11th Army (Wehrmacht)

11. Armee 11th Army
Active	October 5, 1940 - November 21, 1942 November 26, 1944 - April 21, 1945
Country	Germany
Branch	Heer
Type	Field Army
Engagements	World War II Sevastopol
Commanders
Notable commanders	Erich von Manstein

The 11th Army (German: 11. Armee) was a World War II field army.

1945

The historian Antony Beevor wrote that, when the 11th SS Panzer Army was created, the available units could constitute a corps at best, "'But panzer army' observed Eismann 'has a better ring to it'". It also allowed Himmler to promote SS officers to senior staff and field commands within the formation. Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner, probably the best SS officer available, was named its commander.^[1] The formation was officially listed as the 11th Army but it was also known as SS Panzer-Armeeoberkommando 11.^[2] and is often referred to in English as the 11th SS Panzer Army.

After fighting east of the Oder River during February 1945, the 11th was assigned to OB West, reorganized, and given command of new units, for combat against the Western Allies in March 1945. After defending the Weser River and the Harz mountains, the 11th surrendered to them on April 21.^[2]

Commanders

• Generaloberst Eugen Ritter von Schobert (October 5, 1940 – September 12, 1941)
• Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein (September 12, 1941 – November 21, 1942)
• General der Infanterie Anton Grasser (October 1944 – March 1945)
• General der Infanterie Otto Hitzfeld (March 1945 – March 1945)
• General der Artillerie Walther Lucht (March 1945 – April 10, 1945)

See also

• 11th Army (German Empire) for the equivalent formation in World War I

Footnotes

1. Beevor p.88
2. Tessin p.??

References

• Beevor, Antony. Berlin: The Downfall 1945, Penguin Books, 2002, ISBN 0-670-88695-5.
• Tessin, Georg Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939 - 1945, Volume 3, Biblio Verlag, 1974, ISBN 3-7648-0942-6.