III Army Corps (Wehrmacht)

III Army Corps

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 Army Group North. It then took part in Fall Gelb as a part of Army Group 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). The Corps was attached to Army Group South for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. The corps advanced through Ukraine and took part in the Battle of Brody, Battle of Kiev, Battle of Rostov, Battle of Kharkov and Battle of Uman.

III Panzer Corps

III Panzer Corps was formed in June 1942 from III Army Corps and attached to Army Group A, the formation tasked with capturing the Caucasus as a part of Fall Blau. After the loss of the 6th Army at the Battle of Stalingrad, III Panzer Corps took part in the battles around Kharkov as part of Army Group Don. During Operation Citadel, the Corps was the striking force of Army Detachment Kempf as they attempted to protect the right flank of the 4th Panzer Army. It was involved in the retreat from Belgorod to the Dniepr.

At the beginning of 1944, the Corps participated in the relief of the forces trapped in the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket. In March the Corps was encircled in the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket, along with the rest of the 1st Panzer Army. III Corps drove 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 Panzertruppe Hermann Breith.

In late 1944, III Panzerkorps participated in Operation Konrad, the failed attempts to relieve the German and Hungarian garrison at Budapest. The corps then took part in Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary. After its failure, the corps retreated through Austria, surrendering to the U.S. Army on 8 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 Panzertruppe Leo Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (31 Mar 1942 - 20 July 1942)

Generaloberst Eberhard von Mackensen (20 July 1942 - 2 Jan 1943)

General der Panzertruppe 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 Panzertruppe Hermann Breith (9 Jan 1944 - 31 May 1944)

General der Panzertruppe Dietrich von Saucken (31 May 1944 - 29 June 1944)

General der Panzertruppe 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

|II 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