Eleventh SS Panzer Army

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The 11th SS Panzer Army (''SS-Panzer-Armeeoberkommando 11'') was little more than a paper army formed in February 1945 by Heinrich Himmler while he was commander of Army Group Vistula. (The army was officially listed as the 11th Army but it was also known as ''SS Panzer-Armeeoberkommando 11''Tessin p.194 and is often referred to in English sources as the 11th SS Panzer Army.)

Military historian Antony Beevor writes that when the 11th SS Panzer Army was created the available units at best could constitute a corps, but 'panzer army', observed Hans-Georg Eismann, 'has a better ring to it'. It also allowed Himmler to promote SS officers to senior staff and field commands within the formation. ''Obergruppenführer'' Felix Steiner was named its commander.

After taking part in Operation Solstice east of the Oder River in February 1945, the army was assigned to OB West and reorganized in March 1945. Many of the units formerly subordinated to the 11th SS Panzer Army were transferred to the 3rd Panzer Army and other units were assigned to the 11th Army for operations against the Western Allies.

In early April, the 11th Army was assigned to strike west from Kassel to break the ring encircling the Ruhr pocket. After launching a few small hopeless and unsuccessful attacks against the American 3rd Army, the 11th Army retreated to the Harz Mountains

After defending the Weser River and the Harz Mountains, the 11th surrendered to the Western Allies on 21 April.

Orders of battle

February 1945

By 5 February the 11th SS Panzer Army, subordinated to Army Group Vistula, had the following units assigned to it:

* Tettau Corps Group:
** Köslin
** Bärwalde
* X SS Corps
** 5th Jäger-Division
** Division Nr 402
* Munzel Corps Group:
** Führer Grenadier Division
** Führer Escort Division
* III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps:
** 281st Infantry Division
** 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division ''Nederland''
** Division Voigt
** 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division ''Nordland''
** 27th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division ''Langemarck''
* XXXIX Panzer Corps
** 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division
** 10th SS Panzer Division ''Frundsberg''
** 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division ''Wallonien''
** Panzer Division Holstein
* HQ, ''Wehrkreis'' II as corps-level field command (stellv. II):
** Swinemünde Defensive Region
**Division Deneke
** 9th Parachute Division
*Direct army command
** 163rd Infantry Division

March 1945

By 1 March the 11th SS Panzer Army, subordinated to Army Group Vistula, had no units assigned to it.

April 1945

By 12 April the 11th SS Panzer Army was directly subordinated to OB West and had the following units assigned to it.

* LXVII Army Corps:
** ''Kampfgruppe Fellner''
** Division Ettner
** Division Heidenreich
** Division Grosskreuz
* Stellv. IX:
** 26th Volksgrenadier Division
** 326th Volksgrenadier Division
* LXVI Army Corps:
** 277th Volksgrenadier Division
** SS Brigade Westfalen
** 9th Panzer Division
** 116th Panzer Division

See also

* 11th Army, the official German Army name for the army. The 11th Army also existed before this last reincarnation as an army that fought on the Eastern Front earlier in the war.
* Army Detachment Steiner fought in the Battle of Berlin, and because Steiner commanded that paper army it can easily be confused with the 11th SS Panzer Army.

References

* Tessin, Georg. ''Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939 - 1945'' Volume 3
* Beevor, Antony. ''Berlin: The Downfall 1945'', Penguin Books, 2002,

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:11th SS Panzer Army
Military units and formations of the Waffen-SS
Field armies of Germany in World War II
Military units and formations established in 1944
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945