LXXI Army Corps (Wehrmacht)

The LXXI Army Corps (German: LXXI. Armeekorps), initially known as Higher Command LXXI (German: Höheres Kommando LXXI) or Höh.Kdo. röm. 71, was an army corps of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. The corps was deployed in March 1942. Throughout the war, it was stationed in the north of occupied Norway.

History

[edit]

The Höheres Kommando LXXI was formed on 1 March 1942 using the personnel of Section Staff North Norway (German: Abschnittsstab Nord-Norwegen), which had in turn been formed on 1 July 1941 from the territorial staff of Mountain Corps Norway.[1] The initial commander of Higher Command LXXI was Emmerich Nagy.[2] The corps initially consisted of the 199th Infantry Division and the 702nd Infantry Division and was subordinate to Armee Norwegen (Nikolaus von Falkenhorst). The corps was strengthened by the 230th Infantry Division and the 270th Infantry Division in May 1942, and the 702nd Infantry Division was pulled away by June.[3]

The subsequent corps structure, including the 199th, 230th and 270th Divisions, stayed unchanged between June 1942 and November 1944.[3][4]

Nagy was succeeded by Willi Moser on 1 November 1942.[2]

On 26 January 1943, the Higher Command LXXI was renamed LXXI Army Corps, with Moser still in command.[1][2]

In November 1944, the Armee Norwegen was dissolved and its tasks taken over by the 20th Mountain Army (Lothar Rendulic, Franz Böhme).[3][4] The 230th Infantry Division was pulled away from the corps in November.[4] Moser was succeeded as corps commander by Anton Reichard von Mauchenheim genannt Bechtolsheim on 15 December 1944.[2] In December 1944, the 163rd Infantry Division and 210th Infantry Division were added to the corps, while the 270th Division was pulled away.[4]

Starting in February 1945, the LXXI Army Corps was part of Army Detachment Narvik (Ferdinand Jodl), where it remained until the end of the war. By February, the 163rd and 210th Divisions had been pulled away from the corps and the 7th Mountain Division had been added. The Division zbV 140 was added to the corps by 1 March.[4]

On 12 April 1945, the last day for which military organizational charts are available, the corps consisted of the 140th, 210th and the 230th Divisions.[4]

Structure

[edit]
Year Date Commander[2] Subordinate units[3][4] Army Army Group Operational area
1942 10 March Emmerich Nagy 199th Infantry, 702nd Infantry Armee Norwegen Directly under OKW Northern Norway
5 April
11 May 199th Infantry, 230th Infantry, 270th Infantry, 702nd Infantry
8 June 199th Infantry, 230th Infantry, 270th Infantry
4 July
5 August
2 September
8 October
5 November Willi Moser
1 December
1943 1 January
3 February
4 March
9 April
1 May
1 June
7 July
5 August
5 September
4 October
8 November
3 December
1944 January
February
March
April
May
11 June
22 July
31 August
16 September
13 October
5 November 20th Mountain Army
26 November 199th Infantry, 270th Infantry, Lofoten
31 December A. R. von Mauchenheim 163rd Infantry, 199th Infantry (+ 503rd Grenadier Brigade), 210th Infantry (+ Lofoten)
1945 19 February 7th Mountain, 199th Infantry (+ 503rd Grenadier Brigade)
1 March 7th Mountain, 140th Infantry (+ 139th Mountaineer Brigade, + 503rd Grenadier Brigade), 210th Infantry (+ Lofoten) Army Detachment Narvik[Note 1]

(20th Mountain Army)

12 April 139th Mountaineer Brigade, 140th Infantry, 210th Infantry (+ Lofoten), 230th Infantry, 503rd Grenadier Brigade

Noteworthy individuals

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Often, Wehrmacht army detachments served directly under army groups, but Army Detachment Narvik stayed under 20th Mountain Army.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Tessin, Georg (1977). "Höheres Kommando LXXI (H.Kom.röm.71) Generalkommando LXXI. Ameekorps (röm. 71. AK)". Die Landstreitkräfte 71-130. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 6. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. p. 1. ISBN 3764810971.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h MacLean, French L. (2014). Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II. Pickle Partners Publishing. pp. 115–120. ISBN 9781782895220.
  3. ^ a b c d Tessin, Georg (1977). "Armee Norwegen". Die Landstreitkräfte: Namesverbände. Luftstreitkräfte (Fliegende Verbände). Flakeinsatz im Reich 1943-1945. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 14. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 168–171. ISBN 3764810971.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Tessin, Georg (1977). "20. Gebirgs-Armee (Geb. AOK 20)". Die Landstreitkräfte 15-30. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 4. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. pp. 129–133. ISBN 3764810971.