The XXIV Army Corps () was a unit of 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 ...

. The unit was re-designated several times; originally being ''Generalkommando der Grenztruppen Saarpfalz'', later ''Generalkommando XXIV. Armeekorps'', then ''XXIV. Armeekorps (mot.)'' and finally XXIV. Panzerkorps.

History

The ''Generalkommando der Grenztruppen Saarpfalz'' was created in October 1938 in

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...

in army sector XII under the command of

General der Pioniere (en: ''General of the engineers'') was a General of the branch rank of the German Army in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), equivalent to a US Lieutenant ...

Walter Kuntze as one of three such general commands. On August 26, 1939, the corps was mobilized and on September 17 of the same year renamed to 24th Army Corps. At the start of World War II it contained several regiments of border infantry in addition to the three Infantry-Divisions. The corps was assigned to the 1st Army of

Army Group C Army Group C () was an army group of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. In its first deployment between 1939 and 1941, its main assignment was the defense of the Franco-German border during the Phony War and the Western Campaign, after whi ...

from the beginning of the

Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...

until the end of the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

; and operated primarily defensively on the western border. In the final phase of the Battle of France, it participated in the breakthrough of the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (; ), named after the Minister of War (France), French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by French Third Republic, France in the 1930s to deter invas ...

. Afterwards it remained in France until November 1940, when it was transferred back to the homeland and converted into a motorized army corps.

1941

In May 1941, the corps was transferred to German-occupied Poland, where it was assigned to the

2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army () was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian () was formed on 5 June 1940 and named after its commander, general Heinz Gude ...

Army Group Centre Army Group Centre () 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 during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the So ...

under

Colonel General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who later became a successful memoirist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of ...

. Here it took part in the

encirclement Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The situation is highly dangerous for the encircled force. At the military strategy, strategic level, it cannot receive Milit ...

battles at Białystok–Minsk,

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and

Bryansk Bryansk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), Desna River, southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 379,152 at the 2021 census. Bryans ...

and afterwards in the advance on Tula. During the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

in the winter of 1941/42 it had to withdraw back to

1942

After being refreshed in May, it was assigned in June 1942 to the

4th Panzer Army The 4th Panzer Army (), operating as Panzer Group 4 () from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, was a German panzer formation during World War II. As a key armoured component of the Wehrmacht, the army took part in the crucial ...

Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...

in order to take part in the German summer offensive

Case Blue Case Blue (German: ''Fall Blau'') was the ''Wehrmacht'' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942, during World War II. The objective was to capture the oil fields of Baku ( Azerb ...

. In July its name was changed to ''XXIV. Panzerkorps''. In August, during the advance on

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

and the

Battle of Kalach The Battle of Kalach took place between the German 6th Army (Wehrmacht), Sixth Army and elements of the Soviet Stalingrad Front between July 25 and August 11, 1942. The Soviets deployed the 62nd Army (Soviet Union), 62nd and 7th Guards Arm ...

, the corps was temporarily assigned to the 6. Army, until the general command was transferred in order to reinforce the Hungarian 2nd Army around the central

Don River The Don () is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its basin is betwee ...

in September. With that, divisions with relatively little combat experience were assigned to it. On October 3 Commanding General Willibald von Langermann und Erlencamp was killed by artillery fire during a trip to the front near Storoschewoje.

1943

In January 1943, during the Soviet Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh Offensive, a pincer move as part of

Operation Little Saturn Operation Little Saturn () was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942. The success of Operation Uranus, lau ...

, the corps was effectively destroyed. The headquarters was overrun near Schilin, the staff driven off and the Commanding General,

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

Martin Wandel, being killed. Generalleutnant Arno Jahr, who temporarily assumed leadership of the corps, killed himself on 20 January near Podgornoje. On the following day his successor, Karl Eibl, was killed in a friendly-fire accident with Italian troops, being mistaken for the enemy in the fog. In February the remaining troops of the corps were gathered in the area of

Starobilsk Starobilsk (; ) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Starobilsk Raion. The modern settlement was founded in 1686, and it was granted city status in 1938. The city has a population of As a result of the ...

and assigned to ''Armeeabteilung Lanz''. On 9 February,

General der Panzertruppe ''General der Panzertruppe'' () was a General of the branch rank of the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a lieutenant general, above major general (''Generalleutnant''), commanding a ...

