Division<br><small>&nbsp;</small>
|
|-
|}

==Commanders==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| officeholder_title = Commander
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showdefencebranch  = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S37772, Gerd v. Rundstedt.jpg
| military_rank     = ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]''
| officeholder      = [[Gerd von Rundstedt]]
| officeholder_sort = Rundstedt, Gerd
| born_year         = 1875
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 1 September 1939
| term_end          = 26 October 1939
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1939|09|01|1939|10|26}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = (1)
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S37772, Gerd v. Rundstedt.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Gerd von Rundstedt]]
| officeholder_sort = Rundstedt, Gerd
| born_year         = 1875
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 22 June 1941
| term_end          = 1 December 1941
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1941|06|22|1941|12|01}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B05284, Walter v. Reichenau.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Walter von Reichenau]]
| officeholder_sort = Reichenau, Walter
| born_year         = 1884
| died_year         = 1942
| died              = y
| term_start        = 1 December 1941
| term_end          = 12 January 1942
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1941|12|01|1942|01|12}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-120-11, Fedor von Bock.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Fedor von Bock]]
| officeholder_sort = Bock, Fedor
| born_year         = 1880
| died_year         = 1945
| term_start        = 12 January 1942
| term_end          = 9 July 1942
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1942|01|12|1942|07|09}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             = Maximillian von Weichs.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Maximilian von Weichs]]
| officeholder_sort = Weichs, Maximilian
| born_year         = 1881
| died_year         = 1954
| term_start        = 9 July 1942
| term_end          = 12 February 1943
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1942|07|09|1943|02|12}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 5
| image             = Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H01758%2C_Erich_v._Manstein.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Erich von Manstein]]
| officeholder_sort = Manstein, Erich
| born_year         = 1887
| died_year         = 1973
| term_start        = 12 February 1943
| term_end          = 2 April 1944
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1943|02|12|1944|04|02}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 6
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1984-018-27A, Johannes Friessner.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generaloberst''
| officeholder      = [[Johannes Frießner]]
| officeholder_sort = Frießner, Johannes
| born_year         = 1892
| died_year         = 1971
| term_start        = 23 September 1944
| term_end          = 28 December 1944
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1944|09|23|1944|12|28}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 7
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2007-0313-500, Rumänien, Otto Wöhler bei Lagebesprechung.jpg
| military_rank     = ''General der Infanterie''
| officeholder      = [[Otto Wöhler]]
| officeholder_sort = Wöhler, Otto 
| born_year         = 1894
| died_year         = 1987
| term_start        = 28 December 1944
| term_end          = 6 April 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1944|12|28|1945|04|06}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 8
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1995-027-32A, Lothar Rendulic.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generaloberst''
| officeholder      = [[Lothar Rendulic]]
| officeholder_sort = Rendulic, Lothar
| born_year         = 1887
| died_year         = 1971
| term_start        = 7 April 1945
| term_end          = 30 April 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|04|07|1945|04|30}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

==See also==
* [[Army Group Centre]]
* [[Army Group North]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/OspreyCampaign148OperationBarbarossa19412ospreyCa/osprey%20-%20campaign%20129%20operation_barbarossa_1941__1%5Bosprey%20ca/|title=Operation Barbarossa 1941 (1) Army Grou South|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2003|first=Robert|last=Kirchubel}}

{{Army Groups Germany}}
{{Army Group Rear Area (Wehrmacht)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1939 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Army groups of the German Army in World War II|South]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1939]]