Army Detachment Steiner (Armeeabteilung Steiner), also referred to as Army Group Steiner[1]: 12 (Armeegruppe Steiner) or Group Steiner[2] (Gruppe Steiner), was a temporary military unit, mid-way in strength between a corps and an army, created on paper by Adolf Hitler on 21 April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin, and placed under the command of SS-ObergruppenführerFelix Steiner.
Hitler hoped that the units assigned to Steiner would be able to stage an effective counterattack against the northern pincer of the Soviet assault on Berlin, but Steiner refused to attack upon realizing the units were inadequate, being made up of some soldiers, Hitler Youth teenagers, emergency Luftwaffe ground personnel, and Kriegsmarine dockworkers. The only tanks available were approximately a dozen captured French tanks from 1940. It was the failure of this offensive that led Hitler to admit out loud for the first time that Germany had lost the war.
Heinrici ordered the III SS Panzer Corps, reduced to three battalions and a few tanks, to scrape together whatever forces it could find to set up a screening line along the Finow Canal to protect the southern flank of the Third Panzer Army from an attack by Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov's1st Belorussian Front, which had broken through the Seelow Heights' defences and was encircling Berlin.[4][5]
By 21 April Adolf Hitler, ignoring the facts, started to call the ragtag units that came under Steiner's command "Army Detachment Steiner". He ordered Steiner to attack the northern flank of the huge salient created by the 1st Belorussian Front's breakout. Simultaneously the 9th Army, which had been pushed south of the salient, was to attack north in a pincer attack. To facilitate this attack Steiner was assigned the three divisions of the 9th Army's CI Army Corps, the 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division, the 5th Jäger Division, the 25th Panzergrenadier Division — all were north of the Finow Canal[note 1] — and Weidling's LVI Panzer Corps, which was still east of Berlin with its northern flank just below Werneuchen.[4][5]
The three divisions to the north were to attack south from Eberswalde (on the Finow Canal and 24 km (15 miles) east of Berlin) towards the LVI Panzer Corps, so cutting the 1st Belorussian Front's salient in two. Steiner called Heinrici and informed him that the plan could not be implemented because the 5th Jäger Division and the 25th Panzergrenadier Division were deployed defensively and could not be redeployed until the 2nd Marine Division arrived from the coast to relieve them. This left only two battalions of the 4th SS Division available, and they had no combat weapons. Heinrici called Hans Krebs, Chief of the German General Staff of (OKH), told him that the plan could not be implemented and asked to speak to Hitler, but was told Hitler was too busy to take his call.[4][5]
When, on 22 April, at his afternoon conference Hitler learned that Steiner was not going to attack, according to testimony of his secretary, he was "silent for a long time", and then insisted that the women (she and Braun) should leave Berlin immediately (but they refused). He declared that the war was lost, blamed the generals and announced that he would rather stay in Berlin until the end and then kill himself.[6][7] After 22 April "Army Detachment Steiner" was little mentioned in the Führerbunker.[8]
11th SS Panzer Army, which was part of Army Group Vistula and was under the command of Steiner while it was fighting east of the Oder River during February 1945. It was assigned to OB West and reorganized (and given the command of new units) for combat against the Western Allies in March 1945. Steiner remained in command of the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps and it remained in Army Group Vistula, transferring from the 11th to the 3rd Panzer Army. As Steiner also commanded the 11th SS Panzer Army during 1945, it can easily be confused with Army Detachment Steiner.
References
Notes
^To assign units on the far side of an enemy salient from their own command to that of the local command is not unusual. For example in the Battle of the Bulge General Eisenhower reassigned the US First and US Ninth armies on the north side of the salient to the 21st Army Group (also on the north side), because it was now fighting side by side with the armies of the 21st Army Group, while its parent army group (the 12th) was on the south side of the salient with the rest of the 12th's armies.
Footnotes
^Tessin, Georg (1977). Die Waffengattungen - Gesamtübersicht. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 1. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. ISBN3764810971.
