German Army Detachment Kempf

Unit marking.

German Army Detachment Kempf was a Wehrmacht army-sized formation on the Eastern Front during World War II. Part of Army Group South, Detachment Kempf saw action during Operation Citadel (Zitadelle), the German attempt to cut off the Kursk salient and destroy the large part of the Soviet army, also known as the Battle of Kursk.

Operational history

The detachment was formed on 1 February 1943 as Armee-Abteilung Lanz, led by Hubert Lanz. On 21 February 1943 Lanz was replaced by Werner Kempf and the detachment was renamed to reflect this change. In February–March that year, The detachment fought in the Third Battle of Kharkov.

The detachment took part in the Battle of Kursk. Beginning on the night of 4/5 July 1943, III Panzer Corps, Kempf Army's primary attack formation, spearheaded the thrust east of Belgorod. After the failure of the operation, Army Detachment Kempf retreated with the rest of Army Group South. Kempf was made a scapegoat and retired on 17 August 1943. He was replaced by Otto Wöhler on August 16 and the detachment was designated as the 8th Army.

Army Detachment Kempf Order of Battle for Operation Citadel

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