Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsible for breaking through the heavily-forested Ardennes region. The operation, which was part of ''Fall Gelb'' (Case Yellow), was resoundingly successful for the Germans, as the army group outflanked the best troops of France and its allies, eventually leading to France's surrender. In 1942,

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups 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 So ...

on the Eastern Front against the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

was split into Army Group A and Army Group B, and Army Group A was responsible for the invasion into the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

. In 1945, months before the fall of Nazi Germany, Army Group A was renamed Army Group Centre.

Western Front, 1940

During the German invasion of the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Army Group A was under the command of

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank was ...

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German field marshal in the '' Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into a Prussian family with a long military tradition, Rundstedt entered th ...

and was responsible for the break-out through the Ardennes. It was composed of 45½ divisions, including the 7 panzer divisions of

Panzer Group Kleist The XXII Motorised Corps (''XXII. Armeekorps (motorisiert)'') was a German army corps during World War II.'' History The XXII. Armeekorps (motorisiert) was created on 26 August 1939 in Wehrkreis X (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen). The Cor ...

. Order of Battle * 4th Army

Günther von Kluge Günther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge (30 October 1882 – 19 August 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II who held commands on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He commanded the 4th Army of the Wehrmacht during the invasio ...

** V Army Corps (Wehrmacht) General Infantry Richard Ruoff *** 211th Infantry Division - Generalmajor

Kurt Renner Kurt Renner was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Wehrmacht during World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World W ...

*** 251st Infantry Division - Generalmajor Hans Kratzert *** 263rd Infantry Division - Generalmajor Franz Karl **

VIII Army Corps (Wehrmacht) VIII Army Corps (VIII. Armeekorps) was a corps in the German Army during World War II. It was destroyed during the Battle of Stalingrad and reformed in mid-1943. Commanders * Cavalry General (''General der Kavallerie'') Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kle ...

General Infantry

Walter Heitz Walter Heitz (8 December 1878 – 9 February 1944) was a German general (''Generaloberst'') in the Wehrmacht during World War II who served as President of the Reich Military Court and commanded part of the 6th Army in the Battle of Stalingrad. ...

***

8th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 8th Division (Australia) * 8th Canadian Infantry Division * 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China) * 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Rep ...

GenLt

Rudolf Koch-Erpach Rudolf Koch-Erpach (9 April 1886 – 28 November 1971) was a German general during World War II who commanded the LVI Panzer Corps and the 1st Army. Biography Koch-Erpach was born in Munich, and eventually rose to the rank of general. In 1 ...

***

28th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 28th Division or 28th Infantry Division may refer to: Infantry divisions: * 28th Division (German Empire) * 28th Reserve Division (German Empire) * 28th Jäger Division (Wehrmacht) * 28th Infantry Division Aosta, Kingdom of Italy * 28th Division (I ...

GenMaj Johann Sinnhuber **

II Army Corps (Wehrmacht) II Army Corps (II. Armeekorps) was a corps in the German Army during World War II. Organisation Organisation of the corps at different times included; 1939 (September) * Corps Staff and Headquarters **402nd Corps Signals Unit **42nd Corps ...

General Infantry Adolf Strauss *** 12th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) GenLt Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach *** 32nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) GenLt

Franz Böhme Franz Friedrich Böhme (15 April 1885 – 29 May 1947) was an Army officer who served in succession with the Austro-Hungarian Arny, the Austrian Army and the German Wehrmacht. He rose to the rank of general during World War II, serving as Comm ...

** XV Army Corps (Wehrmacht) General Infantry

Hermann Hoth Hermann Hoth (12 April 1885 – 25 January 1971) was a German army commander, war criminal, and author. He served as a high-ranking panzer commander in the Wehrmacht during World War II, playing a prominent role in the Battle of France and on t ...

*** 5th Panzer Division GenLt

Joachim Lemelsen Joachim Lemelsen (28 September 1888 – 30 March 1954) was a German general during World War II who rose to army-level command. During Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, troops of the XLVII Motorized Corps under his ...

*** 7th Panzer Division GenMaj Erwin Rommel *** 62nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) GenMaj Walter Keiner * 12th Army Generaloberst Wilhelm List **

VI Army Corps (Wehrmacht) The VI Corps (german: VI. Armeekorps (VI.AK)) was an infantry corps of the German Army. It fought in several notable actions during World War II. The corps was originally formed around the 6th Division of the ''Reichswehr'' in October 1934 in M ...

( Förster) **

III Army Corps (Wehrmacht) III Army Corps was a corps level formation of the German Army during World War II. III Army Corps The III Corps was formed in October 1934 as III. Armeekorps. The corps took part in Fall Weiss, the 1939 invasion of Poland as a part of Army Gr ...

( Haase) **

XVII Army Corps (Wehrmacht) XVII Army Corps (German: ''XVII. Armeekorps'') was a corps in the German Army during World War II. The corps was formed in Vienna on 1 April 1938 after the Annexation of Austria. Invasion of Poland At the beginning of the war in September 1939 ...

