Army Group E

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Army Group E (Heeresgruppe E) was a German Army Group active during World War II.

Army Group E was created on 1 January 1943 from the 12th Army. Units from this Army Group were distributed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean area, including Crete, Serbia, and Croatia.

Contents

[edit] Composition

Its principal units were the[1]

11th Luftwaffe Field Division (Athens garrison)
Rhodes Assault Division (amalgamated with the Brandenburg Panzergrenadier Division in 1944)
LXVIII Army Corps (eastern Greece and Peloponnese)
117th Infantry Division
1st Panzer Division
XXII Mountain Army Corps (western Greece)
104th Infantry Division
1st Mountain Division
41st Fortress Division
133rs Fortress Division (Crete garrison)
Also within the Army Group command were 22 penal "fortress battalions of the "999" series.

[edit] Service history

In the spring of 1945, during the retreat of the Wehrmacht forces from the Balkans, this Army Group withdrew to Hungary, with some units moving to Austria and southern Germany. During the 1945 retreat the fortress units were amalgamated into the LXXXXI Army Corps.

Army Group E was joined with what was left of Maximilian von Weichs' Army Group F. That army group had been dissolved on 25 March 1945.

A member of Army Group E who later rose to prominence was Kurt Waldheim.

[edit] Commanders

[edit] References

  1. ^ p.24, Thomas
  2. ^ D 3, Hogg

[edit] Sources

  • Hogg, Ian V., German Order of Battle 1944: The regiments, formations and units of the German ground forces, Arms and Armour Press, London, 1975
  • Thomas, Nigel, (Author), Andrew, Stephen, (Illustrator), The German Army 1939-45 (2) : North Africa & Balkans (Men-At-Arms Series, 316), Osprey Publishing, 1998 ISBN 978-1855326408

[edit] See also