Army Group Courland

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Army Group Courland

active January 25 to May 8, 1945
Country German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire
Armed forces Wehrmacht
Armed forces army
Type Army Group
Subordinate troops

16th Army
18th Army

commander
Last commander Carl Hilpert
Chief of the General Staff Friedrich Foertsch
Ultimatum of Marshal of the Soviet Union Govorov of May 7, 1945
Postage stamp, Courland 1945

The Army Group Courland was a major unit of the Army of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War . She was high command of changing armies and numerous special troops. Army Group Courland was the new name that the previous Army Group North received on January 25, 1945. After the Red Army's breakthrough to the Baltic coast near Memel , Army Group North was trapped in the Kurland basin from October 10, 1944 and was taken prisoner by Russia on May 8 and 9, 1945.

On April 30, 1945 the Fahnenjunkerschule of the Army Group Courland was opened by the commander of the school, Colonel von Vietinghoff. The school was closed again on May 5, 1945.

On April 20, 1945, the Army Group issued its own postage stamps, which were taken from the holdings of the field post control center in Libau and overprinted.

The last Commander-in-Chief, Colonel - General Carl Hilpert , was taken prisoner by the Soviets in Siberia and Moscow, where he was executed.

Some of the Latvian units fighting on the German side, for example the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (Latvian No. 2) , continued to fight as Forest Brother Partisans.

Commander in chief

  • January 25, 1945 General of the Infantry Carl Hilpert (entrusted with the deputy leadership)
  • January 30, 1945 Colonel General Heinrich Gottfried von Vietinghoff-Scheel
  • March 10, 1945 General of the Infantry Carl Hilpert (entrusted with the deputy leadership)
  • March 13, 1945 Colonel General Lothar Rendulic
  • March 15, 1945 Infantry General Carl Hilpert (in charge of leadership until April 6, Colonel General from May 7)

Structure of the Army Group

Army group troops
  • 639th News Regiment
Subordinate major associations
date Subordinate major associations
February 1945 16th Army , 18th Army

Kurland cuff

Cuff "Kurland"

On March 12, 1945, the Kurland cuff bracelet was donated. The terms of the award were:

  • Participation in at least three battles of Courland or
  • uninterrupted stay of three months in the area of ​​the Courland Army Group or
  • Wounding

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