The 5th Army (german: 5. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 5 / A.O.K. 5) 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 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 on mobilization in August 1914 seemingly from the
VII Army Inspection. The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.
History
In August 1914 the command of 5th Army was assigned to
Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, heir to the
Hohenzollern throne, with General
Schmidt von Knobelsdorf serving as his chief of staff, and would remain thus until late 1916. The opening hostilities on the
Western Front saw the Crown Prince's 5th Army, along with the neighboring 4th Army (commanded by
Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg
Albrecht, Duke and Crown Prince of Württemberg (Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph; 23 December 1865 – 31 October 1939) was the last Württemberger crown prince, a German military commander of the First World War, and the head of the House ...
), acting at the center of the
Schlieffen plan
The Schlieffen Plan (german: Schlieffen-Plan, ) is a name given after the First World War to German war plans, due to the influence of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen and his thinking on an invasion of France and Belgium, which began on ...
attack into Belgium and France. On 21 August 1914, in what became known as the
Battle of the Ardennes
The Battle of the Ardennes took place during the First World War fought on the frontiers of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from 21 to 23 August 1914. The German armies defeated the French and forced their retreat. The battle was part of ...
, 4th and 5th Armies advanced into the
Ardennes to counter a thrust by the French 3rd and 4th Armies. Over the next two days 5th Army played a major part in halting the opposing French forces. By 23 August, after taking heavy losses and being outmaneuvered strategically, the two French armies were driven into retreat. Following the German 5th Army's victory in the
Battle of the Ardennes
The Battle of the Ardennes took place during the First World War fought on the frontiers of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from 21 to 23 August 1914. The German armies defeated the French and forced their retreat. The battle was part of ...
it moved to
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
, where it would remain until 1918. In February 1916 the Crown Prince's 5th Army would launch
Operation Gericht, the German offensive that began the
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
, one of the bloodiest and longest battles in history. Late in 1916, after suffering terrible losses in its efforts at
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
, General
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 Cath ...
assumed control of 5th Army. Before the close of the war 5th Army fought in several noteworthy actions, including the
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...
, in September 1918, when it was defeated by the
American Expeditionary Force under
John J. Pershing. The Fifth Army continued to oppose the AEF's
Meuse-Argonne Offensive until the Armistice of 11 November 1918. At the end of the war it was serving as part of ''
Heeresgruppe Gallwitz''.
Order of Battle, 30 October 1918
By the end of the war, the 5th Army was organised as:
Commanders
The 5th Army had the following commanders during its existence:
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 in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.
See also
*
5th Army (Wehrmacht) 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 opposing ...
*
German Army order of battle (1914)
*
German Army order of battle, Western Front (1918)
This is the German Army order of battle on the Western Front at the close of the war.
The overall commander of the Imperial German Army was Kaiser Wilhelm II, but real power resided with The Chief of the General Staff, Generalfeldmarschall Paul vo ...
*
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan (german: Schlieffen-Plan, ) is a name given after the First World War to German war plans, due to the influence of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen and his thinking on an invasion of France and Belgium, which began on ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
{{German Empire Armies, 5th=y
05
Military units and formations established in 1914
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919