The 11th Army (german: 11. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 11 / A.O.K. 11) was an
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
level command of the
German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. It was formed in March 1915 in
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
originally to serve on the
Western Front but was transported to
Galicia for service on the
Eastern Front. The army was dissolved on 8 September 1915, but reformed on 23 September 1915 for the
Serbian Campaign
The Serbian campaign was a series of military expeditions launched in 1914 and 1915 by the Central Powers against the Kingdom of Serbia during the First World War.
The first campaign began after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July ...
. It was finally dissolved on 7 January 1919.
History
The 11th Army was formed in early 1915. It briefly fought on the Western Front during the
Battle of Ypres
The Battle of Ypres was a series of engagements during the First World War, near the Belgian city of Ypres, between the German and the Allied armies (Belgian, French, British Expeditionary Force and Canadian Expeditionary Force). During the five ...
, holding the line against the Allied attack. On 22 April, it was transferred and placed with the Austrian 4th Army under Mackensen's command, behind the Gorlice–Tarnow gap, south of the
Vistula River
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
. In July 1915, the 11th Army advanced into Russian territory in a general German offensive. The 11th Army was dissolved on 8 September 1915.
On 23 September 1915 a new 11th Army was created for the
Serbian Campaign
The Serbian campaign was a series of military expeditions launched in 1914 and 1915 by the Central Powers against the Kingdom of Serbia during the First World War.
The first campaign began after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July ...
under command of
Max von Gallwitz
Max Karl Wilhelm von Gallwitz (2 May 1852 – 18 April 1937) was a German general from Breslau (Wrocław), Silesia, who served with distinction during World War I on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.
Biography
Gallwitz grew up in a Cathol ...
. It was composed of the
III Corps, the
IV Reserve Corps and the
X Reserve Corps.
After the retreat of Serbian army, the 11th Army remained on the
Salonika front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...
in support of the Bulgarian Army. During its time on the front the army gradually became more and more composed of Bulgarian divisions. By the time of the
Vardar Offensive in September 1918, The 11th German Army consisted almost fully of Bulgarian soldiers commanded by German officers.
The headquarters of the Army was situated in
Veles on 31 January 1916, moved to
Prilep
Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.
Name
The name of Prilep appear ...
on 5 October 1916 until the retreat to Hungary in September 1918.
Commanders
11th Army had the following commanders until absorbed by ''Heeresgruppe'' Mackensen on 8 September 1915:
The "new" 11th Army had the following commanders:
Glossary
*''Armee-Abteilung'' or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.
*''Armee-Gruppe'' or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
*''Heeresgruppe'' or
Army Group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several 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 organization handled by ...
in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.
See also
*
11th Army (Wehrmacht)
The 11th Army (german: 11. Armee) was a World War II field army.
History
The 11th Army was established on 5 October 1940 as "Kommandostab Leipzig", but changed its designation to Kommandostab München on 23 April 1941. It was restructured int ...
for the equivalent formation in
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
References
Bibliography
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{{German Empire Armies, 11th=y
11
Military units and formations established in 1915
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919