Heer (Wehrmacht)

Heer (Wehrmacht)
Name	Heer (Wehrmacht)
Native name	Heer
Active	1935–1945
Branch	Wehrmacht
Type	Land forces
Role	Ground combat
Size	approx. 13 million personnel
Garrison	Berlin
Notable commanders	Heinrich Himmler?, Walther von Brauchitsch?, Gerd von Rundstedt?

Heer (Wehrmacht) was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht during the Nazi era, serving as the principal ground arm in Europe, North Africa, and the Soviet Union from 1935 to 1945. It functioned alongside the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine in executing strategy devised by the OKW and OKH, and played central roles in the Blitzkrieg campaigns, the 1939 invasion of Poland, and Operation Barbarossa. Its commanders, doctrines, and operations intersected with figures such as Adolf Hitler, Erwin Rommel, Heinz Guderian, Fedor von Bock, and institutions including the German General Staff.

History and Formation

The Heer emerged from the interwar Reichswehr reforms triggered by the Treaty of Versailles, the Weimar Republic, and the rearmament policies of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler, with legal and organizational changes enacted by the Reichswehrgesetz and overseen by ministers like Werner von Blomberg and Fritz Todt. In 1935 the formal renaming coincided with establishment of the Wehrmacht alongside the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, incorporating veteran formations from the Freikorps era and drawing doctrine from thinkers such as Hermann von Kuhl and proponents of combined arms including Heinz Guderian and Erich von Manstein. The interwar expansion accelerated through events like the Remilitarization of the Rhineland, the Anschluss, and the Munich Agreement, transforming structure before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Organization and Command Structure

The Heer’s hierarchy was anchored by the OKH and coordinated with the OKW and the Heerespersonalamt, with the Army High Command interacting with theater commanders such as Gerd von Rundstedt, Fedor von Bock, and Erwin Rommel. Field formations ranged from the Heeresgruppe down to Armee, Korps, Division, and Regiment levels, including specialized divisions like Panzerdivision, Gebirgsjäger, Fallschirmjäger attachments, and various infantry divisions. Administrative organs included the Heereswaffenamt, Heeresverpflegungstruppe, and military justice bodies such as the Feldgendarmerie and the Wehrmachtgerichtsbarkeit.

Personnel, Training, and Conscription

Personnel were recruited via peacetime and wartime conscription laws updated under the Nazi Party regime, drawing draftees and career officers from prewar institutions including the Reichswehr and Kriegsschule graduates, and relying on cadre from institutions like the Kriegsmarine for joint operations. Training centers at locations such as Potsdam, Munich, and Berlin provided instruction in tactics advocated by Heinz Guderian and doctrine influenced by campaigns like the Spanish Civil War, with specialized schools for Panzertruppe, Pioniertruppe, and Nachrichtentruppe. The Heer also incorporated foreign volunteers and conscripts from occupied territories, interacting with units like the Waffen-SS and collaborating with administrations such as the General Government.

Equipment and Weapons

Heer equipment evolved from Panzer I and Panzer II light tanks to Panzer III, Panzer IV, and late-war Panther and Tiger series, supported by armored vehicles like the StuG III and towed and self-propelled artillery including the 88 mm gun in anti-tank and anti-air roles. Small arms encompassed the Karabiner 98k, the MP 40, machine guns such as the MG 34 and MG 42, and anti-tank weapons like the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck, while logistics relied on trucks such as the Opel Blitz and rail networks linked to Deutsche Reichsbahn. Innovations included advances in combined-arms coordination, radio use championed by commanders like Guderian, and development projects overseen by the Heereswaffenamt and industry firms such as Krupp, Henschel, Daimler-Benz, and Feldherrnhalle factories.

Operations and Campaigns

The Heer executed major campaigns including the Poland 1939 campaign, the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain support operations, the Balkans Campaign, and the Operation Barbarossa invasion of the Soviet Union, participating in key battles like Stalingrad, Kursk, Sevastopol, and the Siege of Leningrad. In North Africa, formations under commanders such as Erwin Rommel fought in the Western Desert Campaign, linked to operations in Tunisia and the Sicily campaign, while the Eastern Front saw interactions with the Red Army, encirclement battles at Smolensk and Vyazma, and retreats culminating in the Battle of Berlin and Courland Pocket. Operational command frequently intersected with figures including Wilhelm von Leeb, Albert Kesselring, Gerd von Rundstedt, and strategic directives from Hitler and the OKW.

War Crimes and Occupation Policies

Units of the Heer were implicated in war crimes and occupation policies across occupied territories, including mass reprisals, anti-partisan operations, and cooperation with the Einsatzgruppen and SS elements in policies enacted in the General Government, Occupied Soviet territories, and the Balkans. Notable incidents and systems included the implementation of the Commissar Order, the enforcement of the Hunger Plan, participation in atrocities like the Babi Yar massacres, and involvement in deportations overseen by agencies such as the RSHA and SS leadership. Postwar investigations and trials by the Nuremberg Trials and military tribunals examined command responsibility among officers such as Wilhelm List and Friedrich Paulus.

Dissolution and Legacy

The Heer was formally dissolved with the collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945; surviving personnel were detained by Allied powers, investigated during proceedings like the Nuremberg Trials, and later influenced postwar formations including the Bundeswehr and the armed forces of the East Germany such as the Nationale Volksarmee. Historical assessments draw on archives from institutions like the German Foreign Office and documentation seized by the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union, producing debates involving historians such as Ian Kershaw, Richard J. Evans, Omer Bartov, and Christopher Browning over continuity, culpability, and the Wehrmacht’s institutional memory. The legacy persists in studies of armored warfare, command culture, and the legal and moral reckoning embodied by denazification and memorialization at sites like the German Resistance Memorial Center.

Category:Wehrmacht Category:German Army (1935–1945)