18th Army (German Empire)
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18. Armee 18th Army |
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Flag of the Staff of an Armee Oberkommando (1871–1918)
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| Active | 22 December 1917 – 2 January 1919 |
| Country |
 German Empire
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| Type | Army |
| Engagements | |
The 18th Army (German: 18. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 18 / A.O.K. 18) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed against France on 27 December 1917 from the former Heeresgruppe Woyrsch command. It served exclusively on the Western Front and was dissolved on 2 January 1919.
18th Army was one of three armies (along with 17th Army and 19th Army) formed in late 1917 / early 1918 with forces withdrawn from the Eastern Front. They were in place to take part in Ludendorff's Spring Offensive. The Germans had realised that their only remaining chance of victory was to defeat the Allies before the overwhelming human and matériel resources of the United States could be deployed. They also had the temporary advantage in numbers afforded by nearly 50 divisions freed by the Russian withdrawing from the war (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk).
At the end of the war it was serving as part of Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz.
By the end of the war, the 18th Army was organised as:
18th Army was commanded throughout its existence by General der Infanterie Oskar von Hutier (previously commander of 8th Army).
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