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

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 ...

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 o ...

(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 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 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 in

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 share ...

, and the Army Group E in

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 wi ...

Order of Battle November 1943

*2nd Panzer Army **Army Staff units **

III SS Panzer Corps The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (''III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps'') was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The ''(germanische)'' (lit. Germanic) part of its designation was grant ...

, SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner ** XV Mountain Corps, General of Infantry

Ernst von Leyser Ernst Ulrich Hans von Leyser () (18 November 1889 – 23 September 1962) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded several army corps. After the war, in 1947, Leyser was tried for war crimes committed in ...

** XXI Mountain Corps, General of Panzer troops

Gustav Fehn __NOTOC__ Gustav Fehn (21 February 1892 – 5 June 1945) was a German general during World War II. Fehn served in the Afrika Korps from November 1942 to January 1943, LXXVI Panzer Corps from July–August 1943, the XXI Army Corps from October 19 ...

** LXIX Corps, z.b.V. General of Infantry

Helge Auleb __NOTOC__ Helge Arthur Auleb (24 March 1887 – 14 March 1964) was a general in the '' Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was born in Gehren Gehren is a town and a former independent municipality in the Ilm-Kreis distric ...

V SS Mountain Corps __NOTOC__ V SS Mountain Corps was a Waffen-SS formation that existed in later periods of World War II. The Corps fought against Yugoslav Partisans in the Balkans as part of 2nd Panzer Army from October 1943 to December 1944. At this time it rarel ...

, General Lieutenant

Artur Phleps Artur Gustav Martin Phleps (29 November 1881 – 21 September 1944) was an Austro-Hungarian, Romanian and German army officer who held the rank of '' SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS'' (lieutenant general) in the Waffen-SS ...

* Army Group E **Army Group Staff units ** XXII Mountain Corps, General of Mountain troops Hubert Lanz ** LXVIII Army Corps, General of Aviation

Hellmuth Felmy Hellmuth Felmy (28 May 1885 – 14 December 1965) was a German general and war criminal during World War II, commanding forces in occupied Greece and Yugoslavia. A high-ranking Luftwaffe officer, Felmy was tried and convicted in the 1948 Hostag ...

**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

** XXI Mountain Corps, General of Panzer troops

** LXIX Corps z.b.V., General of Infantry

, General Lieutenant Arthur Phleps * Army Group E **Army Group Staff units ** XXII Mountain Corps, General of Mountain troops Hubert Lanz ** LXVIII Army Corps, General of Aviation

**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.
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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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*

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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