The 6th United States Army Group (also referred to as the Southern Group of Armies) was an Allied

army group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...

that fought in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

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 ...

. Made up of

field armies A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and fleets ...

from both the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

, it fought in France, Germany, Austria, and, briefly, Italy. It was established in July 1944 and commanded throughout its duration by General

Jacob L. Devers Jacob Loucks Devers (; 8 September 1887 – 15 October 1979) was a United States Army general who commanded the 6th Army Group in the European Theater of World War II. He was involved in the development and adoption of numerous weapons, i ...

. In a lead role in

Operation Undertone Operation Undertone, also known as the Saar-Palatinate Offensive, was a large assault by the Seventh United States Army, U.S. Seventh, United States Army Central, Third, and First Army (France), French First Armies of the Sixth United States Arm ...

, its Seventh Army fought its way across the Rhine into Germany, captured

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

and then

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Finally it crossed the

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass ( , shortly ; ) is a mountain pass over the Alps which forms the Austria-Italy border, border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Alps, major passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowes ...

and made contact with the

US Fifth Army The United States Army North (ARNORTH) is a formation of the United States Army. An Army Service Component Command (ASCC) subordinate to United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), ARNORTH is the joint force land component of NORTHCOM.

Vipiteno Sterzing (; ) is a comune in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is the main town of the southern Wipptal, and the Eisack River flows through the medieval town. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). H ...

, Italy.Fifth Army History • Race to the Alps, Chapter VI : Conclusio

"On 3 May the 85th and 88th nfantryDivisions sent task forces north over ice and snow 3 feet deep to seal the Austrian frontier and to gain contact with the American Seventh Army, driving southward from Germany. The 339th Infantry 5th Divisionreached Austrian soil east of Dobbiaco at 0415, 4 May; the Reconnaissance Troop, 349th Infantry 8th Division met troops from

03rd Infantry Division Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

VI Corps of Seventh Army at 1051 at Vipiteno, 9 miles south of Brenner."

History

The Sixth Army Group was originally created in

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

, France (specifically activated on 29 July 1944) as "Advanced Allied Force HQ", a special headquarters within AFHQ (the headquarters of

Henry Maitland Wilson Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, (5 September 1881 – 31 December 1964), also known as Jumbo Wilson, was a senior British Army officer of the 20th century. He saw active service in the Second Boer War and then during the ...

, the Supreme Commander Mediterranean Theatre) commanded by

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

. Its initial role was to supervise the planning of the combined

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and American forces which invaded southern France in

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

and provide liaison between these forces and AFHQ.Jackson, pp. 176 to 178 Dragoon was the operational responsibility of the

Seventh United States Army The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fra ...

commanded by Lt. Gen.

Alexander Patch Alexander McCarrell Patch (23 November 1889 – 21 November 1945) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer who fought in World war, both world wars, rising to rank of General (United States), general. During World War ...

. Available to Patch were three corps (US VI Corps and French I and II Corps) and 24,000 Maquis of the ''Forces Francaises de l'Interieur''. The two French corps constituted ''French Army B'' commanded by

Général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French ''général d'armée'' during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. ...

Jackson, p. 176 (footnote) which was later renamed

French First Army The First Army () was a field army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. It was also active during the Cold War. World War I On mobilization in August 1914, General Auguste Dubail was put in the charge of the First Army, ...

. Although Sixth Army Group Headquarters was officially activated on 1 August, it consisted of only the personnel of the Advanced Detachment AFHQ and, for reasons of security, retained the detachment title. The Advanced Detachment headquarters on Corsica had no command or operational duties and functioned primarily as a liaison and coordinating agency while preparing itself for the day it would become operational in France as Sixth Army Group headquarters. Devers' headquarters remained subordinate to AFHQ during the invasion and in the weeks immediately afterwards while operational control of the troops on the ground resided with Patch until his forces linked near

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

, France, with

Twelfth United States Army Group The Twelfth United States Army group, Army Group was the largest and most powerful United States Army formation ever to take to the field, commanding four Field army, field armies at its peak in 1945: First United States Army, United States Army C ...

's Third Army advancing from the west after breaking out of the Normandy beachhead. At this time, on 15 September, Devers' headquarters was designated Sixth Army Group to take operational control of Seventh Army and French Army B and came under the overall command of General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, the Supreme Commander at

SHAEF Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allies of World War II, Allied forces in northwest Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the ...

(Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces). In late 1944 and early 1945 the Sixth Army Group was involved in fierce fighting in the Alsace repelling the German advance during

Operation Nordwind Operation Northwind () was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. Northwind was launched to support the German Ardennes offensive campaign in the Battle of the Bulge, which by late December 1944 had decisively ...

and subsequent pitched engagements closing off the

Colmar Pocket The Colmar Pocket (; ) was the area held in central Alsace, France, by the German Nineteenth Army from November 1944 to February 1945, against the U.S. 6th Army Group (6th AG) during World War II. It was formed when 6th AG liberated southern a ...

. The 63rd Infantry Division was the first Seventh Army unit to cross the

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall (= western bulwark)'', was a German defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than from Kleve on the border with the ...

, and the first to get an entire division through it. The 3rd Infantry Division suffered the highest casualty count of all US divisions, with over 27,000 casualties. The Army Group later advanced through

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, and eventually into western

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

in the waning days of the war. Elements of Sixth Army Group linked up south of the

on 4 May 1945 with troops of the

Fifth United States Army Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth Avenue * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a cont ...

of the Allied 15th Army Group advancing north from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Germany surrendered on 9 May 1945. The Sixth Army Group effectively inactivated on 15 June 1945 when the US Seventh Army was selected, along with the Third Army, to form the occupation forces of Germany. It remained as an occupation and defensive force in southern Germany into the early 21st Century. It also occupied part of Austria until that country was released from occupation in the mid-1950s. The French First Army reverted to the control of the provisional French government shortly after the surrender of Germany. Devers relinquished command of the Sixth Army Group in late June 1945 when he was selected to take command of the

Army Ground Forces The Army Ground Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Service Forces. Throughout their existence, Army Ground Forces were the la ...

in lieu of General

Joseph Stilwell Joseph Warren "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell (19 March 1883 – 12 October 1946) was a United States Army general who served in the China Burma India theater during World War II. Stilwell was appointed as Chief of Staff for Chiang Kai-shek, the Chine ...

who was reassigned as commander of the

Tenth United States Army The Tenth United States Army was the last army level command established during the Pacific War during World War II, and included divisions from both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. History The headquarters of the Tenth Army was formed ...

following the death of General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. The Sixth Army Group was officially inactivated on 20 July 1945.

Order of battle – 8 May 1945

Order of battle shifted frequently in the Sixth Army Group, but accelerated dramatically during its late-war push through southern

into the

Austrian Alps The Central Eastern Alps (), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps () or just Central Alps, comprise the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slov ...

to head off German establishment of a

National Redoubt A national redoubt or national fortress is an area to which the (remnant) military forces of a nation can be withdrawn if the main battle has been lost or even earlier if defeat is considered inevitable. Typically, a region is chosen with a geogra ...

and close off passes to Nazi escape. Order of Battle on 8 May represents a significantly different disposition in some instances than in the weeks and even days leading up to it. * US 6th Army Group

6th Army Group – General

Seventh Army – Lieutenant General

Alexander M. Patch Alexander McCarrell Patch (23 November 1889 – 21 November 1945) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both world wars, rising to rank of general. During World War II, he commanded U.S. Army and Marine Corps forces during t ...

***

12th Armored Division – Major General Roderick R. Allen *** 45thIBCTSSI

45th Infantry Division – Major General Robert T. Frederick *** 63rd Infantry Division SSI

63rd Infantry Division 63rd Division may refer to: ; Infantry divisions : *63rd Infantry Division CireneItalian Army (Second World War) *63rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union) *63rd Guards Rifle Division (Soviet Union) *63rd Division (Spain) *63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division ...

– Major General

Louis E. Hibbs Major General Louis Emerson Hibbs (October 3, 1893 − April 28, 1970) was a United States Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II, where he commanded the 63rd Infantry Division. Military career Louis Emerson Hibbs was born ...

***

100th Infantry Division – Major General Withers A. Burress ***

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army dur ...

– Major General Edward H. Brooks **** 10th US Armored Division SSI

10th Armored Division – Major General William H. H. Morris, Jr. **** 44 INF DIV SSI

44th Infantry Division – Major General William F. Dean **** US 103rd Infantry Division

103rd Infantry Division – Major General

Anthony C. McAuliffe General Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe (2 July 1898 – 10 August 1975) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer who earned fame as the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne, Belgium, during ...

