Army Detachment Kempf
German Army Detachment Kempf was an army-sized formation of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front during World War II. As part of Army Group South, Detachment Kempf saw action during Operation Citadel, the German attempt to cut off the Kursk salient and destroy a large part of the Soviet army.
| Army Detachment | |
|---|---|
| Armeeabteilung Kempf | |
 | |
| Active | 1 February 1943 – 22 August 1943 |
| Country | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Branch | Army |
| Engagements | Kursk |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Werner Kempf |
Operational history
The detachment was formed on 1 February 1943 as Armee-Abteilung Lanz, led by Hubert Lanz. On 21 February 1943 Lanz was replaced by Werner Kempf and the detachment was renamed to reflect this change. In February–March that year, The detachment fought in the Third Battle of Kharkov.
The detachment took part in the Battle of Kursk. Beginning on the night of 4/5 July 1943, III Panzer Corps, Kempf Army's primary attack formation, spearheaded the thrust east of Belgorod. After the failure of the operation, Army Detachment Kempf retreated with the rest of Army Group South. Kempf was relieved of command on 17 August 1943. He was replaced by Otto Wöhler on August 16 and the detachment was designated as the 8th Army.
The order of battle for Operation Citadel was:[1]
- III Panzer Corps: 6th, 7th, & 19th Panzer Divisions, 168th Infantry Division
- XI Army Corps: 106th, 198th, 320th Infantry Divisions
- XLII Army Corps: 39th, 161st, 282nd Infantry Divisions
Commander
| No. | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General der Gebirgstruppe Hubert Lanz (1896–1982) | 1 February 1943 | 21 February 1943 | 20 days | |
| 2 | General der Panzertruppe Werner Kempf (1886–1964) | 21 February 1943 | 16 August 1943 | 176 days | |
| 3 | General der Infanterie Otto Wöhler (1894–1987) | 17 August 1943 | 22 August 1943 | 5 days |
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