The Army Group Mackensen (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Heeresgruppe Mackensen'') which operated in Serbia between 18 September 1915 and 11 October 1916 during

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 ...

under the command of

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Mackensen, was an

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 ...

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 was renamed on 11 October 1916 to Army Group Below and on 23 April 1917 to Army Group Scholtz, according to its new commander.

1915–1916

This Army Group was established in September 1915 to invade Serbia. The invasion began on 7 October 1915 and by the end of January 1916, the whole of Serbia, Montenegro and the largest part of Albania were in the hands of the Central powers. After that, the front stabilized on the Greek - Macedonian Border.

Composition October 1915

* Eleventh Army (

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 ...

) * First Army (

Kliment Boyadzhiev Kliment Boyadzhiev ( bg, Климент Бояджиев; 15 April 1861 – 15 July 1933) was a Bulgarian general during the Balkan Wars and First World War. Biography Born in Ohrid, he studied in an elementary school there. After the liberatio ...

) * Third Army (

Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza Hermann Albin Josef Freiherr Kövess von Kövessháza ( hu, kövessházi báró Kövess Hermann; 30 March 1854 – 22 September 1924) was the final, and completely ceremonial, Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Army. He served as a gener ...

) The Bulgarian Second Army under ( Georgi Todorov), also participated in the invasion, but remained under the direct control of the Bulgarian high command.

1916–1918

On 30 July 1916, Field Marshal Mackensen left for the

Romanian Front The Romanian Front ( ro, Frontul Românesc, FR) was a moderate fascist party created in Romania in 1935. Led by former Prime Minister Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, it originated as a right-wing splinter group from the mainstream National Peasants' Part ...

and the Army Group was temporarily commanded by the Bulgarian High Command. On 11 October 1916,

Otto von Below Otto Ernst Vinzent Leo von Below (18 January 1857 – 15 March 1944) served as a Prussian general officer in the Imperial German Army during the First World War (1914–1918). He arguably became most notable for his command, along with the Aust ...

became the new commander and the Army Group was renamed Army Group Below (

: ''Heeresgruppe Below'').
On 23 April 1917, von Below was replaced by

Friedrich von Scholtz Boje Friedrich Nikolaus von Scholtz (born 24 March 1851 in Flensburg – died 30 April 1927 in Ballenstedt) was a German general, who served as commander of 20th Corps and the 8th Army of the German Empire on the Eastern Front in the First World ...

, and the Army Group was again renamed Army Group Scholtz (

: ''Heeresgruppe Scholtz'').

Composition 1916 - 1918

* German Eleventh Army (

Arnold von Winckler Arnold von Winckler (Neisse, 17 February 1856 – Bad Freienwalde, 24 July 1945) was a Prussian military officer, and a general in World War I. He was the son of Lieutenant General Ewald Fedor von Winckler (1813–1895) and joined the Prussian a ...

, succeeded by

Kuno von Steuben Kuno Arndt von Steuben (Eisenach, 9 April 1855 – Berlin, 14 January 1935) was a Prussian military officer, and a general in the First World War. Life He was born in a noble family, of which Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794) is best k ...

) * Bulgarian First Army (

, succeeded by

Dimitar Geshov Geshov Dimitar Ivanov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Гешов) ( Svishtov, September 14, 1860 – Sofia, January 8, 1922) was a Bulgarian officer. During the First World War, he commanded in 1916–1918 the Bulgarian First Army on the Saloni ...

)

Sources

*
Die Deutschen Heeresgruppen im Ersten Weltkrieg
{{no footnotes, date=December 2015 Mackensen Military units and formations of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1916 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918