army, detachment, steiner, armeeabteilung, steiner, also, referred, army, group, steiner, armeegruppe, steiner, group, steiner, gruppe, steiner, temporary, military, unit, strength, between, corps, army, created, paper, adolf, hitler, april, 1945, during, batt. Army Detachment Steiner Armeeabteilung Steiner also referred to as Army Group Steiner 1 12 Armeegruppe Steiner or Group Steiner 2 Gruppe Steiner was a temporary military unit mid way in strength between a corps and an army created on paper by Adolf Hitler on 21 April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin and placed under the command of SS Obergruppenfuhrer Felix Steiner Army Detachment SteinerActive21 30 April 1945Allegiance Nazi GermanyBranch German Army Waffen SSSizeMore than a corps but less than an armyEngagementsWorld War II Eastern Front Battle of BerlinCommandersNotablecommandersObergruppenfuhrer Felix Steiner Hitler hoped that the units assigned to Steiner would be able to stage an effective counterattack against the northern pincer of the Soviet assault on Berlin but Steiner refused to attack upon realizing the units were inadequate being made up of some soldiers Hitler Youth teenagers emergency Luftwaffe ground personnel and Kriegsmarine dockworkers The only tanks available were approximately a dozen captured French tanks from 1940 It was the failure of this offensive that led Hitler to admit out loud for the first time that Germany had lost the war Contents 1 History 2 Order of battle 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory EditOn the second day of the Battle of Berlin 17 April Generaloberst Gotthard Heinrici the Commander in Chief of Army Group Vistula stripped Steiner s III Germanic SS Panzer Corps the army group s reserve of its two strongest divisions the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland and the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenader Division Nederland He placed them under the command of General der Infanterie Theodor Busse commander of the 9th Army as Busse had most of the other units in the III Corps The Nordland division was sent to join Helmuth Weidling s LVI Panzer Corps defending the Seelow Heights to stiffen the sector held by the 9th Parachute Division The Nederland Division was sent south west of Frankfurt Oder and assigned to the V SS Mountain Corps where it would later be destroyed in the Battle of Halbe 3 Heinrici ordered the III SS Panzer Corps reduced to three battalions and a few tanks to scrape together whatever forces it could find to set up a screening line along the Finow Canal to protect the southern flank of the Third Panzer Army from an attack by Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov s 1st Belorussian Front which had broken through the Seelow Heights defences and was encircling Berlin 4 5 By 21 April Adolf Hitler ignoring the facts started to call the ragtag units that came under Steiner s command Army Detachment Steiner He ordered Steiner to attack the northern flank of the huge salient created by the 1st Belorussian Front s breakout Simultaneously the 9th Army which had been pushed south of the salient was to attack north in a pincer attack To facilitate this attack Steiner was assigned the three divisions of the 9th Army s CI Army Corps the 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division the 5th Jager Division the 25th Panzergrenadier Division all were north of the Finow Canal note 1 and Weidling s LVI Panzer Corps which was still east of Berlin with its northern flank just below Werneuchen 4 5 The three divisions to the north were to attack south from Eberswalde on the Finow Canal and 24 km 15 miles east of Berlin towards the LVI Panzer Corps so cutting the 1st Belorussian Front s salient in two Steiner called Heinrici and informed him that the plan could not be implemented because the 5th Jager Division and the 25th Panzergrenadier Division were deployed defensively and could not be redeployed until the 2nd Marine Division arrived from the coast to relieve them This left only two battalions of the 4th SS Division available and they had no combat weapons Heinrici called Hans Krebs Chief of the German General Staff of OKH told him that the plan could not be implemented and asked to speak to Hitler but was told Hitler was too busy to take his call 4 5 When on 22 April at his afternoon conference Hitler learned that Steiner was not going to attack according to testimony of his secretary he was silent for a long time and then insisted that the women she and Braun should leave Berlin immediately but they refused He declared that the war was lost blamed the generals and announced that he would rather stay in Berlin until the end and then kill himself 6 7 After 22 April Army Detachment Steiner was little mentioned in the Fuhrerbunker 8 Order of battle EditIII Germanic SS Panzer Corps 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division 5th Jager Division 25th Panzergrenadier DivisionSee also Edit11th SS Panzer Army which was part of Army Group Vistula and was under the command of Steiner while it was fighting east of the Oder River during February 1945 It was assigned to OB West and reorganized and given the command of new units for combat against the Western Allies in March 1945 Steiner remained in command of the III Germanic SS Panzer Corps and it remained in Army Group Vistula transferring from the 11th to the 3rd Panzer Army As Steiner also commanded the 11th SS Panzer Army during 1945 it can easily be confused with Army Detachment Steiner References EditNotes To assign units on the far side of an enemy salient from their own command to that of the local command is not unusual For example in the Battle of the Bulge General Eisenhower reassigned the US First and US Ninth armies on the north side of the salient to the 21st Army Group also on the north side because it was now fighting side by side with the armies of the 21st Army Group while its parent army group the 12th was on the south side of the salient with the rest of the 12th s armies Footnotes Tessin Georg 1977 Die Waffengattungen Gesamtubersicht Verbande und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939 1945 in German Vol 1 Osnabruck Biblio Verlag ISBN 3764810971 OKW War Diary 27 April 1945 Beevor p 141 a b c Beevor pp 267 268 a b c Ziemke pp 87 88 Beevor p 275 Ziemke p 89 Beevor p 298 Bibliography Beevor Antony Berlin The Downfall 1945 Penguin Books 2002 ISBN 0 670 88695 5 Ziemke Earl F Battle For Berlin End Of The Third Reich NY Ballantine Books London Macdomald amp Co 1969 Portals Military of Germany World War II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Army Detachment Steiner amp oldid 1143019089, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
