Wehrmacht Supreme Command

Wehrmacht Supreme Command
Unit name	Wehrmacht Supreme Command
Native name	Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Caption	The Bendlerblock in Berlin, headquarters of the OKW.
Dates	4 February 1938 – 8 May 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Wehrmacht
Type	High Command
Role	Central military command
Garrison	Bendlerblock, Berlin; later Maybach I & II, Zossen
Garrison label	Headquarters
Commander1	Wilhelm Keitel
Commander1 label	Chief
Commander2	Alfred Jodl
Commander2 label	Chief of Operations Staff
Notable commanders	Walter Warlimont

Wehrmacht Supreme Command. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) was the supreme military command body of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht from 1938 until the end of the Second World War. Formed by Adolf Hitler to centralize control over the armed forces, it directly managed strategic planning and coordination between the Army, Navy, and Luftwaffe. Throughout the conflict, the OKW served as Hitler's primary military staff, though its authority was often contested by the traditional service high commands, particularly the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH).

Formation and structure

The OKW was established on 4 February 1938 following the Blomberg–Fritsch affair, which allowed Hitler to remove the conservative military leadership of Werner von Blomberg and Werner von Fritsch. This reorganization formally replaced the Reich Ministry of War and was designed to solidify Hitler's personal control over the military apparatus. Its core structure included the Wehrmachtführungsstab (WFSt), the Operations Staff led by Alfred Jodl, which became the nerve center for strategic direction. Other key departments handled intelligence, logistics, and economic affairs, operating from headquarters in the Bendlerblock in Berlin and later the fortified Zossen bunker complex.

Role and responsibilities

The OKW's primary role was to translate Hitler's strategic directives into operational orders for the three service branches. It was responsible for overall theater coordination, particularly in the latter stages of the war across Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and Scandinavia. However, a critical division of responsibility emerged after the launch of Operation Barbarossa, where Hitler decreed that the Oberkommando des Heeres would control the Eastern Front, while the OKW managed all other theaters. This created a parallel and often inefficient command structure, with the OKW acting as a conduit for Hitler's increasingly micro-managed orders.

Key personnel

The OKW was dominated by officers personally loyal to Hitler. Wilhelm Keitel, a career staff officer, served as its Chief, earning the derisive nickname "Lakeitel" for his perceived subservience. The strategically vital Operations Staff was commanded by Alfred Jodl, who, alongside his deputy Walter Warlimont, was instrumental in daily strategic planning and briefing the Führer. Other notable figures included intelligence chief Wilhelm Canaris of the Abwehr until 1944, and Rudolf Schmundt, Hitler's chief military adjutant. The organization lacked the prestige of the frontline-oriented OKH, which was led by figures like Franz Halder and Heinz Guderian.

Relationship with Nazi leadership

The OKW's existence institutionalized the subordination of the German military to the Nazi Party. Hitler, as Supreme Commander, used the OKW to bypass the traditional German General Staff and impose his will directly. This relationship was characterized by increasing tension and sycophancy, especially after major setbacks like the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Normandy. The OKW was deeply implicated in implementing criminal orders, including the Commissar Order and directives for partisan warfare, which facilitated atrocities across occupied Europe. The failed 20 July plot in 1944 further solidified Nazi control, leading to a purge and the appointment of unwavering loyalists.

Operational history

The OKW planned and oversaw the initial, successful campaigns of the war, including the Invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, and the Balkans campaign. Its coordination was less effective during the Battle of Britain and the escalating Battle of the Atlantic. From 1941 onward, its operational purview was largely confined to non-Eastern Front theaters, directing actions in North Africa, the Italian campaign, and the defense of Fortress Europe after the invasion of Sicily. The OKW managed the desperate Ardennes Offensive in 1944 and the final defense of Germany during the Allied invasion.

Dissolution and legacy

The OKW effectively ceased to exist with the German Instrument of Surrender in May 1945. Its senior leadership, including Keitel and Jodl, were arrested and tried as major war criminals by the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg trials. Both were convicted for crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity; Jodl was executed, and Keitel faced the same fate. Historians largely view the OKW as a tool of Hitler's destructive leadership, which contributed to strategic blunders, the fragmentation of German military command, and the execution of a criminal war of annihilation. Its records remain a vital source for studying the operational and political history of World War II.

Category:Wehrmacht Category:Military history of Germany during World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1938 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945