Army Group Mackensen (Serbia)

Last updated

The Army Group Mackensen (German: Heeresgruppe Mackensen) which operated in Serbia between 18 September 1915 and 11 October 1916 during World War I under the command of field marshal Mackensen, was an Army Group of the German Army.
It was renamed on 11 October 1916 to Army Group Below and on 23 April 1917 to Army Group Scholtz, according to its new commander.

Contents

1915–1916

This Army Group was established in September 1915 to invade Serbia. The invasion began on 7 October 1915 and by the end of January 1916, the whole of Serbia, Montenegro and the largest part of Albania were in the hands of the Central powers. After that, the front stabilized on the Greek - Macedonian Border.

Composition October 1915

The Bulgarian Second Army under (Georgi Todorov), also participated in the invasion, but remained under the direct control of the Bulgarian high command.

1916–1918

On 30 July 1916, Field Marshal Mackensen left for the Romanian Front and the Army Group was temporarily commanded by the Bulgarian High Command.

On 11 October 1916, Otto von Below became the new commander and the Army Group was renamed Army Group Below (German: Heeresgruppe Below).
On 23 April 1917, von Below was replaced by Friedrich von Scholtz, and the Army Group was again renamed Army Group Scholtz (German: Heeresgruppe Scholtz).

Composition 1916 - 1918

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August von Mackensen</span> German field marshal (1849–1945)

Anton Ludwig Friedrich August Mackensen, was a German field marshal. He commanded Army Group Mackensen during World War I (1914–1918) and became one of the German Empire's most prominent and competent military leaders. After the armistice of 11 November 1918, the victorious Allies interned Mackensen in Serbia for a year. In 1920, he retired from the army. In 1933 Hermann Göring made him a Prussian state councillor. During the Nazi era (1933–1945), Mackensen remained a committed monarchist and sometimes appeared at official functions in his World War I uniform. Senior Nazi Party members suspected him of disloyalty, but nothing was proven against him.

An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organization handled by a single commander – usually a full general or field marshal – and it generally includes between 400,000 and 1,000,000 soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max von Gallwitz</span> German general during World War I

Max Karl Wilhelm von Gallwitz was a German general from Breslau (Wrocław), Silesia, who served with distinction during World War I on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.

The Bulgarian First Army was a Bulgarian field army during the Balkan Wars, World War I and World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto von Below</span> Prussian military officer

Otto Ernst Vinzent Leo von Below served as a Prussian general officer in the Imperial German Army during the First World War (1914–1918). He arguably became most notable for his command, along with the Austro-Hungarian commander Svetozar Borojević, during the victorious Battle of Caporetto in October–November 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radomir Putnik</span> Serbian field marshal (1847–1917)

Radomir Putnik was the first Serbian Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian army in the Balkan Wars and in the First World War. He served in every war in which Serbia fought from 1876 to 1917.

The Morava Offensive Operation, was undertaken by the Bulgarian First Army between 14 October 1915 and 9 November 1915, as part of the strategic offensive operation of Army Group Mackensen against Serbia in 1915. Under the command of Lieutenant General Kliment Boyadzhiev, the Bulgarians seized the fortified areas of Pirot, Niš and the valley of the river Morava. As a result, the Serbian forces were compelled to retreat towards Kosovo and Metohija.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo offensive (1915)</span> An offensive launched part of the Serbian campaign of 1915

The Kosovo offensive of 1915 was a World War I offensive launched as part of the Serbian campaign of 1915. It involved the Central Powers and the Kingdom of Serbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eberhard von Mackensen</span> German general & war criminal (1889-1969)

Friedrich August Eberhard von Mackensen was a German general and war criminal during World War II who served as commander of the 1st Panzer Army and the 14th Army. Following the war, Mackensen stood trial for war crimes before a British military tribunal in Italy where he was convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in the Ardeatine massacre, in which hundreds of Italian civilians and political prisoners were shot. The sentence was later commuted and Mackensen was released in 1952. He died in West Germany in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viktor Graf von Scheuchenstuel</span>

Viktor Graf von Scheuchenstuel was a colonel general in the Austro-Hungarian Army. He was a general staff officer and division commander until World War I broke out. During World War I he was a Corps and Army commander serving in Serbia, Albania and Italy. During World War I he was promoted to Graf in the Austrian nobility. Following the end of World War I and the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Scheuchenstuel retired from the military. He died in Vienna.

The Bulgarian Third Army was a Bulgarian field army during the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monastir offensive</span> World War I offensive in the Macedonian front

The Monastir offensive was an Allied military operation against the forces of the Central Powers during World War I, intended to break the deadlock on the Macedonian front by forcing the capitulation of Bulgaria and relieving the pressure on Romania. The offensive took the shape of a large battle and lasted for three months and ended with the capture of the town of Monastir. On an average depth of 50km, the Bulgarian First Army gave battle on six occasions, being forced to retreat five times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Army (German Empire)</span> Military unit

The 11th Army was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed in March 1915 in Kassel originally to serve on the Western Front but was transported to Galicia for service on the Eastern Front. The army was dissolved on 8 September 1915, but reformed on 23 September 1915 for the Serbian Campaign. It was finally dissolved on 7 January 1919.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaders of the Central Powers of World War I</span>

The leaders of the Central Powers of World War I were the political or military figures who commanded or supported the Central Powers.

The Army Group Mackensen which operated in Poland between 22 April 1915 and 8 September 1915 during World War I under the command of Field Marshal August von Mackensen, was an army group of the Imperial German Army.

The Army Group Mackensen which operated against Romania between 28 August 1916 and 7 May 1918 during World War I under the command of field marshal Mackensen, was an Army Group of the Imperial German Army.

The 3rd Army was a field army-level command within the ground forces of Austria-Hungary during World War I. It was primarily active on the Eastern Front against the Russian Empire and in the Balkans against Serbia and Montenegro. Later on, the 3rd Army took part in some fighting on the Italian Front before returning to the eastern theater by 1917 to repulse the Kerensky Offensive. Its remaining units were merged with the 7th Army in January 1918.

The Army Group Hindenburg was an Army Group of the German Army, which operated in the Baltics against Russia between 5 August 1915 and 30 July 1916 during World War I, under command of Ober Ost Paul von Hindenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Group Archduke Karl</span> Military unit

Army Group Archduke Karl was an army group of Austria-Hungary during World War I, established in June 1916 to fight against the Russian Empire on the Eastern Front and later in the campaign against the Kingdom of Romania. It was named for its commander, Field Marshal Archduke Karl Franz Joseph, who commanded the formation until October 1916. The following month, he became the last emperor of Austria-Hungary. The army group consisted of the 1st and 7th Armies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serbian campaign (1915)</span> 1915 military campaign in Serbia

The Serbian campaign of 1915 refers to a military campaign carried out by the Central Powers, primarily Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, against the Kingdom of Serbia during World War I. The campaign took place from October to November 1915.