The LXXXI Army Corps (german: LXXXI. Armeekorps) 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 corps was established 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 ...
in 1942 and remained active until 1945.
History
The LXXXI Army Corps was established in occupied France on 28 May 1942 from the renamed ''Höheres Kommando z. b. V. XXXII''.
In turn, the Higher Command XXXII, not to be confused with the
XXXII Army Corps, had been established on 15 October 1939 from the Grenzschutz-Abschnittkommando 2.
The initial commander of the LXXXI Army Corps was
Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen
__NOTOC__
General Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen (26 July 1889 – 10 July 1964) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LXXXI Army-Corps under Erwin Rommel in Normandy in 1944.
He saw service in World War I, and ...
.
The LXXXI Army Corps, initially headquartered at
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
, was originally subordinate to the
15th 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 ...
between June 1942 and July 1944. It was then moved to the
5th Panzer Army
5th Panzer Army (german: 5. Panzerarmee) was the name of two different German armoured formations during World War II. The first of these was formed in 1942, during the North African campaign and surrendered to the Allies at Tunis in 1943. The a ...
in August 1944, to the
7th Army between September and October 1944, and to the 5th Panzer Army between November and December 1944. It was moved back to the 15th Army in early 1945.
On 5 March 1945, ''Gauleiter'' of
Cologne-Aachen Josef Grohé
Josef Grohé (6 November 1902 – 27 December 1987) was a German Nazi Party official. He was the long-serving ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Cologne-Aachen and ''Reichskommissar'' for Belgium and Northern France toward the end of the Second World Wa ...
demanded from LXXXI Army Corps commander
Friedrich Köchling
__NOTOC__
Friedrich Köchling (22 June 1893 – 6 June 1970) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who held commands at the division and corps levels. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron ...
to defend the city of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
at all costs; Köchling refused.
LXXXI Army Corps surrendered in the
Ruhr Pocket.
Structure
Noteworthy individuals
*
Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen
__NOTOC__
General Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen (26 July 1889 – 10 July 1964) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LXXXI Army-Corps under Erwin Rommel in Normandy in 1944.
He saw service in World War I, and ...
, corps commander of LXXXI Army Corps (1 April 1942 – 7 September 1944).
*
Friedrich-August Schack
Friedrich August Schack (27 March 1892 – 24 July 1968) was a German general during World War II. He is best known for his pyrrhic defense of Caen after the allied invasion, September 1944, and for his brief leadership of the LXXXI Army Corps d ...
, corps commander of LXXXI Army Corps (7 September 1944 – 20 September 1944).
*
Friedrich Köchling
__NOTOC__
Friedrich Köchling (22 June 1893 – 6 June 1970) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who held commands at the division and corps levels. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron ...
, corps commander of LXXXI Army Corps (20 September 1944 – 10 March 1945).
*
Ernst-Günther Baade
Ernst-Günther Baade (20 August 1897 – 8 May 1945) 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. Baade was wounded in action and died from his i ...
, corps commander of LXXXI Army Corps (10 March 1945 – May 1945).
*
Otto Zeltmann, chief of the general staff of LXXXI Army Corps.
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