III Army Corps (Wehrmacht)

For the equivalent formation in World War I, see III Corps (German Empire).
III. Armeekorps

III. Panzerkorps
Country  Germany
Branch Heer
Type Corps
Engagements World War II

III Corps was a corps level formation of the German Army during World War II.

III Armeekorps History

The III Corps was formed in October 1934 as III. Armeekorps. The corps took part in Fall Weiss, the 1939 invasion of Poland as a part of Heeresgruppe Nord. It then took part in Fall Gelb as a part of Heeresgruppe A, participating in the assault through the Ardennes. In March 1941, the corps was upgraded to a motorised corps status and redesignated III Armeekorps (mot).

Operation Barbarossa saw III Armeekorps (mot) attached to Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd. The corps fought during the campaigns throughout the Ukraine and took part in the battles of Dubno, Kiev, Rostov, Kharkov and the Uman Salient. In June 1942, the corps was again upgraded and redesignated.

III Panzerkorps History

III Panzerkorps was formed in June 1942 from III. Armeekorps. The Panzerkorps was now attached to Heeresgruppe A, the formation tasked with capturing the Caucasus as a part of Fall Blau. After the loss of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, III Panzerkorps took part in the battles around Kharkov as part of Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein's Heeresgruppe Don.

During Operation Citadel, the Corps was the striking force of Generalleutnant Werner Kempf's Army Detachment Kempf as they attempted to protect the right flank of the 4th Panzer Army. It was heavily involved in the fighting withdrawal from Belgorod to the Dniepr.

At the beginning of 1944, the Corps was involved in the relief of the forces trapped in the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket. In March the Corps became trapped in the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket, along with the rest of Generaloberst Hans-Valentin Hube's 1.Panzerarmee. III Corps drove the breakout and escape.

Due to heavy losses, from November 1944 to January 1945, the corps was redesignated as Gruppe Breith (after its commander, General der Panzertruppen Hermann Breith).

The end of the year found III Panzerkorps involved in Operation Konrad, the failed attempts to lift the siege of Budapest. The corps then took part in Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary. After the failure of the operation, the corps again effected a fighting withdrawal through Austria, surrendering to the Americans on 8 May 1945.

Commanders

Orders Of Battle

III.Armeekorps, May 1940 - Fall Gelb

III.Armeekorps (mot), September 1941 - Operation Barbarossa

III.Panzerkorps, July 1943 - Operation Citadel

III Panzerkorps, March 1944 - Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket

III Panzerkorps, March 1945 - Operation Spring Awakening

See also

External links

"III. Armeekorps". Lexikon der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 30 November 2010. 

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