The 5th Army was established on 25 August 1939 in Wehrkreis VI with General Curt Liebmann in command. Responsible for the defense of the Siegfried Line in the vicinity of Trier as part of Army Group C from 3 September, the army was assigned the Eifel Border Troops (86th, Trier Border, 26th, and 227th Divisions) and the VI Army Corps (16th, 69th, 211th, and 216th Infantry Divisions). It also included the 58th, 87th, 78th, and 268th Infantry Divisions in army reserve.