German Wehrmacht

German Wehrmacht
Unit name	Wehrmacht
Caption	Wehrmacht infantry with a PaK 36 anti-tank gun on the Eastern Front, 1941.
Dates	1935–1945
Country	Nazi Germany, German Reich
Branch	Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe
Type	Armed forces
Role	National defense
Size	~18 million (total served)
Garrison	Zossen
Garrison label	Supreme Command
Battles	* Spanish Civil War * World War II ** Invasion of Poland ** Battle of France ** Operation Barbarossa ** North African campaign ** Battle of Stalingrad ** Battle of Normandy ** Battle of Berlin
Commander1	Adolf Hitler (Supreme Commander)
Commander1 label	Commander-in-chief
Commander2	Werner von Blomberg
Commander2 label	First Minister of War
Commander3	Wilhelm Keitel
Commander3 label	Chief of OKW
Notable commanders	Werner von Fritsch, Walther von Brauchitsch, Erich Raeder, Karl Dönitz, Hermann Göring, Erwin Rommel, Heinz Guderian, Erich von Manstein, Friedrich Paulus, Albert Kesselring

German Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It succeeded the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic and was central to Adolf Hitler's aggressive expansionist policies, fighting major campaigns across Europe and North Africa. Comprising the Heer (army), Kriegsmarine (navy), and Luftwaffe (air force), it was formally dissolved following Germany's unconditional surrender in World War II.

History and formation

The Wehrmacht was officially established on 16 March 1935, when Hitler announced the reintroduction of conscription in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. This act formally transformed the limited Reichswehr into a large-scale military force under the control of the Nazi Party. The foundational law, the "Law for the Reconstruction of the National Defense Forces," was championed by Werner von Blomberg, the Minister of War. The creation of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) in 1938, following the Blomberg–Fritsch affair, solidified Hitler's direct personal command over the military, marginalizing the traditional authority of the German General Staff.

Structure and organization

The Wehrmacht was divided into three main branches: the Heer, the Kriegsmarine, and the Luftwaffe. Supreme command rested with Hitler as Führer, with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), led by Wilhelm Keitel, acting as his military staff. The Heer was overseen by the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), while the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe were commanded by the Oberkommando der Marine (OKM) and Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) respectively. Key operational formations included Army Groups, Panzer divisions pioneered by commanders like Heinz Guderian, and elite units such as the Fallschirmjäger and the Waffen-SS, the latter being a separate military branch of the Nazi Party.

Operations and campaigns

The Wehrmacht's first major operation was the Invasion of Poland in September 1939, which triggered World War II. This was followed by rapid victories in the Battle of France and the Low Countries in 1940. The Luftwaffe was defeated in the Battle of Britain, halting plans for Operation Sea Lion. The pivotal Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, led to massive battles like the Siege of Leningrad, the Battle of Moscow, and the Battle of Stalingrad, where the 6th Army was destroyed. Other major theaters included the North African campaign, led by Erwin Rommel, the Italian campaign after the Allied invasion of Sicily, and the defensive battles following the Battle of Normandy and the Soviet advance into East Prussia.

Equipment and technology

The Wehrmacht was initially equipped with advanced weaponry that facilitated its Blitzkrieg doctrine. The Heer utilized tanks like the Panzer III, Panzer IV, and later the heavy Tiger I and Panther tank. Standard infantry weapons included the Karabiner 98k rifle and the MP 40 submachine gun. The Kriegsmarine focused on U-boat warfare with Type VII submarines, and surface vessels like the Bismarck-class battleship. The Luftwaffe employed aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bomber, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, and later the first operational jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262. The development of V-2 rockets by Wernher von Braun represented pioneering advances in ballistic missile technology.

War crimes and controversies

The Wehrmacht was deeply complicit in the crimes of the Nazi regime, acting in close cooperation with the SS and Sicherheitsdienst (SD). Its forces actively participated in the Holocaust, the Barbarossa decree, and the Commissar Order, leading to the mass murder of Jews, Romani people, and Soviet prisoners of war. Atrocities were widespread, including the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre and brutal anti-partisan warfare in occupied territories like Belarus and Yugoslavia. These actions were systematically examined in the post-war Nuremberg trials, including the High Command Trial, which challenged the myth of the "clean Wehrmacht."

Dissolution and legacy

The Wehrmacht effectively ceased to exist with the German Instrument of Surrender in May 1945. Allied Control Council Law No. 34 formally dissolved it in August 1946. Its legacy is complex, encompassing military professionalism and tactical innovation studied in academies like the United States Military Academy, but forever tainted by its integral role in Nazi aggression and genocide. The subsequent establishment of the Bundeswehr in West Germany in 1955 was explicitly based on a new democratic tradition, fundamentally rejecting the political legacy of the Wehrmacht while incorporating some of its veteran personnel during the Cold War.

Category:Bundes.