( Kienitz) * 16th Army General Infantry Ernst Busch ** VII Army Corps (Wehrmacht) ( Schobert) **

XIII Army Corps (Wehrmacht) XIII Army Corps (German: ''XIII. Armeekorps'') was a corps of the German Army during World War II. Made up of several divisions, which varied from time to time, it was formed in Nuremberg on 1 October 1937. Soon after the general mobilisation of ...

( Vietingoff) **

XXIII Army Corps (Wehrmacht) German XXIII. Corps (XXIII. Armeekorps) was a corps in the German Army during World War II. Commanders * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'') Erich Raschick, April 1939 – 26 October 1939 * Infantry General (''General der Infanter ...

GenLt

Albrecht Schubert Albrecht Schubert (23 June 1886 – 26 November 1966) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Life and career Born 23 June 1886 in Glatz (modern Kłodzko, Poland, th ...

** XIX Army Corps (Wehrmacht) (

Guderian Guderian is a German surname. Other spellings are '' Guderjahn'' and '' Guderjan''. It is present in Greater Poland and Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European ...

) *** 2nd Panzer Division ( Veiel) *** 1st Panzer Division ( Kirchner) *** 10th Panzer Division ( Schaal) ***

Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland The Infantry Regiment ''Großdeutschland'' (german: Infanterie-Regiment "Großdeutschland"; ) was an élite German Army ceremonial and combat unit which saw action during World War II. Originally formed in 1921 it was known as the ''Wachregimen ...

XLI Army Corps (Wehrmacht) XXXXI Panzer Corps (also written as: XLI Panzer Corps) was a Panzer (armoured) corps in the German Army during World War II. Operational history The corps was originally formed, as the XXXXI Corps, on 5 February 1940 in ''Wehrkreis'' VIII (Sile ...

( Reinhardt) *** 6th Panzer Division ( Kempf) ***

8th Panzer Division The 8th Panzer Division was a formation of the ''Wehrmacht'' ''Heer''. The division was formed by reorganising the 3rd Light Division in October 1939. It was transferred to the west and fought in the Battle of France, in May 1940, and the Germ ...

( Kuntzen) ***

2nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) The 2nd Infantry Division of Nazi Germany's Army was created from components of the '' Reichswehr's'' old 2nd Division in 1934, at first under the cover name ''Wehrgauleitung Stettin'' and later ''Artillerieführer II''; it did not take its real ...

( Bader) ** XIV Army Corps (Wehrmacht) ( Wietersheim) *** 13th Panzer Division ( Rothkirch und Panthen) *** 29th Motorized Infantry Division ( Langermann und Erlencamp) * Reserves ** XXXX Corps - Generalleutnant Georg Stumme *** 4th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) GenLt Erick-Oskar Hansen *** 87th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) GenLt Bogislav von Studnitz ***

211th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) The 211th Infantry Division (german: 211. Infanterie-Division) was a German infantry division of the German Heer during World War II, active from 1939 to 1944. In 1944, it was redeployed as 211th Volksgrenadier Division, which was active until 19 ...

GenLt

***

263rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) The 263rd Infantry Division (german: 263. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. Operational history The 263rd Infantry division was formed on 26 August 1939 with reserve unit personnel in Wehrkreis ...

GenLt Franz Karl *** 267th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) GenLt Ernst Fessmann

Eastern Front, 1942

In 1942,

was in southern Russia on the Eastern Front. For

Case Blue Case Blue (German: ''Fall Blau'') was the German Armed Forces' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942, during World War II. The objective was to capture the oil fields of the Cauc ...

(''Fall Blau''), the summer offensive of the German Armed Forces (''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

''), Army Group South was split into Army Group A and

Army Group B Army Group B (German: ') was the title of three German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. Operational history Army Group B first took part in the Battle of France in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The second formation of Ar ...

. Army Group A was ordered south to capture the oil fields in the

. Army Group A included the following armies: * German 1st Panzer Army * German 11th Army * German 17th Army * Romanian 3rd Army

Eastern Front, 1944-1945

Army Group A was formed a third time on September 23, 1944, in southern Poland and the Carpathian region by renaming

Army Group North Ukraine The Army Group North Ukraine (german: Heeresgruppe Nordukraine) was a major formation of the German army in World War II. History It was created on 5 April 1944 by renaming Army Group South under Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model. In April 1944 i ...

.
The army group was used to defend southern Poland and Slovakia.
Subordinate were : * 9th Army, *

4th Panzer Army The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World War ...

* the newly formed 17th Army * 1st Panzer Army. After the breakthrough of the Red Army near Baranow on the Vistula during the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive, on January 16, 1945

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Bogislaw von Bonin, the Chief of the Operational Branch of the Army General Staff (''Generalstab des Heeres'') gave Heeresgruppe A permission to retreat rejecting a direct order from

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

for them to hold fast. Although Heeresgruppe A escaped encirclement and regrouped, von Bonin was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

on January 19, 1945, and imprisoned. On 25 January 1945 Hitler renamed three army groups. Army Group North became

Army Group Courland Army Group Courland (german: Heeresgruppe Kurland) was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland Peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Balt ...

;

Army Group Center Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army for ...

became Army Group North and Army Group A became

Commanders

Chiefs of Staff

References

{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II Army groups of the German Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945