Army Group F
Army Group F was a strategic command formation of the Wehrmacht, created on the 12th of August 1943 at Bayreuth, in the German military district known as WK XIII. Its commander held two titles simultaneously: head of Army Group F and Commander-in-Chief in the Southeast, a designation the Germans called Oberbefehlshaber Südost. That double role placed one man at the center of everything Germany was trying to hold together across the Balkans. Who was that man? What forces did he control? And what happened when the war turned against Germany in southeastern Europe?
Generalfeldmarschall Maximilian von Weichs took command of Army Group F in August 1943, with Lieutenant General Hermann Foertsch serving alongside him as Chief of Staff. Their mission was shaped by a single strategic anxiety: Germany's leaders feared the Balkans could become what they called the "weak underbelly" of their European position, a place where Allied forces might punch through if given the chance. Army Group F existed to make sure that did not happen. It watched the coastlines and mountain passes for any sign of Allied invasion while simultaneously fighting partisan groups whose strength was growing across Yugoslavia and the surrounding region. Two large subordinate formations gave Army Group F its reach: the 2nd Panzer Army, operating in Yugoslavia and Albania, and Army Group E, responsible for Greece.
By November 1943, the forces arrayed under Army Group F reflected the breadth of Germany's Balkan commitment. The 2nd Panzer Army alone commanded a striking variety of corps. SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner led the III SS Panzer Corps. General of Infantry Ernst von Leyser commanded the XV Mountain Corps. General of Panzer troops Gustav Fehn held the XXI Mountain Corps. General of Infantry Helge Auleb oversaw the LXIX Corps. General Lieutenant Artur Phleps commanded the V SS Mountain Corps. Army Group E, meanwhile, controlled the XXII Mountain Corps under General Hubert Lanz and the LXVIII Army Corps under General of Aviation Hellmuth Felmy. Defending the island of Crete fell to a separate fortress command. The Bulgarian II (Aegean) Corps also operated within this structure, as did troops under General of Infantry Hans Felber as Militärbefehlshaber Südost.
The character of Army Group F's forces shifted noticeably by the summer of 1944. The subordinate units were predominantly what military planners categorized as the less capable "fortress" and reserve divisions. Alongside German regulars stood collaborationist foreign volunteer units, including formations the records identify as the "Cossacks" and the 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division. A new addition by September 1944 was the XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General and SS-Gruppenführer Helmuth von Pannwitz. The core corps commanders from the November 1943 order of battle, including von Leyser, Fehn, Auleb, Lanz, and Felmy, remained in their positions, reflecting a degree of command stability even as the strategic situation deteriorated around them.
Late 1944 brought the hardest task Army Group F had yet faced. The Budapest Offensive forced Germany to pull back from Greece and most of Yugoslavia, and Army Group F oversaw that retreat. On the 26th of September 1944, the Commander of Army Group F assembled a temporary formation called Army Group Serbia, with Army Detachment Serbia led by General Hans Felber carrying the main load of defending that territory. The formation was short-lived: Army Group Serbia was disbanded on the 27th of October 1944, just a month after it was created. Army Group F itself held on longer, but not by much. It was formally disbanded on the 25th of March 1945, less than two months before Germany's final surrender.
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Common questions
When was Army Group F created and where?
Army Group F was created on the 12th of August 1943 at Bayreuth, in the German military district designated WK XIII. It was primarily stationed in the Balkans for most of its existence.
Who commanded Army Group F during World War Two?
Generalfeldmarschall Maximilian von Weichs commanded Army Group F from August 1943. Lieutenant General Hermann Foertsch served as his Chief of Staff. The commander of Army Group F also held the title of Oberbefehlshaber Südost, or Commander-in-Chief in the Southeast.
What was the strategic purpose of Army Group F?
Army Group F was tasked with defending against a possible Allied invasion of what Germany saw as its "weak underbelly" in the Balkans. It also fought partisan groups gaining strength across Yugoslavia and the region.
What formations were subordinate to Army Group F?
Army Group F included the 2nd Panzer Army, which operated in Yugoslavia and Albania, and Army Group E, which was responsible for Greece. By July 1944, its forces also included collaborationist units such as the 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division and the XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps.
What happened to Army Group F at the end of the war?
Army Group F was disbanded on the 25th of March 1945. Before that, it oversaw the German retreat from Greece and most of Yugoslavia following the Budapest Offensive in late 1944, and briefly controlled Army Group Serbia, which was disbanded on the 27th of October 1944.
Who led Army Group Serbia under Army Group F?
Army Group Serbia was assembled on the 26th of September 1944 under the Commander of Army Group F. Army Detachment Serbia within it was commanded by General Hans Felber. The formation was disbanded just over a month later, on the 27th of October 1944.