LVI Panzer Corps was a

panzer corps A panzer corps () was an armoured corps type in Nazi Germany's ''Wehrmacht'' during World War II. The name was introduced in 1941, when the motorised corps (''Armeekorps (mot)'' or ''AK(mot)'') were renamed to panzer corps. Panzer corps were cre ...

in the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. This corps was activated in February 1941 as the LVI Army Corps (mot.), for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which commenced on 22 June 1941.

Erich von Manstein Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein (born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski; 24 November 1887 – 9 June 1973) was a Germans, German Officer (armed forces), military officer of Poles (people), Polish descent who served as a ''Generalfeld ...

led the corps in its advance from

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

to Demyansk, where, in September 1941, he was informed of his appointment as commander of the German Eleventh Army. On 1 March 1942, the Corps was renamed LVI Panzer Corps. In 1942, as part of

Army Group Center Army Group Centre () 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 during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the So ...

3rd Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army () 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 () was formed on 16 November 1940. It was a constituent part of Army Grou ...

, the LVI Panzer Corps was used to fight

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of Resistance during World War II, resistance movements that fought a Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war against Axis powers, Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Territories of Poland an ...

on the Eastern Front. The corps was active in the Spas-Demensk and Kirov area before withdrawing to Krichev and across the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

. In the spring of 1944, the LVI Panzer Corps fought at Zhlobin and Kalinkovichi in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. In May 1944, the LVI Panzer Corps was transferred to

Army Group North Ukraine The Army Group North Ukraine () 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 it consisted of 1st Panzer Arm ...

.Ziemke, E., F. Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East. Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D. C., 2002, p. 314. From 22 June to 19 August, during

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

, the Soviets destroyed

and swept the Germans from Belarus. The corps withdrew through the

Pripet Marshes __NOTOC__ The Pripet Marshes or Pripyat Marshes (), also known as Pinsk Marshes (), the Polesie Marshes, and the Rokitno Marshes, are a vast natural region of wetlands in Polesia, along the forested basin of the Pripyat River and its tributaries f ...

towards Brest-Litovsk. From 13 July to 29 July, as part of the 4th Panzer Army, the LVI Panzer Corps was involved in the unsuccessful German defense against the Soviet

Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive The Lvov–Sandomierz offensive or Lvov–Sandomierz strategic offensive operation () was a major Red Army operation to force the German troops from Ukraine and Eastern Poland. Launched in mid-July 1944, the operation was successfully completed ...

. The corps continued to withdraw through

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and into

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

as the Soviet advance continued. In 1945, the LVI Panzer Corps became part of

Army Group Vistula Army Group Vistula () was an Army Group of the ''Wehrmacht'', formed on 24 January 1945. It lasted for 105 days, having been put together from elements of Army Group A (shattered in the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive), Army Group Centre (similar ...

's 9th Army. From 16 April to 19 April, at the Battle of Seelow Heights, the corps suffered heavy losses along with the rest of the 9th Army. The remnants of the LVI Panzer Corps ended the war defending the south-eastern sector of the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

capital in the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

Commanders

* Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'')

– from February 1941 to 13 September 1941. * General of the Tank Troops (''General der Panzertruppe'') Ferdinand Schaal – from 13 September 1941 to 1 August 1943 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'')

Friedrich Hoßbach Friedrich Hossbach (22 November 1894 – 10 September 1980) was a German staff officer in the Wehrmacht who in 1937 was the military adjutant to Adolf Hitler. Hossbach created the document that later became known as the Hossbach Memorandum. ...

– from 1 August 1943 to 14 November 1943 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'') Anton Graßer – from 14 November 1943 to 9 December 1943 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'')

– from 9 December 1943 to 14 June 1944 * Infantry General (''General der Infanterie'') Johannes Block – from 15 June 1944 to 26 January 1945, killed in action * General of the Cavalry (''General der Kavallerie'') Rudolf Koch-Erpach – from 26 January 1945 to 10 April 1945 * General of the Artillery (''General der Artillerie'') Helmuth Weidling – from 10 April 1945 to 2 May 1945, briefly replaced by Major General of the Reserve (''Generalmajor der Reserve'') Werner Mummert from 25 April to 26 April

Area of operations

* Eastern Front, central sector – from March 1942 to July 1944 * Poland – from July 1944 to January 1945 * Eastern Germany and the city of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

– from January 1945 to May 1945

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lvi Panzer Corps (Germany) P056 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945