The Army of the Niemen (german: Njemen-Armee) 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 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 **Ge ...

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 ...

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 ...

''Armee-Abteilung'' Lauenstein

The German offensive in Courland was intended to be a diversion while the main effort was made further south by the German 11th Army and Austro-Hungarian 4th Army in the

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive The Gorlice–Tarnów offensive during World War I was initially conceived as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the Central Powers' chief offensiv ...

. Armee-Abteilung Lauenstein (Army Detachment Lauenstein) was formed by upgrading XXXIX Reserve Corps of 10th Army on 22 April 1915. It was named for its commander,

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

Otto von Lauenstein Ernst August Anton Hermann Otto von Lauenstein (1 February 1857 – 3 October 1916) was a Prussian Generalleutnant who served during World War I. He was chief of staff of the 2nd Army and later commanded the XXXIX Reserve Corps. Life Lauenst ...

, who retained simultaneous command of XXXIX Reserve Corps. It was directly under the command of OB East. Due to its success, it was continuously reinforced until it was raised to the status of an

as the Army of the Niemen. Generalleutnant von Lauenstein remained as commander of XXXIX Reserve Corps.

Army of the Niemen

The Army of the Niemen was formed on 26 May 1915 to control the troops in Courland. The former commander of the 8th Army,

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 ...

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 ...

, along with his chief of staff, Generalmajor von Böckmann, assumed command. In the meantime, the 8th Army got a deputy commander,

General der Artillerie General der Artillerie ( en: General of the artillery) may mean: 1. A rank of three-star general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württembe ...

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 ...

, who was simultaneously commander of XX Corps. 8th Army was dissolved on 29 September 1915. On 30 December 1915 the Army of the Niemen was renamed as the 8th Army with von Below still in command.

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 N Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1915 de:8. Armee (Deutsches Kaiserreich) hr:Armija Njemen pl:8 Armia (Cesarstwo Niemieckie) ru:8-я армия (Германская империя)

''Armee-Abteilung'' Lauenstein

Army of the Niemen

Glossary

See also

References

Bibliography