Walther Nehring, who had fought in the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

, took over leadership of the corps. It was then rebuilt through May '43 with the addition of fresh units. During

Operation Citadel Operation Citadel () was the German offensive operation in July 1943 against Soviet forces in the Kursk salient, proposed by Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein during the Second World War on the Eastern Front that initiated the Battle of ...

in July 1943, the corps acted as the reserve for Army Group South under

Erich von Manstein Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein (born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski; 24 November 1887 – 9 June 1973) was a Germans, German Officer (armed forces), military officer of Poles (people), Polish descent who served as a ''Generalfeld ...

. However, it was not put into action here but instead was transferred south to defend against the Soviet Donbass Offensive. Directly afterwards it was deployed to defend against the Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Operation. There followed some defensive battles along the

Mius River The Mius (; ) is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Миус

in conjunction with the 4th Panzer Army, and the retreat to the Dnieper as well as battles around

1944

Before the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive in January 1944, the corps had to withdraw to the

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

area, after which it was transferred to the

1st Panzer Army The 1st Panzer Army () 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 Group Kleist (''Panzergruppe ...

in Luzk, together with whom it had to fight out of the

Kamenets-Podolsky pocket Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

in March. After that it fought in Galicia and Zakarpattia and around the bridgehead

Baranów Sandomierski Baranów Sandomierski is a small town in southern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodship, Tarnobrzeg County on the Vistula River, with 1,420 inhabitants as of December 2021. Baranów lies near the Vistula river, along ...

1945

In the winter of 1944–45 the corps was re-formed into a ''Panzerkorps neuer Art'' per a Führer-directive of September 13, 1944. In January 1945 the corps had to withdraw ahead of the Vistula–Oder Offensive to Glogau on the river

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

.Niall Barr/russell Hart: Panzerkrieg, Kaiser Verlag 2000, p. 165 f At the end of the war, the corps was assigned to the 1. Panzer Army near

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

in Czechoslovakia.

Commanding generals

Walter Kuntze – 1 October 1938 until 14 February 1940 * General der Kavallerie/General der Panzertruppe

Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg Leo Dietrich Franz Reichsfreiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (2 March 1886 – 27 January 1974) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II, noted for his pioneering stance and expertise in the field of armoured warfare. He commanded th ...

– 14 February 1940 until 7 January 1942 *

Willibald von Langermann und Erlencamp – 7 January until 3 October 1942 (KIA) * General der Panzertruppe Otto von Knobelsdorff – 3 October until 30 November 1942 *

Martin Wandel – 30 November 1942 until 14. January 1943 (MIA) * Generalleutnant Arno Jahr – 14 January until 20 January 1943 (m.st.F.b.; Suicide) * Generalleutnant Karl Eibl – 20 January until 21 January 1943 (KIA) *

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

Otto Heidkämper – 21 January until 9 February 1943 (m.st.F.b.) * General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring – 9 February 1943 until 27 June 1944 * Generalleutnant Fritz-Hubert Gräser – 27 June until 5 August 1944 * Generalleutnant Karl von Le Suire – 5 August until 20 August 1944 (died as POW) * Generalleutnant Maximilian von Edelsheim – 20 August until 22 September 1944 (acting) * General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring – 15 October 1944 until 19 March 1945 * Generalleutnant Hans Källner – 19 March until 1 April 1945 *

General der Artillerie (English language, en: General of the artillery) may mean: A rank of three-star rank, three-star General of the branch, general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussian A ...

Walter Hartmann __NOTOC__ Walter Hartmann (23 July 1891 – 11 March 1977) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. During the evacuation of C ...

– 1 April 1945 until war's end

Order of battle

Corps troops (selection)

* Arko 143/424 * Corps-Messenger-Department 424 * Corps-Replenishment 311/424

Assigned units

Literature

References

{{German Army Corps of the Wehrmacht Army,23