5th Panzer Army (Wehrmacht)

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The 5th Panzer Army / Panzer Army High Command 5 (PzAOK 5) was a major unit of the Army of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War . She was the high command of changing army corps and numerous special troops.

history

Tunisia

"Run for Tunis", "Company courier" Winter 1942/1943

The 5th Panzer Army was first established in Tunisia on December 8, 1942 through the reorganization of the LXXXX. Army corps set up. Several German and Italian divisions from France and Italy were relocated to Tunisia, where they were combined under the command of General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim after the Allies landed in Algeria and Morocco as part of Operation Torch . Their six divisions never reached their nominal strength. Raymond Cartier put the strength of the 5th Panzer Army in Tunisia at 78,000 German and 27,000 Italian soldiers. It was initially subordinate to the Commander in Chief South, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring , and from February 1943 to the newly formed Army Group Africa under GFM Erwin Rommel . Your first task was to secure the two large ports in northern Tunisia, Bizerta and Tunis , in the so-called " Run for Tunis " against the British 1st Army advancing from Algeria . The corresponding German code name was entitled "Company Eilbote".

Captured Tiger tank in Tunisia

This operation was successfully carried out and the two large port cities were secured. Thus, the armored army of Africa , which was retreating to the south of Tunisia, could continue to be supplied with supplies or, for the time being, the possibility remained open for them to retreat to the European continent. Although Hitler assured Arnim reinforcements to take offensive action against the 1st Army, these did not take place. Since the 1st Army in turn held back some of its troops in western Algeria and Morocco to face a possible intervention of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in favor of the Axis powers to be prepared, the fighting remained in northern Tunisia to April 1943 in the trench warfare . After participating in the Tunisian campaign , the army surrendered to the Allies on May 13, 1943 near Bizerta . The Allied troops had previously succeeded in gaining air and sea supremacy in front of Tunisia and thus encircling Army Group Africa in the so-called "Tunis Kessel" . The 5th Panzer Army was officially disbanded on June 30, 1943.

Normandy

Falaise Cauldron, August 1944

To protect the coastline of the Atlantic Wall , Panzergruppe West was set up in northern France on January 24, 1944 from the staff of General of the Armored Troops West, General of the Armored Troops Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg . She was under the OKW - Reserve First the OB West , Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt , then directly to the High Command of the Wehrmacht , so Hitler. After the Allies landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944 (→ Operation Neptune ), Panzer Group West fought under the command of Army Group B in the Battle of Caen . On June 10, the headquarters of the Panzer Group in La Caine was switched off by a targeted British air strike, killing at least 18 staff officers. Until the staff was reorganized, the commanding general of the I. SS Panzer Corps Josef Dietrich took over the command of the front section. On August 5, 1944, the name was changed to 5th Panzer Army, followed by retreats from the Falaise pocket . In September, he was temporarily placed under Army Group G and fought against the 3rd US Army in the Lorraine region . After another restructuring, the 5th Panzer Army was again part of Army Group B.

Battle of the Bulge

Course of the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944

In the offensive in the Bulge , which began in mid-December 1944, it fought in the central section of the front and was to advance as far as Antwerp . They besieged Bastogne from December 20 to about 27 (see Siege of Bastogne ). Around the turn of the year it was clear that this plan - also in view of serious supply problems - was unrealizable. In February 1945 General Field Marshal von Rundstedt undertook extensive regroupings because Hitler had forbidden him to retreat and he had to face the Allied Operation Grenade in February 1945 .

In April 1945 the army was trapped in the Ruhr basin together with the other parts of Army Group B and capitulated on April 17, 1945.

Commander in chief

5th Panzer Army, 1st deployment
Panzer Group West
5th Panzer Army, 2nd deployment

structure

Army troops

1. Setup
  • Panzer Army News Regiment 5th
2. Setup

Subordinate major associations

1. Setup

As of April 9, 1943:

  • General Goering's division
  • Heavy Panzer Division 504
  • Heavy Panzer Division 501
  • 50 Italian brigade "Imperiali"
  • 47th Panzer Grenadier Regiment
  • 334th Infantry Division
  • Italian Superga division
  • Infantry Division "von Manteuffel"
  • 20th Flak Division
  • 999th Africa Light Division
  • "Phalange africaine"
Panzer Group West
2. Setup
  • August 15, 1944: II. SS Panzer Corps, I. SS Panzer Corps, LXVII. Army Corps, LXXIV. Army Corps, LXXXVI. Army Corps
  • September 28, 1944: XXXXVII. Panzer Corps, LVIII. Panzer Corps
  • November 5, 1944: LXXXI. Army Corps, LXXXVI. Army Corps, XII. SS Army Corps
  • December 31, 1944: LVIII. Panzer Corps, XXXIX. Panzer Corps , XXXXVII. Panzer Corps, I. SS Panzer Corps
  • February 19, 1945: LXVI. Army Corps, LXVII. Army Corps, LXXIV. Army Corps

literature

  • Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945. Volume 2. The Land Forces 1–5 . 2nd Edition. Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1973, ISBN 3-7648-0871-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cartier, Raymond. The Second World War (2), Rommel's last battles in Africa. Cologne 1967, pages 709-719.
  2. ↑ Berthold Seewald: "Panzer Controversy" wears down the Wehrmacht . June 20, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  3. ↑ Chapter VIII - Operation Grenade

Web links