Army Group Centre
Adolf Hitler issued Führer Directive 21 on the 18th of December 1940. This order commanded German forces to prepare for an attack on Soviet Russia in 1941. The directive officially created Army Group Centre as one of three formations assigned to the invasion. Field Marshal Fedor von Bock became the first commanding officer of this new unit. He would lead the group until his relief on the 18th of December 1941. His removal followed the failure of the Battle of Moscow.
Nazi Germany and its Axis allies launched their offensive into the Soviet Union on the 22nd of June 1941. Their armies totaled under four million men advancing eastward toward Leningrad, Moscow, and Ukraine. Army Group Centre aimed for a blitzkrieg movement short of Moscow before halting. They planned to assist pincer movements against Leningrad and Ukraine depending on orders from Army Groups North and South. Defeating Soviet armies in Belarus and occupying Smolensk seemed expected given earlier successes in France and Poland. July 1941 saw the presence of Panzer Group 3 and Panzer Group Guderian within the force structure.
The year 1942 opened with continuing attacks from Soviet forces around Rzhev. The German Ninth Army managed to repel these assaults despite large-scale partisan activity behind lines. Strategic focus shifted to southwestern Russia with Operation Blue launching in June. This operation targeted oilfields in the Caucasus involving only Army Group South. Other groups gave up troops and equipment for this southern offensive. November brought Operation Mars as the largest Soviet attempt that year. It failed but pushed the front line closer to Rzhev while pinning down units needed at Stalingrad.
Major anti-partisan operations occurred in the rear of Army Group Centre alongside smaller actions. Operation Bamberg ran from the 26th of March to the 6th of April 1942 south of Bobruisk. The 707th Infantry Division supported by a Slovakian regiment killed at least 5,000 people including many civilians. Agricultural produce was confiscated during this campaign. Operation Fruhlingsfest took place between the 17th of April and the 12th of May 1944 near Polotsk. Units of Gruppe von Gottberg recorded around 7,000 deaths under their command. Operation Kormoran followed from the 25th of May to the 17th of June 1944 between Minsk and Borisov. Security units reported around 7,500 deaths in that sector.
The Soviet High Command concentrated forces along the central Russian front for a summer offensive against Army Group Centre in spring 1944. A deception campaign convinced the Wehrmacht that attacks would come further south against Army Group North Ukraine. German armored units moved south out of Army Group Centre based on this false intelligence. Operation Bagration launched on the 22nd of June 1944 marking the third anniversary of Germany's own invasion. 185 Red Army divisions comprising 2.3 million soldiers smashed into positions across a 200km-wide front. The 850,000-strong Army Group Centre was almost completely destroyed by the attack. Over 450,000 Germans were killed wounded or captured including 57,000 taken east of Minsk.
Discussion of the army group situation in January 1945 notes that eastern groups changed names later that month. The force known as Army Group Centre at the start of the Vistula-Oder Offensive on the 12th of January 1945 became Army Group North less than two weeks after fighting began. Hitler renamed three army groups on the 25th of January 1945 making Army Group Centre fight in Slovakia and Bohemia-Moravia. Between January and February 1945 the unit sustained 140,000 casualties including 15,000 dead and 77,000 wounded. Some elements continued to resist until the 11th of May 1945 during the Prague Offensive before surrendering to Soviet forces.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
Who commanded Army Group Centre when it was created in 1940?
Field Marshal Fedor von Bock became the first commanding officer of Army Group Centre. He led the unit from its creation until his relief on the 18th of December 1941 following the failure of the Battle of Moscow.
When did Nazi Germany launch their offensive into the Soviet Union with Army Group Centre?
Nazi Germany and its Axis allies launched their offensive into the Soviet Union on the 22nd of June 1941. This attack involved armies totaling under four million men advancing eastward toward Leningrad, Moscow, and Ukraine.
What happened to Army Group Centre during Operation Bagration in 1944?
Operation Bagration launched on the 22nd of June 1944 marked the third anniversary of Germany's own invasion. The 850,000-strong Army Group Centre was almost completely destroyed by the attack which resulted in over 450,000 Germans being killed wounded or captured.
How many people died during Operation Bamberg conducted by Army Group Centre in 1942?
Operation Bamberg ran from the 26th of March to the 6th of April 1942 south of Bobruisk. The 707th Infantry Division supported by a Slovakian regiment killed at least 5,000 people including many civilians during this campaign.
When did Hitler rename Army Group Centre to fight in Slovakia and Bohemia-Moravia?
Hitler renamed three army groups on the 25th of January 1945 making Army Group Centre fight in Slovakia and Bohemia-Moravia. Some elements continued to resist until the 11th of May 1945 during the Prague Offensive before surrendering to Soviet forces.