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| XXXXVIII (XLVIII). Panzerkorps | |
|---|---|
| Active | 15 December 1940 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country | |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Panzer corps |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Corps |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Hermann Balck Dietrich von Choltitz Hans Cramer Walter Nehring |
XXXXVIII Panzer Corps (also:XXXXVIII Army Corp orXXXXVIII. Armeekorps)[note 1], was acorps-level formation of theGerman Army which saw extensive action on both theEastern andWestern Fronts during World War II.
The corps was originally formed on 15 December 1940 in Germany. At the dawn ofOperation Barbarossa, on 22 June 1941, the Corps was attached to Field MarshalEwald von Kleist'sPanzer Group 1, a part ofArmy Group South. The corps took part in theBattle of Brody early in the campaign, and later saw action atBerdichev andKirovograd. As did all German Corps on the Eastern Front, the XLVIII Motorized Corps implemented the criminalCommissar Order.[1]
From late 1941 to May 1942, the corps took part in defensive operations in theKursk area. It was renamed the XLVIII Panzer Corps in early summer 1942.[2] Thereafter the corps joined the Fall Blau offensive towards Stalingrad under Army Group B.
During theBattle of Stalingrad the 29th Motorized Infantry Division (transferred to the IV Army Corps), the14th Panzer Division and the24th Panzer Division (both transferred to theLI Army Corps) was trapped inside the Stalingrad pocket.
The remaining major units,22nd Panzer Division and 1st Armoured Division (Romania), were almost destroyed duringOperation Uranus. It was quickly reformed and used by Field MarshalErich von Manstein'sOperation Winter Storm efforts to relieve GeneralFriedrich Paulus' trappedSixth Army still in Stalingrad.
In February 1943, the XLVIII Panzer Corps took part in the battles aroundKharkov, and in June it was committed to the southern flank of theBattle of Kursk as part of4th Panzer Army (Hermann Hoth ). After the failure ofOperation Citadel, the corps took part in the retreat from Ukraine. By February 1945, the corps found itself inSilesia, and it ended the war defending theElbe River, where it surrendered in May 1945.
XXXXVIII Motorized Corps
XXXXVIII Panzer Corps
XXXXVIII Panzer Corps
XXXXVIII Panzer Corps