II Corps (Bundeswehr)
II. Corps |
|
---|---|
Association badge |
|
active |
II Corps: Jul 2, 1956 - Mar 31, 1993 |
Country | Germany |
Armed forces | armed forces |
Armed forces | army |
Type | corps |
Strength | 87,985 (1989) |
former seat of the staff | Ulm |
commander | |
last commanding general | Lieutenant General Jan Oerding |
last chief of staff | Brigadier General Henning Glawatz |
The II Corps was a corps of the Army of the Bundeswehr , which existed from 1956 to 1993. The last seat of the staff was Ulm . During the Cold War , the II Corps was tasked with defending the eastern border of southern Germany. The corps was reclassified to the II. (German-American) Corps in 1993 . The II. (GE / US) Corps was one of the carriers of multinationality in NATO. In 2005, the Corps became the operational command of the intervention forces.
Association badge
The association badge was identical to the association badge of the other German corps except for the corps number "II". It showed the federal eagle as the German sovereign symbol . The color scheme was based on that of the flag of Germany . The badge was worn by the soldiers of the corps troops and the staff of the corps on the left sleeve of the service suit. The braided black / yellow (black / gold) border testified the position as a corps.
history
II Corps
Army Structure I (1956–1959)
By the deployment order of June 16, 1956 by the Federal Minister of Defense , Army Staff II was initially set up in Ulm on July 2, 1956 as the forerunner of the Corps . The following were initially assumed:
- 2nd Grenadier Division (established July 1, 1956 in Kassel )
- 4th Grenadier Division (established July 1, 1956 in Munich , relocated to Regensburg on December 15, 1956)
- 5th Panzer Division (set up in Grafenwöhr from August 1, 1956 , relocation to Koblenz and Wetzlar in February and March 1957)
- 1st Mountain Division (established November 14, 1956 in Mittenwald )
- 1st Airborne Division (set up on January 2, 1957 in Eßlingen am Neckar )
In 1957 the 2nd Grenadier Division and the 5th Panzer Division moved to the III. Corps . In peacetime the corps was subordinate to the command of the army . In the case of defense the guide was by the Army Group of the NATO ( CENTAG provided).
Army Structure II (1959–1970)
In Army Structure II, the following major formations were subordinate to II Corps :
- 4th Panzer Grenadier Division (Regensburg)
-
1st Mountain Division ( Garmisch-Partenkirchen )
- Gebirgsjägerbrigade 22 (Mittenwald)
- Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 ( Bad Reichenhall )
- Panzerbrigade 24 (Mittenwald)
- 1st Airborne Division (Esslingen am Neckar)
-
10th Panzer Grenadier Division (set up October 1, 1959 in Sigmaringen)
- Panzerbrigade 30 (Ellwangen)
- 12th Panzer Division (set up in Tauberbischofsheim from January 1, 1961 )
In addition, corps troops such as the artillery command, the Army Aviation Battalion and others.
In 1960 the II Corps had grown to a strength of around 41,000 men.
Army Structure III (1970–1979)
The strategic target to create smaller, more mobile and armor defense strong units led to the conversion of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division in the 4th Jager Division on October 1, 1970. As used reserve was as Corps troops set up on 1 April 1970, the tank regiment 200, and an airborne brigade directly assumed. The Army Aviation Battalion was replaced by a newly established light and a medium Army Aviation Transport Regiment. On January 1, 1970, the 10th Panzer Grenadier Division was renamed the 10th Panzer Division. The 12th Panzer Division switched to the III. Corps. The following major formations were under the II Corps :
-
4th Jägerdivision (Regensburg)
- Jägerbrigade 10 (Weiden)
- Jägerbrigade 11 (bow)
- Panzerbrigade 12 (Amberg)
-
1st Mountain Division (Garmisch-Partenkirchen)
- Gebirgsjägerbrigade 22 (Mittenwald)
- Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 (Bad Reichenhall)
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 24 (Landshut)
- 1st Airborne Division (Esslingen am Neckar)
-
10th Panzer Division (Sigmaringen)
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 28 (Donauwörth)
- Panzer Brigade 29 (Sigmaringen)
- Panzerbrigade 30 (Ellwangen)
On January 1, 1970, the US liaison command of the VII. (US) Corps set up with the II. Corps. The Canadian Liaison Command of the 1st (CA) Div / 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group deployed to II Corps on July 1, 1974. On July 1, 1976, the upcoming Army Structure 4 was tested with the II Corps.
