The LIX Army Corps (german: LIX. Armeekorps), initially known as the Higher Command for Special Deployment LIX (german: Höheres Kommando z. b. V. LIX) was an

army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

of the German

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

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 opposin ...

. The formation was active between 1940 and 1945.

History

1940

The ''Höheres Kommando z. b. V. LIX'' was formed on 10 October 1940 in

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

. It was part of the 1st Army (

Johannes Blaskowitz Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz (10 July 1883 – 5 February 1948) was a German ''Generaloberst'' during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. After joining the Imperial German Army in 1 ...

) under

Army Group D Army Group D (''Heeresgruppe D'') was a German Army Group which saw action during World War II. Army Group D was formed on 26 October 1940 in France, its initial cadre coming from the disbanded Army Group C. On 15 April 1941, the status of Army ...

(

Erwin von Witzleben Job Wilhelm Georg Erdmann Erwin von Witzleben (4 December 1881 – 8 August 1944) was a German field marshal in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. A leading conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he was designated ...

) between November 1940 and February 1941. The command served as part of the 7th Army (

Friedrich Dollmann Friedrich Karl Albert Dollmann (2 February 188228 June 1944Reynolds, M: ''Steel Inferno'', p. 163. Dell Publishing, 1997.D'Este, C: ''Decision in Normandy'', pp. 241–242. Penguin Books, 2004.) was a German general during World War II who comma ...

), still under Army Group D, between March 1941 and January 1942. The initial commander of the ''Höheres Kommando'' was Maximilian Schwandner. The corps was on occupation duty in

occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

for the three months of 1940 during which it existed.

1941

Throughout the year 1941, the LIX Army Corps continued to serve as an occupation force in France. The command came under the leadership of

Kurt von der Chevallerie __NOTOC__ Kurt von der Chevallerie (23 December 1891 – missing as of 18 April 1945) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the German 1st Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak ...

on 28 December 1941.

1942

The ''Höheres Kommando'' was renamed ''LIX. Armeekorps'' on 20 January 1942, and transferred to the Eastern Front. The corps joined the

Velikiye Luki Velikiye Luki ( rus, Вели́кие Лу́ки, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪjə ˈlukʲɪ; lit. ''great meanders''. Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-П ...

and

Velizh Velizh (russian: Ве́лиж) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Velizhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the Daugava River, Western Dvina, from Smolensk, the adminis ...

sectors. The corps was moved to the

3rd Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 November ...

(

Georg-Hans Reinhardt Georg-Hans Reinhardt (1 March 1887 – 23 November 1963) was a German general and war criminal during World War II. He commanded the 3rd Panzer Army from 1941 to 1944, and Army Group Centre in 1944 and 1945, reaching the rank of colonel genera ...

) under

Army Group Centre Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army fo ...

(

Günther von Kluge Günther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge (30 October 1882 – 19 August 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II who held commands on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He commanded the 4th Army of the Wehrmacht during the invasion o ...

) in February 1942, where it stayed until April. Between May 1942 and January 1943, the LIX Army Corps served directly under Army Group Centre. The corps was briefly under the command of

Carl Hilpert __NOTOC__ Carl Hilpert (12 September 1888 – 1 February 1947) was a German general during World War II. Biography When World War II broke out in September 1939, Hilpert became chief of the staff of ''Armeeabteilung A'' on 9 September 1939 unde ...

between 22 June and 25 July, before Chevallerie returned to the command post of LIX Army Corps for a second term. Hilpert, after his tenure as acting commander of LIX Army Corps, would go on to command XXIII Army Corps and LIV Army Corps. The LIX Army Corps was known as ''Gruppe v. d. Chevallerie'' between November 1942 and January 1943. In late November 1942, the Soviet 3rd Shock Army advanced towards and encircled Velikiye Luki and cut the LIX Army Corps into several parts during the

Battle for Velikiye Luki The Battle of Velikiye Luki, also named Velikiye Luki offensive operation (russian: Великолукская наступательная операция), started with the attack by the forces of the Red Army's Kalinin Front against the We ...

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

initially intended for the encircled city to be held and recaptured, but a counterattack by German forces failed by mid December.

