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11th SS Panzer Army

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11th SS Panzer Army
ActiveNovember 1944 – February 1945
Country Nazi Germany
BranchArmy
TypePanzer
RoleArmoured warfare
SizeArmy
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Felix Steiner

The 11th SS Panzer Army (SS-Panzer-Armeeoberkommando 11) was little more than a paper army formed in February 1945 by Heinrich Himmler while he was commander of Army Group Vistula.

Military historian Antony Beevor writes that when the 11th SS Panzer Army was created the available units at best could constitute a corps, "'But panzer army' observed Hans-Georg 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 was named its commander.[1] The army 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 taking part in Operation Solstice east of the Oder River in February 1945, the army was assigned to OB West and reorganized in March 1945. Many of the units formerly subordinated to the 11th SS Panzer Army were transferred to the 3rd Panzer Army and other units were assigned to the 11th Army for operations against the Western Allies. After defending the Weser River and the Harz Mountains, the 11th surrendered to the Western Allies on 21 April.[2]

Orders of battle

February 1945

By 5 February the 11th SS Panzer Army, subordinated to Army Group Vistula, had the following units assigned to it:[2]

March 1945

By 1 March the 11th SS Panzer Army, subordinated to Army Group Vistula, had no units assigned to it.[2]

April 1945

By 12 April the 11th SS Panzer Army was directly subordinated to OB West and had the following units assigned to it.[2]

See also

  • 11th Army, the official German Army name for the army. The 11th Army also existed before this last reincarnation as an army that fought on the Eastern Front earlier in the war.
  • Army Detachment Steiner fought in the Battle of Berlin, and because Steiner commanded that paper army it can easily be confused with the 11th SS Panzer Army.

References

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

Footnotes

  1. ^ Beevor p.88
  2. ^ a b c d e Tessin p.194

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