Army (Wehrmacht)

Army (Wehrmacht)
Unit name	Heer
Native name	Heer (Wehrmacht)
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Wehrmacht
Type	Land warfare
Active	1935–1945
Garrison	Berlin
Notable commanders	Walther von Brauchitsch, Gerd von Rundstedt, Heinz Guderian, Erwin Rommel, Fedor von Bock

Army (Wehrmacht) was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht from 1935 to 1945, serving as the principal ground arm of Nazi Germany during the Second World War. It evolved from the Reichswehr under rearmament policies associated with the Nazi Party and the leadership of Adolf Hitler, participating in campaigns across Europe, North Africa, and the Eastern Front. The force was central to doctrinal developments such as Blitzkrieg and to strategic operations including Fall Gelb and Operation Barbarossa, while also implicated in numerous war crimes and postwar tribunals such as the Nuremberg Trials.

History and Formation

The Heer emerged from the Reichswehr after the Nazi Party consolidated power and repudiated the Treaty of Versailles constraints, with rearmament overseen by figures like Werner von Blomberg and Wilhelm Keitel. Early expansion prioritized mechanization advocated by officers including Heinz Guderian and doctrinal influence from exercises with the Soviet Union such as the German–Soviet military cooperation (1922–33). Mobilization plans framed by the OKW and OKH culminated in invasions of Poland and France coordinated under commanders like Walther von Brauchitsch and Fedor von Bock.

Organization and Command Structure

By 1939 the Heer comprised corps, armies, and army groups subordinate to the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) and to the overall Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW). Command relationships featured leaders such as Gerd von Rundstedt and staff officers drawn from institutions like the Kriegsschule and the Kriegsmarine liaison structures. Tactical units included infantry divisions, panzer divisions, motorized corps, and specialized formations such as the Fallschirmjäger under coordination with the Luftwaffe and logistics managed by the Heeresfeldbahn and supply branches linked to ministries like the Reich Ministry of War Economy.

Personnel and Training

Recruitment and conscription expanded under laws like the Wehrpflicht and training emphasized combined-arms tactics promoted by instructors from the Truppenamt and veterans of the First World War. Officer development flowed through academies including the Kriegsschule and staff colleges where curricula referenced campaigns such as the Spanish Civil War for lessons by veterans like Erwin Rommel. Personnel policies intertwined with political structures: the NSDAP exerted influence via organizations like the National Socialist Motor Corps and political vetting by the Gestapo and SS affected promotions and unit cohesion.

Equipment and Weapons

The Heer fielded a diverse arsenal ranging from bolt-action rifles like the Karabiner 98k to automatic weapons such as the MG 34 and MG 42, and artillery including the 88 mm gun and the 10.5 cm leFH 18. Armored forces used tanks including the Panzer III, Panzer IV, Panzer V Panther, and heavy Tiger I and Tiger II designs, supported by self-propelled guns like the StuG III. Mobility relied on vehicles such as the Opel Blitz and half-tracks like the Sd.Kfz. 251, while engineers employed bridging equipment exemplified at crossings like the Dnieper and Seine.

Operations and Campaigns

The Heer led major campaigns: the 1939 invasion of Poland; the 1940 offensives Fall Gelb and the Battle of France; the 1941 Operation Barbarossa invasion of the Soviet Union with battles at Smolensk, Minsk, and Kiev; the 1942–43 Battle of Stalingrad; and operations in North Africa under Erwin Rommel including the Tobruk and El Alamein engagements. Western campaigns included the 1944 Operation Overlord responses and the Ardennes Offensive led by commanders such as Gerd von Rundstedt and Hermann Hoth. The Heer also conducted anti-partisan and occupation duties in regions like Yugoslavia and Greece alongside units from the Waffen-SS and police formations such as the Order Police.

War Crimes and Legal Accountability

Elements of the Heer participated in atrocities and reprisals, collaborating with organizations like the SS and Einsatzgruppen in mass shootings and deportations in territories including Poland and the Soviet Union. Notable incidents involved the execution of POWs, involvement in the Commissar Order, and participation in anti-partisan operations that targeted civilians in places such as Belarus and Ukraine. After 1945, senior officers and policy architects faced prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials and in subsequent denazification and national trials across United Kingdom, France, Soviet Union, and United States jurisdictions, while legal debates persisted over command responsibility established in cases like those addressed by military tribunals.

Legacy and Postwar Dissolution

Following defeat in 1945, the Heer was disbanded and many personnel were interned, tried, or reintegrated into postwar societies; some later served in the Bundeswehr under vastly different legal and political frameworks shaped by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany and Allied occupation policies. Historical assessment engages figures such as Karl Dönitz and institutions like the Allied Control Council, and remains contested in works examining continuity and discontinuity between the Heer and Cold War forces, as debated by scholars referencing archives from Nuremberg and records at institutions like the Bundesarchiv.

Category:Heer