Army Group North Rear Area
| Army Group North Rear Area | |
|---|---|
| Rückwärtiges Heeresgebiet Nord | |
| Active | 1941-44 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Branch | Army (Wehrmacht) |
| Part of | Army Group North and Army High Command |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Franz von Roques Kuno-Hans von Both |
Army Group North Rear Area (Rückwärtiges Heeresgebiet North) was one of the three Army Group Rear Area Commands, established during the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union. Initially commanded by General Franz von Roques, it was an area of military jurisdiction behind Wehrmacht's Army Group North.
The Group North Rear Area's outward function was to provide security behind the fighting troops. It was also a site of mass murder during The Holocaust and other crimes against humanity targeting the civilian population. In the words of historian Michael Parrish, the army commander "presided over an empire of terror and brutality".
The commander of the Army Group North Rear Area, General Franz von Roques, was responsible for the rear area security. Its headquarters was subordinated to Army Group North, while also reporting to the Wehrmacht's Quartermaster General Eduard Wagner, who had the overall responsibility for rear area security. The tasks also included transfer of prisoners of war to the rear.
Roques controlled three Security Divisions (207th, 281st, and 285th) and oversaw the units of Secret Field Police of the Wehrmacht. He operated in parallel, and in cooperation, with Hans-Adolf Prützmann and, since November 1941, with Friedrich Jeckeln, the Higher SS and Police Leaders appointed by the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler.
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