1943

Velikiye Luki was captured by Soviet forces by 16 January 1943. Between 17 January and 15 March 1943, the LIX Army Corps was under command of

Erich Brandenberger __NOTOC__ Erich Brandenberger (15 July 1892 – 21 June 1955) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Biography In World War I Br ...

, before Chevallerie returned to the command post for a third and final term. Between February and September 1943, the LIX Army Corps was once again part of 3rd Panzer Army. It was then moved to the

4th Panzer Army The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World War ...

under

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group Sou ...

, where it remained between October 1943 and February 1944. During the defensive battles of late 1943, the LIX Army Corps stood at the southern end of Army Group Centre (just north of Army Group South) and had to give way when the Soviet 13th Army and

60th Army The Red Army's 60th Army was a Soviet field army during the Second World War. It was first formed in reserve in the Moscow Military District in October 1941, but soon was disbanded. It was formed a second time in July 1942, and continued in servic ...

broke through over

Chernobyl Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about no ...

Korosten Korosten ( uk, Ко́ростень, ; historically also ''Iskorosten'' ) is a historic city and a large transport hub in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh River. Korosten serves as the administrative ce ...

and

Ovruch Ovruch ( uk, Овруч, pl, Owrucz, yi, , russian: О́вруч) is a city in Korosten Raion, in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it was the administrative center of the former Ovruch Raion (district). It has ...

. The other corps that fought alongside LIX Army Corps as part of Hoth's 4th Panzer Army were the VII Army Corps and the

XIII Army Corps XIII Army Corps (German: ''XIII. Armeekorps'') was a corps of the German Army during World War II. Made up of several divisions, which varied from time to time, it was formed in Nuremberg on 1 October 1937. Soon after the general mobilisation of ...

. As VII Army Corps was forced back after Soviet victory at the

Second Battle of Kiev The Second Battle of Kiev was a part of a much wider Soviet offensive in Ukraine known as the Battle of the Dnieper involving three strategic operations by the Soviet Red Army and one operational counterattack by the Wehrmacht, which took plac ...

on 13 November, LIX Army Corps was unable to stop the Soviet 60th Army from recapturing Korosten on 17 November. North of Korosten, a gap subsequently opened between the 4th Panzer Army and Army Group Centre, as the 2nd Army had retreated following the evacuation of Chernobyl. The German forces attempted a counterattack to retake Kiev under the leadership of the

XXXXVIII Panzer Corps XXXXVIII Panzer Corps (also: XXXXVIII Army Corp or XXXXVIII. Armeekorps), was a corps-level formation of the German Army which saw extensive action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. History The corps was originally f ...

(

Hermann Balck Georg Otto Hermann Balck (7 December 1893 – 29 November 1982) was a highly decorated officer of the German Army who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of General der Panzertruppe. Early career Balck was born in ...

). While the Germans were unable to retake the city itself due to the autumn mud, the front sector was temporarily stabilized. On 27 November, the LIX Army Corps led a successful attack on Korosten, the city which it had given up to the 60th Army ten days earlier.

1944

Starting in the end of January 1944, the 4th Panzer Army undertook a fighting retreat westwards through northern Ukraine. The gap that had opened between the 4th Panzer Army and Army Group Centre in November 1943 had now grown to over a hundred kilometers, a situation exacerbated by extensive partisan activity in the

Pinsk Marshes __NOTOC__ The Pinsk Marshes ( be, Пінскія балоты, ''Pinskiya baloty''), also known as the Pripet Marshes ( be, Прыпяцкія балоты, ''Prypiackija baloty''), the Polesie Marshes, and the Rokitno Marshes, are a vast natural ...

. On 9 March 1944, some 18 Soviet Rifle Divisions, as well as 5 Armored/Mechanized Corps and a Cavalry Corps stood opposite to the 4th Panzer Army. Between 8 February and 22 March 1944, the LIX Army Corps was under the command of

Friedrich Schulz __NOTOC__ Friedrich Schulz (15 October 1897 – 30 November 1976) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. Awards * 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class ...