Army Structure IV (1980–1992)
- 4th Panzer Grenadier Division (Regensburg) (previously 4th Jägerdivision)
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 10 (Weiden)
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 11 (bow)
- Panzerbrigade 12 (Amberg)
- 1st Mountain Division (Garmisch-Partenkirchen)
- Panzer Grenadier Brigade 22 ( Murnau )
- Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 (Bad Reichenhall)
- Panzer Brigade 24 ( Landshut )
- 1st Airborne Division (Esslingen am Neckar)
- Paratrooper Brigade 25 (Calw)
- Paratrooper Brigade 26 ( Saarlouis )
- Paratrooper Brigade 27 (Lippstadt)
- 10th Panzer Division (Sigmaringen)
- Panzerbrigade 28 ( Dornstadt )
- Panzer Brigade 29 (Sigmaringen)
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 30 (Ellwangen)
The corps troops included in Army Structure IV:
-
Artillery Command 2
- Field Artillery Battalion 210 ( Philippsburg )
- Field artillery battalion 220 na ( Philippsburg )
- Rocket Artillery Battalion 250 ( Großengstingen )
- Supply Battalion 220 SW ( Günzburg )
- Security Battalion
- Drone battery
-
Air Defense Command 2
- Anti-aircraft missile regiment
- two anti-aircraft battalions
-
Army Aviation Command 2
- light army air transport regiment
- medium army air transport regiment
- Anti-tank helicopter regiment
-
Pioneer Command 2
- four engineer battalions
- Amphibious Engineer Battalion 230 (Ingolstadt)
- two floating bridge battalions
-
Telecommunication command 2
- Telecommunications Operations Battalion 210 (Dillingen)
- Telecommunication Connection Battalion 230 (Dillingen)
- Telecommunications Battalion Electronic Combat 220 (Donauwörth)
-
Resupply Command 2
- Resupply Battalion
- Transport battalion
- mixed transport battalion
-
Repair command 2
- Repair battalion electronics
- two repair battalions
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal Platoon
-
Medical Command 2
- two medical battalions
- mixed ambulance battalion
- NBC Defense Battalion 210
- a military police battalion
- an army music corps
There was also a liaison command with the 1st Air Force Division . In addition, the corps was subordinate to several field replacement battalions, a front news company, a tele-spying company and a topography platoon. The corps troops thus attained the greatest size in the history of the army. Shortly before the end of the Cold War, the corps had grown to its historical maximum size with a strength of around 88,000 men. In order to incorporate parts of the NVA , the 4th Panzer Grenadier Division supported the establishment of the Bundeswehr Ost from October 1, 1990 as a patendivision to Wehrbereichskommando VII.
Army Structure V (1992-2000)
To implement Army Structure 5, two staffs of the field and territorial army merged to form military area command / division staff, to which the field division and the defense district commands were directly subordinate. Subordinate to the II Corps (without division troops):
-
Military area command IV / 5. Panzer Division ( Mainz )
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 5 ( Homberg )
- Panzerbrigade 14 (Neustadt)
- Panzerbrigade 34 (Koblenz)
- Defense District Command 42 ( Trier )
- Defense District Command 43 (Darmstadt)
- Defense District Command 44 ( Kassel )
- Defense District Command 45 ( Neustadt )
- Defense District Command 46 ( Saarbrücken )
-
Weir area V / 10. Panzer Division ( Sigmaringen )
- Panzerbrigade 12 ( Amberg )
- Panzerbrigade 30 (Ellwangen)
- Franco-German Brigade ( Müllheim )
- Defense District Command 51 ( Ludwigsburg )
- Defense District Command 52 ( Karlsruhe )
- Defense District Command 53 ( Freiburg im Breisgau )
- Defense District Command 54 ( Tübingen )
-
Defense area VI / 1. Mountain Division ( Munich )
- Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 (Bad Reichenhall)
- Panzerbrigade 36 ( Bad Mergentheim )
- Defense District Command 61 ( Augsburg )
- Defense District Command 62 (Regensburg)
- Defense District Command 63 ( Ansbach )
- Defense District Command 65 (Munich)
- Defense District Command 66 ( Landshut )
- Defense District Command 67 ( Bayreuth )
As early as 1992, Army Structure V was readjusted - Army Structure V (N) - in which the merger of the staffs, if already done, was reversed. Instead of taking on territorial tasks, the corps should in future be developed into the carriers of multinationality in the army. At the same time began the phase of downsizing the army, which continues to this day. For this purpose, an Army Aviation Brigade was not set up in the corps, so that the II Corps retained its anti-tank helicopter regiment. In addition, Panzer Grenadier Brigades 11 and 22 were disbanded on March 31, 1993 . The following brigades in the area of the II Corps followed on September 30th: Panzergrenadierbrigade 10 , Heimatschutzbrigade 56 and Panzerbrigade 28 and Panzerbrigade 29 .