*** XV Corps – Major General

Wade H. Haislip General (United States), General Wade Hampton Haislip (9 July 1889 – 23 December 1971) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer who served in both World War I and World War II, where he led XV Corps (United States), XV ...

**** 3rd Infantry Division – Major General John W. O'Daniel **** 20th US Armored Division SSI

20th Armored Division – Major General

Orlando Ward Major General Orlando Ward (November 4, 1891 – February 4, 1972) was a career United States Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II. During the latter, as a major general, he commanded the 1st Armored Division during Oper ...

****

42nd Infantry Division – Major General Harry J. Collins **** 86 Inf Div SSI

86th Infantry Division – Major General Harris M. Melasky *** XXI Corps – Major General Frank W. Milburn **** French 2nd Armored Division – Major General

Philippe Leclerc Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947) was a Free-French general during World War II. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as or just Leclerc. ...

****

36th Infantry Division – Major General John E. Dahlquist **** US 101st Airborne Division patch

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...

– Major General

Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell Davenport Taylor (26 August 1901 – 19 April 1987) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer and diplomat during the Cold War. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Air ...

– General

*** French 1st Corps – Lieutenant General

Antoine Béthouart Marie Émile Antoine Béthouart (; 17 December 1889 – 17 October 1982) was a French Army general who served during World War I and World War II. Born in Dole, Jura, in the Jura Mountains, Béthouart graduated from Saint-Cyr military academ ...

**** French

2nd Moroccan Infantry Division The 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the Army of Africa () which participated in World War II. Created in Morocco following the liberation of French North Africa, the division fought in Italy, metropolitan France an ...

– Brigadier General

François de Linarès François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 16 ...

****

French

4th Moroccan Mountain Division The 4th Moroccan Mountain Division () was an infantry division of the Army of Africa () which participated in World War II. Created in Morocco following the liberation of French North Africa, the division fought in Corsica, Italy, metropolitan ...

– Major General Rene de Hasdin **** Insigne9emDIC

French

9th Colonial Infantry Division The 9th Colonial Infantry Division () was a French Army formation which fought in World War II. History A 9th Colonial Infantry Division was being formed in June 1940, but the formation wasn't finished when France surrendered after the Battle ...

– Brigadier General

Jean-Étienne Valluy Jean-Étienne is a French given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jean-Étienne Antoinette (born 1966), French Guianan politician * Jean-Étienne Championnet (1762–1800), French general * Jean-Étienne Despréaux (1748–1820), Fren ...

**** French 10th Infantry Division – Brigadier General

Pierre Billotte Pierre Armand Gaston Billotte (8 March 1906 – 29 June 1992) was a French Army officer and politician. He was the son of General Gaston Billotte, who commanded parts of the French Army at the start of World War II. Pierre Billotte was himself n ...

****

French 1st Armored Division – Brigadier General Aime Sudre *** French 2nd Corps – Lieutenant General

Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert Joseph Jean de Goislard de Monsabert (Libourne 30 September 1887 – Dax, 13 June 1981), was a French general who served during the Second World War. Monsabert graduated from Saint-Cyr military academy and was commissioned as a lieutenant in ...

****

French 1st Motorised Infantry Division – Brigadier General Pierre Garbay **** French 1st Infantry Division – Brigadier General Jean Callies **** French

3rd Algerian Infantry Division The 3rd Algerian Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the Army of Africa which participated in World War II. Following the liberation of French North Africa, the division fought in Tunisia, Italy, metropolitan France and in Germany. ...

– Major General

Augustin Guillaume Augustin Léon Guillaume (30 July 1895 – 9 March 1983) was a French general. He served in the French Army beginning in 1913, during World War I and World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 Septembe ...

**** French 14th Infantry Division – Brigadier General

Raoul Salan Raoul Albin Louis Salan (; 10 June 1899 – 3 July 1984) was a French Army general and the founder of the Organisation armée secrète, a clandestine terrorist organisation that sought to maintain French Algeria by preventing Algerian indepen ...

**** French 5th Armored Division – Brigadier General Guy Schlesser ** Detachment Army of the Alps – Lieutenant General

Paul Doyen Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...

*** French 27th Alpine Infantry Division – Colonel Jean Vallette d'Osia

Citations and notes

References

* * *

External links

Narrative History of the 6th Army Group, SHAEF, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
{{US Army navbox 06 Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945

History

Order of battle – 8 May 1945

See also

Citations and notes

References

Further reading

External links