17th Army (German Empire)

17. Armee 17th Army
Flag of the Staff of an Armee Oberkommando (1871–1918)
Active	1 February 1918 – 19 January 1919
Country	German Empire
Type	Army
Engagements	World War I Spring Offensive Operation Michael

The 17th Army (German: 17. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 17 / A.O.K. 17) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed in France on 1 February 1918 from the former 14th Army command. It served exclusively on the Western Front and was dissolved on 19 January 1919.^[1]

History

17th Army was one of three armies (along with 18th Army and 19th Army) formed in late 1917 / early 1918 with forces withdrawn from the Eastern Front. They were in place to take part in Ludendorff's Spring Offensive. The Germans had realised that their only remaining chance of victory was to defeat the Allies before the overwhelming human and matériel resources of the United States could be deployed. They also had the temporary advantage in numbers afforded by nearly 50 divisions freed by the Russian withdrawing from the war (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk).

At the end of the war it was serving as part of Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht.^[2]

The Headquarters was located at St Amand until 6 April 1918, Douai until 1 May 1918, Denain until 18 October 1918 and Mons until start of the march back, reaching Zülpich for disbandment on 19 January 1919.

Order of Battle, 30 October 1918

By the end of the war, the 17th Army was organised as:

Commanders

17th Army had the following commanders:^[4]

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.^[5]
• 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.

See also

• 17th Army (Wehrmacht) for the equivalent formation in World War II
• German Army order of battle, Western Front (1918)

References

Bibliography

• Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914–18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1. 
• Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993). The World War I Databook. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85410-766-6.