Armee-Abteilung Falkenhausen / Armee-Abteilung A (Army Detachment A) 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 ...

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 served on the left (southern) wing of the Western Front throughout its existence.

History

''Armee-Abteilung'' Falkenhausen was set up in the southern part of the Western Front in Alsace-Lorraine on 17 September 1914 from the parts of 6th Army that remained in Lorraine after it marched north to participate in the

Race to the Sea The Race to the Sea (; , ) took place from about 1914 during the First World War, after the Battle of the Frontiers () and the German advance into France. The invasion had been stopped at the First Battle of the Marne and was followed by the ...

. The Staff of the dissolved ''Ersatz'' Corps under

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 ...

Ludwig von Falkenhausen Ludwig Alexander Friedrich August Philipp Freiherr von Falkenhausen (13 September 1844 – 4 May 1936) was a German officer most notable for his activities during World War I. Before World War I Falkenhausen was born in Guben. His parents were t ...

took command. It was established as ''Armee-Abteilung'' A on 15 April 1916. It was still in existence when the war ended, serving on the Western Front as part of ''

Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg The Army Group Duke Albrecht or Army Group D (german: Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht) was an Army Group of the German Army, which operated on the Western Front under command of Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, between 7 March 1917 and 11 November ...

''.

Order of Battle on formation

The following Orders of Battle illustrate the progression of the ''Armee-Abteilung'' during the war.

Order of Battle, 30 October 1918

By the end of the war, the majority of the units assigned were lower quality Reserve and ''Landwehr'' Divisions indicative of the relatively quiet sector that the ''Armee-Abteilung'' was operating in.

Commanders

''Armee-Abteilung'' A 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 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.

References

Bibliography

* * {{German Empire Armies, aaa=y A Military units and formations of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919