2nd Army (German Empire)

The 2nd Army (German: 2. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 2 / A.O.K. 2) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 from the III Army Inspection.^[1] The army was disbanded in 1919 during demobilization after the war.^[2]

2. Armee 2nd Army
Flag of the Staff of an Armee Oberkommando (1871–1918)
Active	2 August 1914 – 13 January 1919
Country	German Empire
Type	Army
Engagements	World War I
Insignia
Abbreviation	A.O.K. 2

History

The 2nd Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914. Commanded by General Karl von Bülow, the 2nd Army's mission was to support the 1st Army's sweep around the left flank of the French Army and encircle Paris, bringing a rapid conclusion to the war. The 2nd Army laid siege to, and took the Belgian fortresses around Namur, and fought General Charles Lanrezac's French 5th Army at the Battle of Charleroi on 23–24 August 1914 and again at St. Quentin on 29–30 August 1914.

2nd Army bore the brunt of the Allied attack in the Battle of the Somme. It had grown to such an extent that a decision was made to split it into two still-powerful armies. Therefore, 1st Army was reformed on 19 July 1916 from the right (northern) wing of the 2nd Army. The former commander of 2nd Army, General der Infanterie Fritz von Below, took command of 1st Army and 2nd Army got a new commander General der Artillerie Max von Gallwitz. Von Gallwitz was also installed as commander of Heeresgruppe Gallwitz – Somme to co-ordinate the actions of both armies on the Somme.^[3]

A large proportion of the Army would be wiped out during the joint Anglo-French offensive on the Somme.

At the end of the war it was serving as part of Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht.^[4]

Order of Battle, 30 October 1918

By the end of the war, the 2nd Army was organised as:

Organization of 2nd Army on 30 October 1918^[5]

Army	Corps	Division
2nd Army	54th Corps (z.b.V.)	21st Reserve Division
		22nd Division
		4th Division
		113th Division
		239th Division
		12th Reserve Division
		Jäger Division
		185th Division
	IV Reserve Corps	14th Division
		58th Division
		18th Reserve Division
		30th Division
		44th Reserve Division
	51st Corps (z.b.V.)	2nd Cyclist Brigade
		243rd Division
		121st Division
		54th Division
		1st Guards Reserve Division
		22nd Reserve Division
	Under Army command	17th Reserve Division

Commanders

The 2nd Army had the following commanders during its existence.^[6]

2nd Army

From	Commander	Previously	Subsequently,
2 August 1914	Generaloberst Karl von Bülow	III Army Inspectorate (III. Armee-Inspektion)	Heart attack, retired
27 January 1915	Generalfeldmarschall Karl von Bülow
4 April 1915	General der Infanterie Fritz von Below	XXI Corps	1st Army
19 July 1916	General der Artillerie Max von Gallwitz	Attack Group West	5th Army
17 December 1916	General der Kavallerie Georg von der Marwitz	VI Corps	5th Army
22 September 1918	General der Infanterie Adolph von Carlowitz	9th Army

Glossary

• Armee-Abteilung or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.^[7]
• Armee-Gruppe or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
• Heeresgruppe or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

See also

• Germany portal

• 2nd Army (Wehrmacht) for the equivalent formation in World War II
• German Army order of battle (1914)
• German Army order of battle, Western Front (1918)
• Schlieffen Plan

References

1. Cron 2002, p. 393
2. Cron 2002, p. 79
3. Cron 2002, p. 49
4. Ellis & Cox 1993, p. 187
5. Ellis & Cox 1993, p. 187
6. Cron 2002, p. 393
7. Cron 2002, p. 84

Bibliography

• Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914–18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.
• Ellis, John; Cox, Michael (1993). The World War I Databook. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85410-766-6.