The LXXX Army Corps (german: LXXX. Armeekorps) was an
army corps 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 ...
.
Operational history
The LXXX Army Corps was created on 27 May 1942 in the
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
sector in the west of
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 ...
. Its staff was formed from the ''
Höheres Kommando z. b. V. XXXI'' and the corps was initially subordinate to the
1st Army First Army may refer to:
China
* New 1st Army, Republic of China
* First Field Army, a Communist Party of China unit in the Chinese Civil War
* 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China
Germany
* 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army ...
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 ...
.
The initial commander of the corps was
Curt Gallenkamp, who had already led the ''Höheres Kommando'' since 1940.
Initially, the corps consisted of four infantry divisions (
15th
15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 (number), 14 and preceding 16 (number), 16.
Mathematics
15 is:
* A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and .
* A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky ...
,
327th,
708th,
715th) and the
7th Panzer Division.
From its headquarters in Poitiers, the LXXX Army Corps defended a coastal sector of the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
around
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
. For example, the LXXX Army Corps commanded the
158th Infantry Division at
Fontenay-le-Comte
Fontenay-le-Comte (; Poitevin: ''Funtenaes'' or ''Fintenè'') is a commune and subprefecture in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region of Western France. In 2018, it had a population of 13,302, while its functional area had a popu ...
and the 708th Infantry Division at
Royan
Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; oc, Roian) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its inhabitants are known as ''Royannais'' and ''Royannaises''. Capi ...
on 24 April 1943.
The corps remained on defensive duty in France until the
Normandy landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
of 6 June 1944. When the Allied forces invaded France, the LXXX Army Corps consisted of the 158th and 708th Infantry Divisions.
The headquarters of the two divisions were, just like on 24 April 1943, still at Fontenay-le-Comte and Royan, respectively.
Gallenkamp was relieved of command on 7 August 1944.
Franz Beyer assumed command of the corps on 10 August 1944.
By 15 September 1944, the German forces in the west had been pushed back all the way to Germany. The LXXX Army Corps took a position north of the
Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
river, flanked by the
I SS Panzer Corps
The I SS Panzer Corps (german: I.SS-Panzerkorps) was a German armoured corps of the Waffen-SS. It saw action on both the Western and Eastern Fronts during World War II.
Formation and training
The corps was raised on 26 July 1943 in Berlin-L ...
to the north and the
LXXXII Army Corps to the south. This remained largely unchanged until mid December, as the Allied forces did not make significant progress in the
Ardennes
The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...
region between September and December 1944. The LXXX Army Corps was transferred from the 1st Army, under which it had served since its inception in May 1942, to the
7th Army in October 1944.
Starting on 16 December 1944, the German
Ardennes Offensive
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
began just north of the positions of the LXXX Army Corps. While the I SS Panzer Corps,
LXXXV Army Corps,
XLVII Panzer Corps
XLVII Panzer Corps (also: 47th Panzer Corps or XXXXVII. ''Panzerkorps'' or XXXXVII Panzer Corps) was a panzer corps of the German Army in World War II that was formerly designated as XLVII Corps. Various formations of the corps fought in the Frenc ...
,
LXVI Army Corps and
LVIII Panzer Corps
LVIII Panzer Corps was a panzer corps in the German Army during World War II.
This corps was established on 28 July 1943 as LVIII. Reserve-Panzerkorps in Wehrkreis V. On 6 July 1944, it was renamed LVIII Panzerkorps.
It was sent to Le Mans in F ...
all made significant territorial gains during the Battle of the Bulge, the LXXX Army Corps did not greatly shift its position, merely advancing from the
Sauer
The Sauer (German and Luxembourgish, , ) or Sûre ( French, ) is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the Moselle, its total length is .
Rising near Vaux-sur-Sûre in the Ardennes in southeastern Belgium, the Sauer f ...
to the
Alzette. It stood opposite to the
XII U.S. Corps. Most of the German gains further northwest were undone by the Allied counterattack by 17 January 1945, and the situation in the sector of the LXXX Army Corps had been largely unchanged.
In April 1945, as the German armed forces were disintegrating, the LXXX Army Corps was transferred a final time and became part of the
19th Army.
Organizational structure
Noteworthy individuals
*
Curt Gallenkamp, corps commander of LXXX Army Corps (27 March 1942 – 7 August 1944).
*
Franz Beyer, corps commander of LXXX Army Corps (10 August 1944 – 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 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945