The LXXXXVII Army Corps () was an
army corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
in the
German army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
History
The LXXXXVII (97th) Army Corps was created in Italy on 28 September 1944 by renaming the troops of the
Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral
The Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral (, OZAK; or colloquially: ''Operationszone Adria''; ; ; ) was a Nazi German district on the northern Adriatic coast created during World War II in 1943. It was formed out of territories that were pre ...
.
The Corps' operational area extended from the
Tagliamento River
The Tagliamento (; ; ) is a braided river in north-east Italy, flowing from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea at a point between Trieste and Venice.
The Tagliamento river is considered as the last morphologically intact river in the Alps. (I ...
to
Susak
Susak is a small island on the northern Adriatic coast of Croatia. The name ''Sansego'' comes from the Greek word ''Sansegus'' meaning oregano which grows in abundance on the island. A small percentage of natives still reside on the island whi ...
and
Rijeka
Rijeka (;
Fiume ( fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
. The task of the Corps was to secure the northeastern Adriatic coast against an Allied invasion and to fight against partisans. The forces of the Corps were mainly concentrated in
Gorizia
Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...
(General Command),
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
,
Postojna
Postojna (; , ) is a town in the traditional region of Inner Carniola, from Trieste, in southwestern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Postojna. and
Rijeka (Fiume). In the area of the corps, the coast was fortified with artillery and a line of defense along the
Ćićarija
Ćićarija (; ; ; ) is a mountainous plateau in the northern and northeastern part of the Istria peninsula, long and wide. It mostly lies in Croatia, while its northern part lies in southwestern Slovenia (the traditional region of Inner Carniol ...
plateau between Trieste and Rijeka was formed.
Until April 1945, the corps limited itself to fighting the guerrilla groups active in its section.
At the beginning of April 1945, the strong Yugoslav
4th Partisan Army
The 4th Army of the Yugoslav Partisans was a Partisan army that operated in Yugoslavia during the last months of the Second World War.
The Army was created on 1 March 1945, when Chief Commander Marshal Josip Broz Tito converted the underground ...
advanced swiftly along the Dalmatian coast, heading towards Rijeka, and Trieste. In order to counteract this advance, the newly formed
188th Mountain Division
German Division Nr. 188 was raised in late 1939. It consisted of the 136th, 138th and 139th Mountain Replacement Regiments and the 112th Artillery Replacement Regiment, plus supporting units. It began the war on border guard duty in the mountainou ...
was moved to the area in question. By April 25, 1945, strong Partisan units had advanced to the outskirts of Rijeka. After heavy fighting, the Corps surrendered to the Yugoslav Army in early May.
Commanders
* General der Gebirgstruppe
Ludwig Kübler
Ludwig Kübler (2 September 1889 – 18 August 1947) was a German '' General der Gebirgstruppe'' (Lieutenant General) who commanded the 1st Mountain Division, XXXXIX Mountain Corps, 4th Army and the Operational Zone of the Adriatic Li ...
, (28 September 1944 – 8 May 1945) (POW and executed on 18 August 1947).
Area of operations
* Italy : September 1944 - April 1945
*
Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...
, April - May 1945
See also
*
List of German corps in World War II
List of German corps in World War II
This is a list of German Army corps that existed during World War II.
Army (Heer)
Infantry corps
I–IX
* I Army Corps
* II Army Corps
* III Army Corps
* IV Army Corps
* V Army Corps
* VI Army Corps
* ...
Source
*
{{German Army Corps of the Wehrmacht
Army,97
Military units and formations established in 1944
1944 establishments in Italy
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
1945 disestablishments in Yugoslavia