III Corps (Germany)

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 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 disaster at Stalingrad, III Panzerkorps took part in the battles around Kharkov as part of Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein's Heeresgruppe Don.

The Corps was attached to Generaloberst Hermann Hoth's 4.Panzerarmee in Operation Citadel, and 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, along with the rest of Generaloberst Hans-Valentin Hube's 1.Panzerarmee was trapped in the Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket, and was heavily involved in 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 8th May 1945.

Commanders

*Generaloberst Curt Haase (1 Sep 1939 - 13 Nov 1940)
*General der Infanterie Kurt von Greiff (13 Nov 1940 - 15 Jan 1941)
*Generaloberst Eberhard von Mackensen (15 Jan 1941 - 31 Mar 1942)
*General der Panzertruppen Leo Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (31 Mar 1942 - 20 July 1942)
*Generaloberst Eberhard von Mackensen (20 July 1942 - 2 Jan 1943)
*General der Panzertruppen Hermann Breith (2 Jan 1943 - 20 Oct 1943)
*General der Artillerie Heinz Ziegler (20 Oct 1943 - 25 Nov 1943)
*General der Infanterie Friedrich Schulz (25 Nov 1943 - 9 Jan 1944)
*General der Panzertruppen Hermann Breith (9 Jan 1944 - 31 May 1944)
*General der Panzertruppen Dietrich von Saucken (31 May 1944 - 29 June 1944)
*General der Panzertruppen Hermann Breith (29 June 1944 - 8 May 1945)

Orders Of Battle

III.Armeekorps, May 1940 - Fall Gelb

*Stab der Korps
**Arko 3
**Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 43
**Korps-Nachschubtruppen 403
**Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 403
*3.Infanterie Division
*23.Infanterie Division
*52.Infanterie Division

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

*Stab der Korps
**Arko 3
**Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 43
**Korps-Nachschubtruppen 403
**Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 403
*14.Panzer Division
*60.Infanterie Division (mot)
*13.Panzer Division
*SS-Division "Wiking"
*198.Infanterie Division

III.Panzerkorps, July 1943 - Operation Citadel

* Corps Troops (Stab der Korps)
** Artillery Commander 3 (Arko 3)
** 43rd Panzer Signal Battalion
** Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 43
** Korps-Nachschubtruppen 403
** Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 403
* Corps attached units
** 228.Sturmgeschütz-Brigade
** 393.Sturmgeschütz-Brigade
** 905.Sturmgeschütz-Brigade
** 503.schwere-Panzer-Abteilung
* 6.Panzer-Division under Major General Walther von Hünersdorff
** 11.Panzer-Regiment (with 86 tanks)
** 4.Panzergrenadier-Regiment
** 114.Panzergrenadier-Regiment
** 76.Panzerartillerie-Regiment
* 7.Panzer-Division under Lieutenant General Hans Freiherr von Funck
** 25.Panzer-Regiment (with 87 tanks)
** 6.Panzergrenadier-Regiment
** 7.Panzergrenadier-Regiment
** 78.Panzerartillerie-Regiment
* 19.Panzer-Division under Lieutenant General Gustav Schmidt
** 27.Panzer-Regiment (with 70 tanks)
** 73.Panzergrenadier-Regiment
** 74.Panzergrenadier-Regiment
** 19.Panzerartillerie-Regiment
* 168.Infanterie-Division under Major General Walter Chales de Beaulieu
** 417.Infanterie-Regiment
** 429.Infanterie-Regiment
** 442.Infanterie-Regiment
** 248.Artillerie-Regiment

III Panzerkorps, March 1944 - Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket

*Stab der Korps
**Arko 3
**Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 43
**Korps-Nachschubtruppen 403
**Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 403
*1.Panzer Division
*16.Panzer Division
*17.Panzer Division
*1.SS Panzer Division "Leibstandate SS Adolf Hitler"
*schwere Panzer Abteilung 509

III Panzerkorps, March 1945 - Operation Spring Awakening

*Stab der Korps
**Arko 3
**Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 43
**Korps-Nachschubtruppen 403
**Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 403
**schwere-Panzer-Abteilung 509
*3.Panzer Division
*1.Panzer Division
*23.Panzer Division

ee also

* Panzer, Panzer Division
* Corps, Military unit
* Wehrmacht, List of German military units of World War II