. After his tenure as acting commander of LIX Army Corps, Schulz would assume command of the

XXXXVI Panzer Corps XXXXVI Panzer Corps (46th) was a tank corps of the German Army during World War II that participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia. The Corps was created as the XXXXVI Army Corps and converted to a Panzer Corps on 21 June 1942. The Panzer Corps ...

on 22 March 1944. The LIX Army Corps was moved to the

1st Panzer Army The 1st Panzer Army (german: 1. Panzerarmee) was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation of the Wehrmacht during World War II. When originally formed on 1 March 1940, the predecessor of the 1st Panzer Army was named Panzer Group ...

in March 1944, where it remained until July 1944. The 1st Panzer Army was part of Army Group South until March and was subsequently moved to

Army Group North Ukraine The Army Group North Ukraine (german: Heeresgruppe Nordukraine) was a major formation of the German army in World War II. History It was created on 5 April 1944 by renaming Army Group South under Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model. In April 1944 i ...

in April. The LIX Army Corps, under command of

Edgar Röhricht __NOTOC__ Edgar Röhricht (16 June 1892 – 11 February 1967) was a German general during World War II who commanded the LIX. corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Röhricht was surrendered to the Allied troops in 194 ...

between 22 March and 2 June, stayed under Army Group North Ukraine when it was moved from the 1st Panzer Army to the 17th Army in August 1944. The 17th Army, commanded by former LIX Army Corps commander Friedrich Schulz, was inserted by Army Group North Ukraine commander

Josef Harpe Josef Harpe (21 September 1887 – 14 March 1968) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 9th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. Harpe served on the ...

on 23 July between the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies in a desperate attempt to prevent the army group's collapse. Between 2 June and 10 June, the corps was briefly commanded by

Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller __NOTOC__ Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (29 August 1897 – 20 May 1947) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He led an infantry regiment in the early stages of the war and by 1943 was commander of the 22nd Air Landin ...

, before Röhricht returned to his post. On 15 July 1944, the LIX Army Corps consisted of the 1st and 208th Infantry Divisions and the 20th Hungarian Division. The LIX Army Corps stayed with the 17th Army until January 1945.

1945

Röhricht left his post, this time for good, on 29 January 1945. While

Georg Ritter von Hengl Georg Ritter von Hengl (21 October 1897 – 19 March 1952) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the XIX Mountain Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. During World War I, ...

was initially supposed to replace him,

Joachim von Tresckow __NOTOC__ Joachim von Tresckow (20 June 1894 – 3 November 1958) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross o ...

assumed command starting on 7 February 1945. He held that command until 10 April 1945, when he was replaced by

Ernst Sieler __NOTOC__ Ernst Sieler (22 August 1893 – 6 October 1983) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the LIX. Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Sieler surrender ...

. This would be the last transfer of command, as Sieler remained in office until

German surrender The German Instrument of Surrender (german: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht, lit=Unconditional Capitulation of the "Wehrmacht"; russian: Акт о капитуляции Германии, Akt o kapitulyatsii Germanii, lit=Act of capit ...

on 8 May 1945. In February 1945, the LIX Army Corps was moved a final time to the 1st Panzer Army and once again returned to the Army Group Centre.

Structure

Noteworthy individuals

* Maximilian Schwandner, first corps commander between 16 October 1940 and 28 December 1941. *

, second, fourth and sixth corps commander between 28 December 1941 and 22 June 1942, between 25 July 1942 and 17 January 1943 and between 15 March 1943 and 4 February 1944. *

, third (acting) corps commander between 22 June 1942 and 25 July 1942. *

, fifth corps commander between 17 January 1943 and 15 March 1943. *

, seventh (acting) corps commander between 8 February 1944 and 22 March 1944. *

, eighth and tenth corps commander between 22 March 1944 and 2 June 1944 and between 10 June 1944 and 29 January 1945. *

, ninth corps commander between 2 June 1944 and 10 June 1944. *

, eleventh corps commander between 29 January 1945 and 7 February 1945. *

, twelfth corps commander between 7 February 1945 and 10 April 1945. *

, thirteenth and final corps commander between 10 April and 8 May 1945.

References

{{Subject bar, portal1=Military of Germany, portal2=World War II Corps of Germany in World War II Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945