Army Group C (in German, ''Heeresgruppe C'' or ''HGr C'') was an

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 ...

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 ...

, that was formed twice 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 ...

History

Army Group C was formed from Army Group 2 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

on 26 August 1939. It initially commanded all troops on Germany's western front but after the

Polish campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

it was reduced to commanding the southern half of the western front, overseeing the frontal breakthrough through the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...

during June 1940. At the end of the

battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

it moved back to Germany then – under the cover name "Section Staff East Prussia" – moved to

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...

on 20 April 1941. On 21 June 1941 it was renamed

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comma ...

. It was re-formed on 26 November 1943, by being separated from the staff of Supreme Commander South (''OB Süd''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

) and put in command of the southwestern front and the Italian Campaign. As such, the commander of Heeresgruppe C served also as the Oberbefehlshaber (OB) Südwest. On 2 May 1945 Army Group C surrendered.

Commanders

;1st time: ;2nd time

Composition

* Army Group C Order of Battle from August, 1944.

Sources

Lexikon de Wehrmacht Heeresgruppe C

Axis History Heeresgruppe C
{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II C Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945