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| Sixth United States Army Group | |
|---|---|
 Shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | 1944–45 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Army group |
| Role | Army groupheadquarters |
| Size | c. 700,000 officers and men:[a]Seventh US andFirst French Armies |
| Part of | Allied Expeditionary Force |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Jacob L. Devers |
The 6th United States Army Group (also referred to as theSouthern Group of Armies) was anAlliedarmy group that fought in theEuropean Theater of Operations duringWorld War II. Made up offield armies from both theUnited States Army and theFrench Army, it fought in France, Germany, Austria, and, briefly, Italy. It was established in July 1944 and commanded throughout its duration by GeneralJacob L. Devers.
In a lead role inOperation Undertone, itsSeventh Army fought its way across the Rhine into Germany, capturedNuremberg and thenMunich. Finally it crossed theBrenner Pass and made contact with theUS Fifth Army atVipiteno, Italy.[3]
The Sixth Army Group was originally created inCorsica, France (specifically activated on 29 July 1944[4]) as "Advanced Allied Force HQ", a special headquarters withinAFHQ (the headquarters ofHenry Maitland Wilson, the Supreme CommanderMediterranean Theatre) commanded byLieutenant GeneralJacob L. Devers. Its initial role was to supervise the planning of the combinedFrench and American forces which invaded southern France inOperation Dragoon and provide liaison between these forces and AFHQ.[5][6] Dragoon was the operational responsibility of theSeventh United States Army commanded by Lt. Gen.Alexander Patch.[5] Available to Patch were three corps (US VI Corps and French I and II Corps) and 24,000Maquis of theForces Francaises de l'Interieur.[6] The two French corps constitutedFrench Army B commanded byGénéralJean de Lattre de Tassigny[7] which was later renamedFrench First Army. Although Sixth Army Group Headquarters was officially activated on 1 August, it consisted of only the personnel of the Advanced Detachment AFHQ and, for reasons of security, retained the detachment title. The Advanced Detachment headquarters on Corsica had no command or operational duties and functioned primarily as a liaison and coordinating agency while preparing itself for the day it would become operational in France as Sixth Army Group headquarters.[4]
Devers' headquarters remained subordinate to AFHQ during the invasion and in the weeks immediately afterwards while operational control of the troops on the ground resided with Patch until his forces linked nearDijon, France, withTwelfth United States Army Group'sThird Army advancing from the west after breaking out of theNormandy beachhead. At this time, on 15 September, Devers' headquarters was designated Sixth Army Group to take operational control of Seventh Army and French Army B and came under the overall command of GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander atSHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces).[8]
In late 1944 and early 1945 the Sixth Army Group was involved in fierce fighting in the Alsace repelling the German advance duringOperation Nordwind and subsequent pitched engagements closing off theColmar Pocket. The 63rd Infantry Division was the first Seventh Army unit to cross theSiegfried Line, and the first to get an entire division through it. The 3rd Infantry Division suffered the highest casualty count of all US divisions, with over 27,000 casualties.
The Army Group later advanced throughBavaria, and eventually into westernAustria in the waning days of the war. Elements of Sixth Army Group linked up south of theBrenner Pass on 4 May 1945 with troops of theFifth United States Army of theAllied 15th Army Group advancing north fromItaly.[3] Germany surrendered on 9 May 1945.
The Sixth Army Group effectively inactivated on 15 June 1945 when the US Seventh Army was selected, along with the Third Army, to form the occupation forces of Germany. It remained as an occupation and defensive force in southern Germany into the early 21st Century. It also occupied part of Austria until that country was released from occupation in the mid-1950s.
The French First Army reverted to the control of the provisional French government shortly after the surrender of Germany.
Devers relinquished command of the Sixth Army Group in late June 1945 when he was selected to take command of theArmy Ground Forces in lieu of GeneralJoseph Stilwell who was reassigned as commander of theTenth United States Army following the death of GeneralSimon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.
The Sixth Army Group was officially inactivated on 20 July 1945.
Order of battle shifted frequently in the Sixth Army Group, but accelerated dramatically during its late-war push through southernBavaria into theAustrian Alps to head off German establishment of aNational Redoubt and close off passes to Nazi escape. Order of Battle on 8 May represents a significantly different disposition in some instances than in the weeks and even days leading up to it.
6th Army Group – GeneralJacob L. Devers
Seventh Army – Lieutenant GeneralAlexander M. Patch
12th Armored Division – Major GeneralRoderick R. Allen
45th Infantry Division – Major GeneralRobert T. Frederick
63rd Infantry Division – Major GeneralLouis E. Hibbs
100th Infantry Division – Major GeneralWithers A. Burress
VI Corps – Major GeneralEdward H. Brooks
10th Armored Division – Major GeneralWilliam H. H. Morris, Jr.
44th Infantry Division – Major GeneralWilliam F. Dean
103rd Infantry Division – Major GeneralAnthony C. McAuliffe
XV Corps – Major GeneralWade H. Haislip.svg)
3rd Infantry Division – Major GeneralJohn W. O'Daniel
20th Armored Division – Major GeneralOrlando Ward
42nd Infantry Division – Major GeneralHarry J. Collins
86th Infantry Division – Major GeneralHarris M. Melasky
XXI Corps – Major GeneralFrank W. Milburn
French2nd Armored Division – Major GeneralPhilippe Leclerc
36th Infantry Division – Major GeneralJohn E. Dahlquist
101st Airborne Division – Major GeneralMaxwell D. Taylor
French First Army – GeneralJean de Lattre de Tassigny
French2nd Moroccan Infantry Division – Brigadier GeneralFrançois de Linarès
French4th Moroccan Mountain Division – Major GeneralRene de Hasdin
French9th Colonial Infantry Division – Brigadier GeneralJean-Étienne Valluy
French10th Infantry Division – Brigadier GeneralPierre Billotte French1st Armored Division – Brigadier GeneralAime Sudre
French1st Motorised Infantry Division – Brigadier GeneralPierre Garbay
French1st Infantry Division – Brigadier GeneralJean Callies
French3rd Algerian Infantry Division – Major GeneralAugustin Guillaume
French14th Infantry Division – Brigadier GeneralRaoul Salan
French5th Armored Division – Brigadier GeneralGuy Schlesser
French27th Alpine Infantry Division – ColonelJean Vallette d'Osia
