Army Group F (german: Heeresgruppe F, italic=yes) was a strategic command formation of the Wehrmacht during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. The commander of Army Group F served also as the ''Oberbefehlshaber Südost'' ( OB South East). Created 12 August 1943, at

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital ...

(WK XIII), it was primarily stationed in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. Its commander from August 1943 was

Maximilian von Weichs Maximilian Maria Joseph Karl Gabriel Lamoral Reichsfreiherr von und zu Weichs an der Glon (12 November 1881 – 27 September 1954) was a field marshal in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into an aristocratic family, Weichs ...

promoted to ''Generalfeldmarschall'' on 1 February 1943, with Lieutenant General

Hermann Foertsch Hermann Foertsch (4 April 1895 – 27 December 1961) was a German general during World War II who held commands at the divisional, corps and army levels. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Foertsch was t ...

serving as the Chief of Staff. Its primary participation in combat was in defending against possible Allied invasion in what was seen as Germany's "weak underbelly", and fighting off local

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

groups that were gaining strength. In late 1944, it oversaw the German retreat from Greece and most of Yugoslavia in the wake of the Budapest Offensive. The Army Group included for much of the war the

2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 194 ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

and

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares l ...

, and the

Army Group E Army Group E (''Heeresgruppe E'') was a German Army Group active during World War II. Army Group E was created on 1 January 1943 from the 12th Army. Units from this Army Group were distributed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean area, includ ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Order of Battle November 1943

*2nd Panzer Army **Army Staff units ** III SS Panzer Corps, SS-Obergruppenführer

Felix Steiner Felix Martin Julius Steiner (23 May 1896 – 12 May 1966) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II, he served in the Waffen-SS, the combat branch of the SS, and commanded several SS divisions and corps. He was awarded t ...

** XV Mountain Corps, General of Infantry Ernst von Leyser ** XXI Mountain Corps, General of Panzer troops Gustav Fehn ** LXIX Corps, z.b.V. General of Infantry Helge Auleb ** V SS Mountain Corps, General Lieutenant

Artur Phleps Artur Gustav Martin Phleps (29 November 1881 – 21 September 1944) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian, Kingdom of Romania, Romanian and Nazi Germany, German army officer who held the rank of ''Obergruppenführer, SS-Obergruppenführ ...

**Army Group Staff units ** XXII Mountain Corps, General of Mountain troops

Hubert Lanz Karl Hubert Lanz (22 May 1896 – 15 August 1982) was a German general during the Second World War, in which he led units in the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front and in the Balkans. After the war, he was tried for war crimes and convic ...

** LXVIII Army Corps, General of Aviation Hellmuth Felmy **Troops of the commander of the

fortress Crete Fortress Crete (german: Festung Kreta) was the term used during World War II by the German occupation forces to refer to the garrison and fortification of Crete. The Greek island of Crete was seized by the Axis after a fierce battle at the en ...

**Bulgarian II (Aegean) Corps *Troops of the Militärbefehlshaber Südost General of Infantry Hans Felber

Order of Battle July 1944

The subordinate units of the Army Group were predominantly the less capable "fortress" and reserve divisions, collaborationist foreign volunteer units such as the "Cossacks" and 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division.p.200, Mitcham *2nd Panzer Army **Army Staff units ** XV Mountain Corps, General of Infantry Ernst von Leyser ** XXI Mountain Corps, General of Panzer troops Gustav Fehn ** LXIX Corps z.b.V., General of Infantry Helge Auleb ** V SS Mountain Corps, General Lieutenant Arthur Phleps *

**Army Group Staff units ** XXII Mountain Corps, General of Mountain troops

** LXVIII Army Corps, General of Aviation Hellmuth Felmy **Troops of the commander of the fortress Crete **Bulgarian II (Aegean) Corps *Troops of the Militärbefehlshaber Südost, General of Infantry Hans Felber For the defence of Serbia, the Commander of Army Group F assembled Army Group Serbia on 26 September 1944. Army Detachment Serbia ( ger, Armee-Abteilung Serbien) commanded by General Hans Felber. Army Group Serbia was disbanded on 27 October 1944. Army Group F was disbanded 25 March 1945.

Commanders

References

Sources

* Hogg, Ian V., ''German Order of Battle 1944: The regiments, formations and units of the German ground forces'', Arms and Armour Press, London, 1975 * Thomas, Nigel, (Author), Andrew, Stephen, (Illustrator), ''The German Army 1939-45 (4): Eastern Front 1943-45'' (Men-at-Arms 330), Osprey Publishing, 1998 * Mitcham, Samuel W., Jr., German Defeat in the East, 1944-45 (Stackpole Military History), 2007 *
Heeresgruppe F
- Lexikon des Wehrmacht
National archive Washington
documents: *
T311, Roll 187 - Heeresgruppe F 1943/1944.
*
T311, Roll 188 - Heeresgruppe F 1944.
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T311, Roll 189 - Heeresgruppe F 1944/1945.
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T311, Roll 190 - Heeresgruppe F 1944/1945.
*

*

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T311, Roll 196 - Heeresgruppe F 1944/1945.
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T311, Roll 285 - Heeresgruppe F 1943/1944.
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T311, Roll 286 - Heeresgruppe F 1944.
{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II F Modern history of the Balkans Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945

Order of Battle November 1943

Order of Battle July 1944

Commanders

See also

References

Sources