Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht. The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1946, succeeding the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy), and the Luftwaffe (air force), operating under the supreme command of Adolf Hitler. As the primary military instrument of the Nazi regime, it was central to the execution of World War II across Europe and North Africa, engaging in campaigns from the Invasion of Poland to the Battle of Berlin.

History

The Wehrmacht was formally established on 16 March 1935, in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles, which had imposed severe restrictions on German military strength. This rearmament was driven by the Nazi leadership, particularly Adolf Hitler and Minister of War Werner von Blomberg, who sought to create a modern, expansionist military force. Its early combat experience came through intervention in the Spanish Civil War, where the Legion Condor tested new tactics and equipment. The rapid expansion and modernization, known as the Aufrüstung, transformed the Reichswehr into a formidable war machine, setting the stage for aggressive territorial conquests beginning with the Anschluss of Austria and the Occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Organization and structure

The Wehrmacht was organized into three main branches: the Heer, the Kriegsmarine, and the Luftwaffe, each with its own command structure under the overarching Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) led by Wilhelm Keitel. The Heer was the largest component, divided into army groups and Panzer divisions, pioneered by generals like Heinz Guderian. The Kriegsmarine, under Erich Raeder and later Karl Dönitz, focused on U-boat warfare and surface fleet operations. The Luftwaffe, commanded by Hermann Göring, provided air support and conducted strategic bombing campaigns such as the Battle of Britain. Key supporting organizations included the Waffen-SS, which often operated under Wehrmacht tactical control, and the Abwehr military intelligence service.

Role in World War II

The Wehrmacht executed a series of Blitzkrieg campaigns that brought rapid initial successes, including the Invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, and the Balkans Campaign. Its most significant and costly theater was the Eastern Front following Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which led to colossal battles like the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk. In North Africa, the Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel fought against the British Eighth Army. After the Battle of Normandy and the Soviet advance, the Wehrmacht conducted a protracted defense during the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine until its final collapse in the Battle of Berlin.

War crimes and atrocities

The Wehrmacht was deeply complicit in the crimes of the Nazi regime, systematically participating in and facilitating The Holocaust and other atrocities. Its directives, such as the Commissar Order and the Barbarossa Decree, explicitly sanctioned the murder of Red Army political commissars, partisans, and civilians. Wehrmacht units actively supported Einsatzgruppen death squads in the Soviet Union, engaged in brutal anti-partisan warfare across Eastern Europe, and enforced a ruthless occupation policy that included the Hunger Plan and the taking of millions of prisoners of war who died in captivity. These actions were examined in trials like the High Command Trial at Nuremberg.

Dissolution and legacy

The Wehrmacht was formally dissolved by the Allied Control Council on 20 August 1946, with its official disbandment declared on 20 September 1946. Its legacy is complex, historically shaped by the post-war myth of the "clean Wehrmacht," which falsely portrayed it as an apolitical, professional army separate from the crimes of the SS. This narrative was progressively dismantled by historical research from scholars like those at the Institut für Zeitgeschichte, leading to major public exhibitions such as the Wehrmacht exhibition in the 1990s. The subsequent armed forces of West Germany and East Germany, the Bundeswehr and the National People's Army, were explicitly constructed as new institutions with different traditions, though some former Wehrmacht officers like Hans Speidel served in advisory roles during the early Cold War.

Category:Military history of Germany during World War II Category:Disbanded armed forces Category:1935 establishments in Germany