Oberkommando des Heeres

Oberkommando des Heeres
Name	Oberkommando des Heeres
Native name	Oberkommando des Heeres
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Wehrmacht
Type	High command
Garrison	Berlin
Notable commanders	Walther von Brauchitsch, Heinrich Himmler, Friedrich Paulus, Erich von Manstein

Oberkommando des Heeres was the high command of the German Army during the Nazi Germany era, responsible for planning, directing, and administering land forces across theaters of war in Europe, North Africa, and the Eastern Front. Formed from the earlier Reichswehr staff structures, it operated alongside the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and coordinated with political organs such as the Reich Chancellery and the Nazi Party. The command was central to campaigns like Fall Weiss, Barbarossa, and operations in France and the Soviet Union.

History

The institution evolved from the post‑World War I Reichswehr leadership and the German General Staff traditions established before the Treaty of Versailles, linking officers who served in the Imperial German Army, the Weimar Republic era, and the militarization of Nazi Germany. During the rearmament period under Heinrich Himmler's political influence and the directives of Adolf Hitler, the command expanded its purview, intervening in planning for Operation Weserübung and Fall Gelb. After the outbreak of World War II, the structure adapted to strategic setbacks such as the Battle of Moscow, the Siege of Leningrad, and the defeats at Stalingrad, prompting shifts in relationships with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and the OKW. Postwar analysis involved historians like William Shirer, Ian Kershaw, and Richard Overy who tied the command's actions to broader debates about military responsibility and the War Crimes committed during campaigns including Operation Tannenberg and anti‑partisan operations in Poland.

Organization and Structure

The command retained staff sections reminiscent of the pre‑1918 German General Staff, including operations, intelligence, logistics, training, and personnel branches, interfacing with field commands such as the Heeresgruppe Nord, Heeresgruppe Mitte, and Heeresgruppe Süd. It controlled specialized branches like the Panzerwaffe, Fallschirmjäger, and Heer artillery directorates, while coordinating with technical institutions such as the RLM and industrial firms like Krupp and Daimler-Benz. Liaison occurred with theater commanders including Gerd von Rundstedt, Erwin Rommel, Fedor von Bock, and staff officers drawn from schools like the Kriegsakademie and the Großer Generalstab tradition.

Roles and Responsibilities

Tasks encompassed strategic planning for campaigns such as Fall Barbarossa, operational directives for corps and divisions like the Panzergruppe 1, and administrative oversight of conscription and mobilization policies implemented alongside the Reichsarbeitsdienst and Todt Organization. It issued orders affecting units engaged in the Battle of France, the North African Campaign, and anti‑partisan campaigns in the Balkans, interacting with political agencies like the Gestapo and Reichssicherheitshauptamt on matters of security and occupation. The command also supervised doctrine development tied to mechanized warfare exemplified by battles such as Kursk and innovations debated by staff including Erich von Manstein and Guderian.

Relationship with Wehrmacht and OKW

The command operated within the larger Wehrmacht hierarchy and often clashed or cooperated with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), leading to jurisdictional disputes involving figures such as Wilhelm Keitel, Alfred Jodl, and Adolf Hitler personally. Its interactions affected coordination with the Luftwaffe under Hermann Göring and the Kriegsmarine led by Erich Raeder and later Karl Dönitz during joint operations like Case White and amphibious contingency planning. Political pressures from the Reich Chancellery and interference by leaders such as Heinrich Himmler complicated command relationships during counterinsurgency operations in Ukraine and occupation administration in France.

Key Operations and Campaign Involvement

The command played leading roles in major campaigns: the western offensives Fall Gelb and Fall Rot in France, the Balkans invasion (Operation Marita), the Mediterranean and North African Campaign including the Siege of Tobruk, and the eastern campaigns Operation Barbarossa, the drive to Moscow, and defensive operations after Stalingrad. It directed formations in Operation Citadel at Kursk and rear‑area security operations tied to Operation Harvest Festival and other measures in occupied Poland. Coordination with commanders like Feldmarschall von Manstein and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel defined tactical innovation and controversies over retreats during Operation Market Garden spillover effects.

Leadership and Commanders

Key commanders and staff officers included Chief of Army High Command leaders such as Walther von Brauchitsch, later replaced by officers appointed or overruled by Adolf Hitler, and numerous senior field commanders like Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, Fedor von Bock, Walter Model, and Heinz Guderian. Staff contributors and critics included Erich von Manstein, Friedrich Paulus, Ernst Busch (German officer), and logistical planners who worked with industrialists like Albert Speer and transport authorities such as Reichsbahn administrators.

Legacy and Historiography

Postwar assessments by scholars such as Hannah Arendt, A.J.P. Taylor, John Keegan, Gerhard Weinberg, and Timothy Snyder examine the command's role in operational planning, war crimes, and the implementation of Nazi occupation policies. Debates consider continuity from the German General Staff traditions to crimes examined at the Nuremberg Trials and in archives held in institutions like the Bundesarchiv. The command's doctrine influenced Cold War analyses by NATO planners and revisionist histories by authors such as David Stahel and Omer Bartov, contributing to ongoing studies of leadership, culpability, and military professional ethics in works by Christopher Browning and Saul Friedländer.

Category:German Army (Wehrmacht)