| XIV Panzer Corps | |
|---|---|
| XIV. Panzerkorps | |
| Active | 1 April 1938 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer corps |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Corps |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Hermann Balck Hans-Valentin Hube Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin |
XIV Panzer Corps (also: XIV Army Corps or XIV. Armeekorps) was a corps-level formation of the German Army which fought on both the Eastern Front and in the Italian Campaign.
The XIV Panzer Corps was originally formed as the XIV Motorised Corps in Magdeburg on 1 April 1938 to take command of units in the process of motorisation, where it was placed under the leadership of Gustav von Wietersheim. [1] The Corps participated in the Invasion of Poland in 1939 where it fought in the Battle of Kock. The Corps later saw action in the Battle of France in 1940, as part of Panzer Group Kleist, where the 2nd Motorised Division, 13th Motorised Division and the 29th Motorised Division served under it. [2] It was renamed the XIV Panzer Corps on 21 June 1942. [1]
In June 1941, it participated in Operation Barbarossa, where as part of Panzer Group 1, it served with Army Group South on the southern sector of the eastern front, advancing via Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr to Kremenchuk and in the Mius sector. [1]
It took part in Case Blue where it commanded the 60th Motorised Infantry Division, 16th Panzer Division and the 3rd Motorised Infantry Division. Elements of the Corps were the first German units to reach Stalingrad. It was surrounded in the Stalingrad pocket in November 1942. Hitler ordered its commander, General der Panzertruppe Hans-Valentin Hube, to be flown out of the Stalingrad pocket on 15 January 1943. Generalleutnant Helmuth Schlömer, who succeeded Hube, surrendered the Corps to the Soviets. [1]
Re-formed and reorganized at Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia in 1943, it was transferred to the West and directed all German forces in the Battle of Sicily under Hube where it commanded the 1st Parachute Division, 15th Panzergrenadier Division, 1st Paratroop Panzer Division Hermann Göring and elements of the 29th Panzergrenadier Division. [3] It was briefly commanded by Hermann Balck in September and October 1943, before he was seriously injured in a plane crash. [4]
The Corps also participated in the Battle of Monte Cassino under the command of General von Senger und Etterlin and included among its formations, [3] the 1st Parachute Division, the 15th Panzergrenadier Division and the 29th Panzergrenadier Division, which had previously fought under it in Sicily. It remained on the Italian front until its surrender at the end of the war. [1]
Georg Otto Hermann Balck was a highly decorated officer of the German Army who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of General der Panzertruppe.
The German 23rd Infantry Division, later the 26th Panzer Division, was a military unit operational during World War II. It was organized along standard lines for a German infantry division. It was non-motorised and relied on horse-drawn wagons for its mobility. The unit carried the nickname Grenadierkopf.
The 13th Panzer Division was a unit of the German Army during World War II, established in 1940.
The 16th Infantry Division of the German Army was formed in 1934. On 26 August 1939 the division was mobilized for the invasion of Poland (1939). It participated in the Battle of France in August 1940. The division was then split, resulting in two independent units: The 16th Panzer Division and the 16th Motorized Infantry Division. Then later, from 1944 onward, combined with other non 16th elements, was known as the 116th Panzer Division.
The 29th Infantry Division was a unit of the German army created in the fall of 1936. It was based on the old Reichswehr 15th Infantry Regiment and drew its initial recruits from Thuringia. It was upgraded to 29th Motorized Infantry Division in the fall of 1937. The division was also known as the Falke-Division.
XXXXVIII Panzer Corps, was a corps-level formation of the German Army which saw extensive action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II.
Hans-Valentin Hube was a German general during World War II who commanded armoured forces in the invasions of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. In the course of the war, Hube led the 16th Infantry Division, XIV Panzer Corps, and the 1st Panzer Army rising to the rank of Generaloberst. He died in an air crash on 21 April 1944.
The 11th Panzer Division was an armoured division in the German Army during World War II, established in 1940.
The XXXIX Panzer Corps was a German panzer corps which saw action on the Western and Eastern Fronts during World War II.
Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin was a general in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II.
During World War II, the Axis invasions of Greece and Yugoslavia both commenced on 6 April 1941 and ended 3 May 1941.
The 19th Panzer Division was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II. It was created from the 19th Infantry Division.
Gustav Anton von Wietersheim was a German general during World War II. He led the XIV Motorized Corps from its creation in 1938 until 14 September 1942 during the Battle of Stalingrad.
The 14th Panzer Division was an armoured division in the German Army during World War II. It was created in 1940 by the conversion of the 4th Infantry Division.
General der Panzertruppe was a General of the branch rank of the German Army, introduced in 1935. A General der Panzertruppe was a lieutenant general, above major general (Generalleutnant), commanding a Panzer corps.
The Axis order of battle at Stalingrad is a list of the significant land units that fought in the Battle of Stalingrad on the side of the Axis Powers between September 1942 and February 1943.
Ferdinand Maria Johann Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin was a soldier in the German Army in both the Wehrmacht of World War II and the postwar Bundeswehr, as well as a civilian jurist in the German Federal service. As an officer in the Bundeswehr, he rose to the rank of general, and completed his military service as commander-in-chief of NATO's Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT). He also authored numerous books on military-related subjects.
Battle of Monte Cassino order of battle January 1944 is a listing of the significant formations that were involved in the fighting on the Winter Line January 1944 during the period generally known as the First Battle of Monte Cassino.
Second Battle of Monte Cassino order of battle February 1944 is a listing of the significant formations that were involved in the fighting on the Winter Line in February 1944 during the period generally known as the Second Battle of Monte Cassino.
The XXIV Army Corps was a unit of the German Army during World War II. The unit was re-designated several times; originally being Generalkommando der Grenztruppen Saarpfalz, later Generalkommando XXIV. Armeekorps, then XXIV. Armeekorps (mot.) and finally XXIV. Panzerkorps.