Army Group F (german: Heeresgruppe F, italic=yes) was a strategic command formation of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

. The commander of Army Group F served also as the ''Oberbefehlshaber Südost'' ( OB South East). Created 12 August 1943, at

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

(WK XIII), it was primarily stationed in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. Its commander from August 1943 was

Maximilian von Weichs Maximilian Maria Joseph Karl Gabriel Lamoral Reichsfreiherr von und zu Weichs an der Glon (12 November 1881 – 27 September 1954) was a field marshal in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into an aristocratic family, Weichs ...

promoted to ''Generalfeldmarschall'' on 1 February 1943, with Lieutenant General

Hermann Foertsch Hermann Foertsch (4 April 1895 – 27 December 1961) was a German general during World War II who held commands at the divisional, corps and army levels. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Foertsch was tr ...

serving as the Chief of Staff. Its primary participation in combat was in defending against possible Allied invasion in what was seen as Germany's "weak underbelly", and fighting off local partisan groups that were gaining strength. In late 1944, it oversaw the German retreat from Greece and most of Yugoslavia in the wake of the Budapest Offensive. The Army Group included for much of the war the

2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 1940 ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

and

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, and the

Army Group E Army Group E (''Heeresgruppe E'') was a German Army Group active during World War II. Army Group E was created on 1 January 1943 from the 12th Army. Units from this Army Group were distributed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean area, includin ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Order of Battle November 1943

*2nd Panzer Army **Army Staff units **

III SS Panzer Corps The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (''III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps'') was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The ''(germanische)'' (lit. Germanic) part of its designation was granted ...

, SS-Obergruppenführer

Felix Steiner Felix Martin Julius Steiner (23 May 1896 – 12 May 1966) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II, he served in the Waffen-SS, the combat branch of the SS, and commanded several SS divisions and corps. He was awarded t ...

** XV Mountain Corps, General of Infantry

Ernst von Leyser Ernst Ulrich Hans von Leyser () (18 November 1889 – 23 September 1962) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded several army corps. After the war, in 1947, Leyser was tried for war crimes committed in ...

** XXI Mountain Corps, General of Panzer troops

Gustav Fehn __NOTOC__ Gustav Fehn (21 February 1892 – 5 June 1945) was a German general during World War II. Fehn served in the Afrika Korps from November 1942 to January 1943, LXXVI Panzer Corps from July–August 1943, the XXI Army Corps from October 194 ...

** LXIX Corps, z.b.V. General of Infantry

Helge Auleb __NOTOC__ Helge Arthur Auleb (24 March 1887 – 14 March 1964) was a general in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was born in Gehren. Auleb commanded the 6th Infantry Division as part of VI Army Corps during Operat ...

V SS Mountain Corps __NOTOC__ V SS Mountain Corps was a Waffen-SS formation that existed in later periods of World War II. The Corps fought against Yugoslav Partisans in the Balkans as part of 2nd Panzer Army from October 1943 to December 1944. At this time it rarely ...

, General Lieutenant Artur Phleps *

**Army Group Staff units ** XXII Mountain Corps, General of Mountain troops

Hubert Lanz Karl Hubert Lanz (22 May 1896 – 15 August 1982) was a German general during the Second World War, in which he led units in the Eastern Front and in the Balkans. After the war, he was tried for war crimes and convicted in the Southeast Case, sp ...

** LXVIII Army Corps, General of Aviation

Hellmuth Felmy Hellmuth Felmy (28 May 1885 – 14 December 1965) was a German general and war criminal during World War II, commanding forces in occupied Greece and Yugoslavia. A high-ranking Luftwaffe officer, Felmy was tried and convicted in the 1948 Hostag ...

**Troops of the commander of the

fortress Crete Fortress Crete (german: Festung Kreta) was the term used during World War II by the German occupation forces to refer to the garrison and fortification of Crete. The Greek island of Crete was seized by the Axis after a fierce battle at the en ...

**Bulgarian II (Aegean) Corps *Troops of the

Militärbefehlshaber Südost The Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia (german: Gebiet des Militärbefehlshabers in Serbien; sr, Подручје Војног заповедника у Србији, Područje vojnog zapovednika u Srbiji) was the area of the Kin ...

General of Infantry

Hans Felber __NOTOC__ Hans-Gustav Felber (July 8, 1889 – March 8, 1962) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Biography From 15 October 1939 Felber was the chief of staff of the 2nd Army, becoming chief of staff of the Army ...

Order of Battle July 1944

The subordinate units of the Army Group were predominantly the less capable "fortress" and reserve divisions, collaborationist foreign volunteer units such as the "Cossacks" and 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division.p.200, Mitcham *2nd Panzer Army **Army Staff units ** XV Mountain Corps, General of Infantry

** XXI Mountain Corps, General of Panzer troops

** LXIX Corps z.b.V., General of Infantry

, General Lieutenant Arthur Phleps *

**Army Group Staff units ** XXII Mountain Corps, General of Mountain troops

** LXVIII Army Corps, General of Aviation

**Troops of the commander of the fortress Crete **Bulgarian II (Aegean) Corps *Troops of the

, General of Infantry

For the defence of Serbia, the Commander of Army Group F assembled Army Group Serbia on 26 September 1944. Army Detachment Serbia ( ger, Armee-Abteilung Serbien) commanded by General

. Army Group Serbia was disbanded on 27 October 1944. Army Group F was disbanded 25 March 1945.

Commanders

References

Sources

* Hogg, Ian V., ''German Order of Battle 1944: The regiments, formations and units of the German ground forces'', Arms and Armour Press, London, 1975 * Thomas, Nigel, (Author), Andrew, Stephen, (Illustrator), ''The German Army 1939-45 (4): Eastern Front 1943-45'' (Men-at-Arms 330), Osprey Publishing, 1998 * Mitcham, Samuel W., Jr., German Defeat in the East, 1944-45 (Stackpole Military History), 2007 *
Heeresgruppe F
- Lexikon des Wehrmacht
National archive Washington
documents: *
T311, Roll 187 - Heeresgruppe F 1943/1944.
*
T311, Roll 188 - Heeresgruppe F 1944.
*
T311, Roll 189 - Heeresgruppe F 1944/1945.
*
T311, Roll 190 - Heeresgruppe F 1944/1945.
*

*

*
T311, Roll 196 - Heeresgruppe F 1944/1945.
*
T311, Roll 285 - Heeresgruppe F 1943/1944.
*
T311, Roll 286 - Heeresgruppe F 1944.
{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II F Modern history of the Balkans Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945

Order of Battle November 1943

Order of Battle July 1944

Commanders

See also

References

Sources