Army Group B

Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II.

Battle for France
The first was involved in the Western Campaign in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands which was to be aimed to conquer the Maas bridges after the German airborne actions in Rotterdam. Army Group B had approximately 300,000 men involved in these operations which occurred in May 1940.

Eastern Front
The second Army Group B was formed when Army Group South was split into two formations for the summer offensive of 1942. Army Group B was given the task of protecting the northern flank of Army Group A, and included the 6th Army's attack on Stalingrad.

In February 1943, the existing Army Group B and Army Group Don were combined to create a new Army Group South. This was done on the Eastern Front.

Italy and northern France
A new Army Group B was formed in northern Italy under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in 1943, to defend against a possible allied attack there.

Army Group B was subsequently moved to northern France to defend against the D-Day landings, 6 June 1944. On 19 July, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge took command from Rommel. About one month later, on 17 August, Field Marshal Walter Model replaced von Kluge. From 1944 to 1945, the army group fought in the campaigns in France. Army Group B participated in the Battle of Normandy. Moving to the Low Countries, Model received a shock when his HQ was located at Osterbeek close to Arnhem during the 17th September start of Operation Market Garden before the army group participated in the Battle of the Bulge. Finally, Army Group B was isolated in the Ruhr Pocket in northern Germany and, after being divided up into smaller and smaller sections, the final section was surrendered on 21 April 1945.

Commanders
Western Front Eastern Front Northern Italy/Northern France
 * 12 October 1939 Fedor von Bock
 * August 1942 to February 1943 Maximilian von Weichs
 * 14 July 1943 Erwin Rommel
 * 19 July 1944 Günther von Kluge
 * 17 August 1944 Walter Model

Army Group HQ troops

 * 537th Signals Regiment
 * 605th Signals Regiment (2nd list)