The 3rd Army (german: 3. Armee) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

field army that fought 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 War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Combat Chronicle

The 3rd Army was activated on September 1, 1939, the day German forces invaded

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It was put under the command of

General der Artillerie General der Artillerie ( en: General of the artillery) may mean: 1. A rank of three-star general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württembe ...

Georg von Küchler. Küchler later became commander of Army Group North in 1942 and also later became Generalfeldmarschall. At the start of the

Polish Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

the 3rd Army was part of Generaloberst Feodor von Bock's Army Group North, together with Generaloberst Günther von Kluge's 4th Army. The 4th Army was to capture the Polish Corridor and enter

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...

, thus re-linking the two areas. The Third Army was to split into two and attack ''from''

. One part of the 3rd Army was to advance southwards into Modlin, cross near the confluence of the Vistula and Bug rivers and take part in the attack on

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

. The other part of the 3rd Army was to attack near Narew, attack along the Bug River, and make a drive into Brest-Litovsk. When the attack on Poland was launched, a part of the 3rd Army moved toward the Polish Corridor and met with Kluge's 4th Army. Both the 3rd and 4th Armies implemented their plans well, and the Polish Campaign ended in victorious triumph for the German Army. The

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

had attacked Poland from the east with a million men and advanced westwards to meet with the German troops, despite casualties that numbered more than expected. In Brest-Litovsk, a joint German and

Soviet 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, ...

victory parade was held. On November 5, 1939, only about five weeks following the end of the Polish Campaign, the Third Army was disbanded. The Third Army became one of the first German armies of World War II to be disbanded. The staff was moved to Bad Bertrich as 16th Army for use in the west. Immediately after the Third Army was disbanded Küchler became commander of the newly formed 18th Army and led it during the Western Campaign of 1940. He stayed in that position until 1942, when he became commander of Army Group North to lead the Siege on Leningrad. That year he became generalfeldmarschall but was replaced in 1944 following the

breakthrough against Army Group North.

Commanders

References

* Barnett, Correlli. ''Hitler's Generals''. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1989. {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II 03 Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939