The II Corps was formally dissolved in April 1993. The II. (German-American) Corps took its place.
II. (German-American) Corps
The II. (German-American) Corps existed from April 1993 to October 2005. The staff of this corps continued to be provided by the German army in accordance with the Lead Nation principle , while the constantly present American portion was limited to a liaison command in the otherwise German staff. If necessary, the 1st US Armored Division should be led by the II. (GE / US) Corps as the American part . Parts of the corps were used in October 2005 to set up the operational command of the intervention forces. As early as 2001, the army divisions were commanded directly by the newly established Army Command .
Calls
The II. (German-American) Corps was involved in German missions abroad after 1989:
- October 1990 to February 1991: logistical support for the Gulf War allies
- August 1992 to February 1994: Participation in the UN mission UNOSOM in Somalia , around 2000 soldiers in the corps
- 1995–1996: GECON UNPF in ex- Yugoslavia . Around 150 soldiers of the 2nd Corps were involved in the 1st contingent, others for the 2nd contingent from December 1995, others for the German Contingent Implementation Forces from January 1996.
Commander
No. | Surname | Beginning of the appointment | End of appointment |
---|---|---|---|
14th | Major General Jan Oerding | April 1, 2004 |
(from then on: KdoOpFüEingrKr ) |
October 7, 2005
13 | Major General Karl-Heinz Lather | March 10, 2001 | March 31, 2004 |
12 | Lieutenant General Götz Gliemeroth | 1997 | 2000 |
11 | Lieutenant General Edgar Trost | April 1, 1993 | 1996 |
10 | Lieutenant General Gert Verstl | April 1, 1989 | March 31, 1993 |
9 | Lieutenant General Werner Lange | October 1, 1983 | March 31, 1989 |
8th | Lieutenant General Leopold Chalupa | October 1, 1981 | September 30, 1983 |
7th | Lieutenant General Meinhard Glanz | October 1, 1980 | September 30, 1981 |
6th | Lieutenant General Carl-Gero von Ilsemann | April 1, 1976 | September 30, 1980 |
5 | Lieutenant General Helmut Schönefeld | 1st October 1970 | March 31, 1976 |
4th | Lieutenant General Karl Wilhelm Thilo | October 1, 1967 | September 30, 1970 |
3 | Lieutenant General Leo Hepp | October 1, 1961 | September 30, 1967 |
2 | Lieutenant General Max-Josef Pemsel | April 1, 1957 | September 30, 1961 |
1 | Major General Friedrich Foertsch | November 27, 1956 | March 31, 1957 |
See also
literature
- Herbert Seifert: The structures of the army. In European Security 1999, 2000.
- Reinhard Teuber: The Bundeswehr 1955–1995. Norderstedt 1996.
Web links
- Stock BH 7-2 "II. Corps ”in the Federal Archives
- "Research project: Integration problems of multinational armed forces" Website by Stephan Lang
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bibliography for inventory BH 7-2 “II. Corps ”in the Federal Archives ( Memento of the original from July 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Bibliography at the Federal Archives ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 48 ° 25 ′ 1 ″ N , 9 ° 59 ′ 0 ″ E