The XXII Motorised Corps (''XXII. Armeekorps (motorisiert)'') was a German army corps 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 ...
.''
History
The XXII. Armeekorps (motorisiert) was created on 26 August 1939 in Wehrkreis X (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen).
The Corps participated the next month in the
Invasion of Poland
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 af ...
, during which it broke through the southern wing of the Polish Army.
In May 1940, the High Command of the XXII Corps also received command over the
XIV (
von Wietersheim),
XXXXI (
Reinhardt) and
XIX Army Corps
The XIX Army Corps ( German: ''XIX. Armeekorps'') was an armored corps of the German Wehrmacht between 1 July 1939 and 16 November 1940, when the unit was renamed Panzer Group 2 (German: ''Panzergruppe 2'') and later 2nd Panzer Army (German: ''2 ...
(
Guderian), and renamed as Panzergruppe von Kleist, was engaged in the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...
under command of
Ewald von Kleist. It played a crucial role in the German victory, when it overwhelmed the French defenses at Sedan, and advanced west reaching the sea at Abbeville.
In June 1940, during
Fall Rot, the second phase in the Battle of France, Panzergruppe von Kleist was in control of the
XIV (
von Wietersheim) and
XVI Panzer Corps
The XVI Army Corps (16th Corps) was a corps in the German Army during World War II.
The XVI (motorized) Corps (german: Generalkommando XVI. (mot.) Armeekorps) was activated as a headquarters for motorized units in February 1938 in Berlin. The X ...
(
Hoepner), and advanced as far as the Spanish border.
In July 1940, the Corps was again renamed ''Generalkommando XXII. Armeekorps (motorisiert)''.
On 16 November 1940 the XXII Corps was converted into
Panzergruppe 1
The 1st Panzer Army (german: 1. Panzerarmee) was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation of the Wehrmacht during World War II.
When originally formed on 1 March 1940, the predecessor of the 1st Panzer Army was named Panzer Gro ...
, still under command of Von Kleist.
Commanders
* Generaloberst
Ewald von Kleist
* Chief of Staff : Colonel
Kurt Zeitzler
Kurt Zeitzler (9 June 1895 – 25 September 1963) was a Chief of the Army General Staff in the '' Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II.
Zeitzler was almost exclusively a staff officer, serving as chief of staff in a corps, army, and ...
Area of operations
*
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 ...
- September 1939 to October 1939
*
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
- June 1940 to July 1940
Sources
XXII. Armeekorps on Lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:XXII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)
Army,22
Military units and formations established in 1939
Military units and formations disestablished in 1940