8th Army (German Empire)

*8. Armee*
8th Army
8. Armee; 8th Army
	Flag of the Staff of an Armee Oberkommando (1871–1918)
Active	2 August 1914 – 29 September 1915; 30 December 1915 – 21 January 1919
Country	German Empire
Type	Army
Engagements	World War I Eastern Front Battle of Stallupönen ; Battle of Gumbinnen ; Battle of Tannenberg ; First Battle of the Masurian Lakes ; Lodz offensive ; Battle of Augustów ; Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes ; ;
Insignia
Abbreviation	A.O.K. 8

Last updated May 04, 2024

The 8th Army (German : 8. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 8 / A.O.K. 8) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 from the I Army Inspectorate.^[1] The army was dissolved on 29 September 1915, but reformed on 30 December 1915.^[2] It was finally disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.

History

On mobilization in August 1914, the 8th Army Headquarters was formed in Posen to command troops stationed in East Prussia to defend against the expected Russian attack, Plan XIX. Initially, the Army commanded the following formations:^[3]

I Corps (Generalleutnant Hermann von François based on Königsberg)
XVII Corps (General der Kavallerie August von Mackensen based on Danzig)
XX Corps (General der Infanterie Friedrich von Scholtz based on Allenstein)
I Reserve Corps (Generalleutnant Otto von Below formed on mobilisation)
Landwehr Corps (General der Infanterie Remus von Woyrsch formed on mobilisation)^[4]
3rd Reserve Division (Generalleutnant Kurt von Morgen, formed on mobilisation)
1st Cavalry Division (Generalleutnant Hermann Brecht, formed on mobilisation)

Concerned by the defeat at Gumbinnen and the continued advance of the Russian Second Army from the south, Prittwitz ordered a retreat to the Vistula, effectively abandoning East Prussia. When he heard of this, Helmuth von Moltke, the German Army Chief of Staff, recalled Prittwitz and his deputy to Berlin. They were replaced by Paul von Hindenburg, called out of retirement, with Erich Ludendorff as his chief of staff. Under its new command, the Army was responsible for the victories at the Battles of Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes.

Dissolved and reformed

The Army of the Niemen was formed on 26 May 1915 to control the troops in Courland.^[5] The commander of the 8th Army, General der Infanterie Otto von Below, along with his chief of staff, Generalmajor von Böckmann, assumed command. In the meantime, the 8th Army got a deputy commander, General der Artillerie Friedrich von Scholtz, who was simultaneously commander of XX Corps. 8th Army was dissolved on 29 September 1915.^[6] On 30 December 1915 the Army of the Niemen was renamed as the 8th Army with von Below still in command.^[7]

Commanders

The original 8th Army had the following commanders from mobilisation until it was dissolved 29 September 1915.^[8]

8th Army
From	Commander	Previously	Subsequently,
2 August 1914	Generaloberst Maximilian von Prittwitz	I Army Inspectorate (I. Armee-Inspektion)	Retired
23 August 1914	Generaloberst Paul von Hindenburg	Brought out of retirement	9th Army
18 September 1914	General der Artillerie Richard von Schubert	XIV Reserve Corps	XXVII Reserve Corps from 27 October 1914
9 October 1914	General der Infanterie Hermann von François	I Corps	XXXXI Reserve Corps from 24 December 1914
7 November 1914	General der Infanterie Otto von Below	I Reserve Corps	Army of the Niemen
26 May 1915	General der Artillerie Friedrich von Scholtz	Simultaneously commander of XX Corps	XX Corps

A "new" 8th Army was formed by renaming the Army of the Niemen on 30 December 1915. It was dissolved after the end of the war on 21 January 1919.

"New" 8th Army
From	Commander	Previously	Subsequently,
30 December 1915	General der Infanterie Otto von Below	Army of the Niemen	Heeresgruppe Below
5 October 1916	General der Infanterie Max von Fabeck	12th Army	Died 16 December 1916
22 October 1916	General der Infanterie Bruno von Mudra	XVI Corps	Armee-Abteilung A
2 January 1917	General der Artillerie Friedrich von Scholtz	Armee-Abteilung Scholtz	Heeresgruppe Scholtz
22 April 1917	General der Infanterie Oskar von Hutier	Armee-Abteilung D	18th Army from 27 December 1917
12 December 1917	General der Infanterie Günther Graf von Kirchbach	Armee-Abteilung D	Heeresgruppe Kiev
27 January 1918	Generaloberst Günther Graf von Kirchbach	Armee-Abteilung D	Heeresgruppe Kiev
31 July 1918	General der Infanterie Hugo von Kathen	XXIII Reserve Corps	Commander of German troops in Lithuania and Estonia

Staff of the 8th Army, First Battle of the Masurian Lakes.
Staff of the 8th Army, autumn 1914, Imperial Castle in Poznań.

Glossary

Armee-Abteilung or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.^[9]
Armee-Gruppe or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
Heeresgruppe or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

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References

↑ Cron 2002 , p. 395
↑ Cron 2002 , p. 80
↑ Cron 2002 , pp. 322–326
↑ Cron 2002 , p. 52 Detached in Silesia. On 4 September 1914 came under the command of 1st Austro-Hungarian Army. Joined 9th Army on 24 September 1914.
↑ Cron 2002 , pp. 82–83
↑ Cron 2002 , p. 80
↑ Cron 2002 , pp. 395–396
↑ Cron 2002 , p. 395
↑ Cron 2002 , p. 84

Bibliography

Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914–18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.

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[1] Cron 2002 , p. 395

[2] Cron 2002 , p. 80

[3] Cron 2002 , pp. 322–326

[4] Cron 2002 , p. 52 Detached in Silesia. On 4 September 1914 came under the command of 1st Austro-Hungarian Army. Joined 9th Army on 24 September 1914.

[5] Cron 2002 , pp. 82–83

[6] Cron 2002 , p. 80

[7] Cron 2002 , pp. 395–396

[8] Cron 2002 , p. 395

[9] Cron 2002 , p. 84

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