The 25th Army (German: ''25. Armee'') was a
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 ...
field army
A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...
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 ...
. It had the highest ordinal number of any of the numbered German armies.
History
The 25th Army was formed on 10 November 1944 in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, from the staffs of the Armed Forces Commander of the Netherlands and ''
Armeeabteilung Kleffel'' (previously known as "Narva Task Force"). The designation as "army" was a deception measure for most of the command's existence, as it did not command more than three divisions until April 1945, during the final days of its existence.
The 25th Army held the northernmost position of the Nazi German front line of the
Western Front for less than six months in late 1944 and early 1945, with its western flank anchored on the North Sea and its eastern flank adjoining the
1st Parachute Army. Defending the western Netherlands along the
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
(''Maas''), from the North Sea to
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
, its primary opponent was the
First Canadian Army.
![Johannes Blaskowitz surrenders in Holland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Johannes_Blaskowitz_surrenders_in_Holland.jpg)
Its first, and longest commander was ''
Wehrmachtbefehlshaber
The () was the German chief military position, in countries occupied by the Wehrmacht which were headed by a civilian administration. The main objective was military security in the area, and command the defense in case of attack or invasion. Th ...
''
Friedrich Christiansen
Friedrich Christiansen (12 December 1879 – 3 December 1972) was a German general who served as commander of the German ''Wehrmacht'' in the occupied Netherlands during World War II.
Christiansen was a World War I flying ace and the only seap ...
, Supreme Commander of ''
Reichskommissariat Niederlande
The ''Reichskommissariat Niederlande'' was the civilian occupation regime set up by Germany in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II. Its full title was the Reich Commissariat for the Occupied Dutch Territories (german: Reichskom ...
''. He was followed by ''
General der Infanterie General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to:
* General of the Infantry (Austria)
* General of the Infantry (Bulgaria)
* General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...
''
Günther Blumentritt
Günther Blumentritt (10 February 1892 – 12 October 1967) was an officer in World War I, who became a Staff Officer under the Weimar Republic and went on to serve as a general for Nazi Germany during World War II. He served throughout the war, ...
, then ''
General der Kavallerie General of the Cavalry (german: General der Kavallerie) was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers ...
''
Philipp Kleffel
__NOTOC__
Philipp Kleffel (9 December 1887 – 10 October 1964) was a German general during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
For 10 days, Kleffel served as th ...
. From November 1944 until April 1945, the 25th Army was subordinated to
Army Group H
Army Group H (''Heeresgruppe H''), Army Group Northwest (''Heeresgruppe Nordwest'') after March 1945, was a German army group in the Netherlands and in Nordrhein-Westfalen during World War II.
Army Group H (for Holland) was activated on 11 Nove ...
and subsequently was transferred to the Northwest High Command (''Oberbefehlshaber Nordwest'').
On 7 April 1945, the 25th Army was converted into the Netherlands High Command (Oberbefehlshaber Niederlande), under command of ''
Generaloberst
A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East Germany, East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. ...
''
Johannes Blaskowitz
Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz (10 July 1883 – 5 February 1948) was a German ''Generaloberst'' during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. After joining the Imperial German Army in 1 ...
, to defend Fortress Holland (''Festung Holland''), the area west of the
New Dutch Waterline.
Two days after the surrender of the Northwest High Command to the
British 21st Army Group
The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...
, ''Generaloberst'' Blaskowitz surrendered his command to
I Canadian Corps
I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War.
History
From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I C ...
'
Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...
Charles Foulkes at
Wageningen
Wageningen () is a municipality and a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a population of in , of which many t ...
on 5 May 1945 (documents typed and signed the next day, as no typewriter had been available), effectively ending the war in the Netherlands.
Axis history
/ref>
Commanders
References
Sources
* Stacey, C. P. (1960). ''The Victory Campaign'', The Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery, Ottawa.
* Tessin, Georg (1976). ''Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945'' (Volume IV), Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück. .
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Military units and formations established in 1944
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945