Army Group Don

{{Infobox military unit

| unit_name = Army Group Don

| native_name = {{langx|de|Heeresgruppe Don}}

| dates = 21 Nov 1942 — 12 Feb 1943

| country = {{flag|Nazi Germany}}

| branch = 16px Heer (16px Wehrmacht)

| type = Army group

| size = 3–5 armies

| battles = Battle of Stalingrad

| notable_commanders = Erich von Manstein

}}

Army Group Don ({{langx|de|Heeresgruppe Don}}) was a short-lived army group of the German Army during World War II. It existed between November 1942 and February 1943 and was primarily concerned with the Battle of Stalingrad, which was concurrently fought.

History

{{Command structure|name=Army Group Don|date=23 November 1942{{Rp|page=1030}}|parent=|subordinate={{tree list}}

{{tree list/end}}}}After a large-scale Soviet counterattack, "Operation Uranus", had resulted in the encirclement of the German 6th Army, Adolf Hitler named Erich von Manstein as commander of a newly-formed "Army Group Don," named for the Don River, on 20 November 1942. The new formation was to consist of 6th Army, 4th Panzer Army and the remnants of the Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies.{{Cite book |last=Wegner |first=Bernd |title=Der Globale Krieg: Die Ausweitung zum Weltkrieg und der Wechsel der Initiative |publisher=Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt |year=1990 |isbn=3421060983 |editor-last=Boog, Horst |series=Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg |volume=6 |location=Stuttgart |pages=761–1102 |language=de |chapter=Der Krieg gegen die Sowjetunion 1942/43 |display-editors=et al.}}{{Rp|page=1031}}

Army Group Don was created from the headquarters of the Eleventh Army in the southern sector of the Eastern Front on 22 November 1942. Army Group Don only lasted until February 1943 when it was combined with Army Group B and was made into the new Army Group South.{{sfn|Tessin|1980|p=50}}

The only commander of Army Group Don during its short history was Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) Erich von Manstein. It consisted of the Sixth Army in the Stalingrad pocket, which included the encircled elements of the 4th Panzer Army, together with the Romanian Third Army.{{Cite book |last=Adam |first=Wilhelm |first2=Otto |last2=Ruhle |translator=Tony Le Tissier |title=With Paulus at Stalingrad |publisher=Pen and Sword Books Ltd. |year=2015 |ISBN=9781473833869 |page=113}}

Zhukov stated, "We now know that Manstein's plan to rescue the encircled forces at Stalingrad was to organize two shock forces - at Kotelnikovo and Tormosin." The attempt "was a total failure."{{Cite book |last=Zhukov |first=Georgy |title=Marshal of Victory, Volume II |publisher=Pen and Sword Books Ltd. |year=1974 |ISBN=9781781592915 |page=133,137}}

Commanders

{{Officeholder table start

| showorder = y

| showimage = y

| officeholder_title = Commander

| showtermlenght = y

| showparty = n

| showdefencebranch = n

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order = 1

| image = Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H01758%2C_Erich_v._Manstein.jpg

| military_rank = Generalfeldmarschall

| officeholder = Erich von Manstein

| officeholder_sort = Manstein, Erich

| born_year = 1887

| died_year = 1973

| term_start = 21 November 1942

| term_end = 12 February 1943

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1942|11|21|1943|02|12}}

}}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book

|last=Tessin

|first=Georg

|title=Die Landstreitkräfte: Namensverbände / Die Luftstreitkräfte (Fliegende Verbände) / Flakeinsatz im Reich 1943–1945

|trans-title=Ground forces: Named units and formations / Air forces (Flying units and formations) / Anti–aircraft service in the Reich 1943–1945

|work= Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen–SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945

|volume=14

|publisher=Biblio

|location=Osnabrück

|year=1980

|isbn=3-7648-1111-0

|language=German

}}

Don

Category:Military units and formations established in 1942

Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1943