8th Army (Wehrmacht)

8. Armee 8th Army
Hitler and his generals watching 8th army parading in the Poland campaign
Active	1939; 1943-1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Army
Type	Army
Size	30 August 1943 (start of the Battle of the Dnieper): 159,598 7 April 1944 (Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive): 230,000
Engagements	World War II

The 8th Army (German: 8. Armee Oberkommando) was a World War II field army. It existed twice during the war, in the invasion of Poland in 1939, and on the Eastern Front from 1943 onwards.

The 8th Army was activated on 1 August 1939 with General Johannes Blaskowitz in command. In 1939 it was part of Gerd von Rundstedt's Army Group South for the Invasion of Poland. It consisted of two corps, X. Armeekorps and XIII. Armeekorps, and was responsible for the northern part of Army Group South's front. The army saw heavy combat during the Battle of the Bzura. After the conclusion of the Polish campaign, it was reorganized into the 2nd Army which took part in the Battle of France in 1940.

In 1943 it was reformed after the Battle of Kursk from Army Detachment Kempf. After fierce defensive battles throughout 1943, 1944 and the first months of 1945, it finally surrendered in Austria in 1945. It fought in Hungary, Romania, and Austria in 1944 and 1945.

Commanders

No.	Portrait	Commander	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Blaskowitz, JohannesGeneraloberst Johannes Blaskowitz (1883–1948)	1 August 1939	20 October 1939	80 days
2		Wöhler, OttoGeneral der Infanterie Otto Wöhler (1894–1987)	22 August 1943	7 December 1944	1 year, 107 days
3		Kreysing, HansGeneral der Gebirgstruppe Hans Kreysing (1890–1969)	28 December 1944	8 May 1945	131 days

References

Citations

Sources

• Tessin, Georg. "Die Landstreitkräfte 6—14" [Armies 6 - 14]. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939—1945 [Units and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939—1945] (in German). Vol. 3. Frankfurt/Main: E.S. Mittler. pp. 87–90.