LVI Panzer Corps was a

panzer corps A panzer corps (german: Panzerkorps) was an armoured corps type in Nazi Germany's ''Wehrmacht'' during World War II. The name was introduced in 1941, when the motorised corps (''Armeekorps (mot)'' or ''AK(mot)'') were renamed to panzer corps. Pan ...

in the German Army 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 ...

. This corps was activated in February 1941 as the LVI Army Corps (mot.), for the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...

, which commenced on 22 June 1941.

Erich von Manstein Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein (born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski; 24 November 1887 – 9 June 1973) was a German Field Marshal of the ''Wehrmacht'' during the Second World War, who was subsequently convicted of war crimes and ...

led the corps in its advance from East Prussia to

Demyansk Demyansk (russian: Демя́нск) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Yavon River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Demyanskoye Urban Se ...

, where, in September 1941, he was informed of his appointment as commander of the German Eleventh Army. On 1 March 1942, the Corps was renamed LVI Panzer Corps. In 1942, as part of

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 ...

3rd Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 November ...

, the LVI Panzer Corps was used to fight

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...

on the Eastern Front. The corps was active in the

Spas-Demensk Spas-Demensk (russian: Спас-Де́менскА. М. Прохоров. "Большой энциклопедический словарь". Москва, 1997, p. 1135.) is a town and the administrative center of Spas-Demensky District in ...

and Kirov area before withdrawing to Krichev and across the

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...

. In the Spring of 1944, the LVI Panzer Corps fought at

Zhlobin Zhlobin ( be, Жло́бін; russian: Жло́бин, pl, Żłobin, lt, Žlobinas) is a city in the Zhlobin District of Gomel Region, Belarus, located on the Dnieper river. As of 2017, the population was 76,078. The city is notable for being ...

and

Kalinkovichi Kalinkavičy ( be, Калі́нкавічы, russian: Калинковичи, pl, Kalinkowicze) is a town in the Gomel Region of south-eastern Belarus. Kalinkavičy is located beside the Netech' River, opposite the town of Mazyr, and is the sit ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

. In May 1944, the LVI Panzer Corps was transferred to

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 ...

.Ziemke, E., F. Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East. Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D. C., 2002, p. 314. From June 22 to August 19, during

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...

, the Soviets destroyed

and swept the Germans from Belarus. The corps withdrew through the

Pripet Marshes __NOTOC__ The Pinsk Marshes ( be, Пінскія балоты, ''Pinskiya baloty''), also known as the Pripet Marshes ( be, Прыпяцкія балоты, ''Prypiackija baloty''), the Polesie Marshes, and the Rokitno Marshes, are a vast natural ...

towards Brest-Litovsk. From 13 July to 29 July, as part of the

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 LVI Panzer Corps was involved in the unsuccessful German defense against the Soviet Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive. The corps continued to withdraw through

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 ...

and into

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as the Soviet advance continued. In 1945, the LVI Panzer Corps became part of Army Group Vistula's 9th Army. From 16 April to 19 April, at the

Battle of Seelow Heights The Battle of the Seelow Heights (german: Schlacht um die Seelower Höhen) was part of the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation (16 April–2 May 1945). A pitched battle, it was one of the last assaults on large entrenched defensive positions ...

, the corps suffered heavy losses along with the rest of the 9th Army. The remnants of the LVI Panzer Corps ended the war defending the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

capital in the Battle of Berlin.

Commanders

* Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'')

- From February 1941 to 13 September 1941. * General of the Tank Troops (''General der Panzertruppe'')

Ferdinand Schaal Ferdinand Friedrich Schaal (7 February 1889 – 9 October 1962) was a German general during World War II. He commanded the 10th Panzer Division in the 1939 Invasion of Poland and directed the successful Siege of Calais in 1940. Schaal was i ...

- From 13 September 1941 to 1 August 1943 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'') Friedrich Hoßbach - From 1 August 1943 to 14 November 1943 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'') Anton Graßer - From 14 November 1943 to 9 December 1943 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'') Friedrich Hoßbach - From 9 December 1943 to 14 June 1944 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'')

Johannes Block __NOTOC__ Johannes Block (17 November 1894 – 26 January 1945) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held commands at division and corps level. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Bl ...

- From 15 June 1944 to 26 January 1945, killed in action * General of the Cavalry (''General der Kavallerie'')

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 ...

- From 26 January 1945 to 10 April 1945 * General of the Artillery (''General der Artillerie'')

Helmuth Weidling Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling (2 November 1891 – 17 November 1955) was a German general during World War II. He was the last commander of the Berlin Defence Area during the Battle of Berlin, and led the defence of the city against Soviet forc ...

- From 10 April 1945 to 2 May 1945 - Briefly replaced by Major General of the Reserve (''Generalmajor der Reserve'')

Werner Mummert Werner Mummert (31 March 1897 – 28 January 1950) was a general in the German Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded Panzer Division ''Müncheberg''. A veteran of World War I, he was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cros ...

from 25 April to 26 April

Area of operations

* Eastern Front, central sector - From March 1942 to July 1944 * Poland - From July 1944 to January 1945 * Eastern Germany and the city of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

- From January 1945 to May 1945

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lvi Panzer Corps (Germany) P056 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945