Reichswehr

Reichswehr
Name	Reichswehr
Founded	1919
Disbanded	1935
Predecessor	Imperial German Army
Successor	Wehrmacht
Country	Weimar Republic
Branch	Reichswehr
Size	~100,000 (by Treaty of Versailles limitations)
Garrison	Berlin
Notable commanders	Hans von Seeckt, Wilhelm Groener, Gustav Noske

Reichswehr The Reichswehr was the armed forces of the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1935, established under the constraints of the Versailles and transformed into the Wehrmacht after the Nazi rise to power. It operated amid the aftermath of the German Revolution of 1918–19, the political crises of the Spartacist uprising, the Kapp Putsch, and the diplomatic environment shaped by the Locarno Treaties and Rapallo. The institution combined elements of the former Imperial German Army leadership with new interwar strategic thinking and clandestine cooperation with foreign partners such as the Soviet Union.

Origins and Formation

The Reichswehr evolved from the demobilization of the Imperial German Army after the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and the constraints imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, which limited forces to 100,000 men and prohibited heavy armaments. Initial organization and stabilization were influenced by figures like Gustav Noske, Friedrich Ebert, Paul von Hindenburg, and Oskar von Hutier as the new state navigated uprisings including the Spartacist uprising, the Kapp Putsch, and paramilitary conflicts involving the Freikorps and the Sicherheitswehr. International dynamics involved the Allied occupation of the Rhineland, negotiations with the Inter-Allied Commission, and diplomatic dealings with France, United Kingdom, and Belgium.

Organization and Structure

Under the Weimar Constitution, the Reichswehr was legally subordinate to the civilian leadership, nominally overseen by the Reichswehrministerium headed by ministers such as Gustav Noske and Wilhelm Groener. Real power often rested with the general staff cadre, notably Chief of the Troop Office and later Reichswehr leaders like Hans von Seeckt and Werner von Blomberg. The force comprised the Reichsheer (land service) and the Reichsmarine (naval service), structured into divisions, cavalry, and support units while constrained from having an air arm by Versailles, leading to covert development associated with groups like Deutsche Luftfahrtforschungsgesellschaft and later Luftwaffe precursors. Command structures retained traditions from the Prussian Army, with staff officers drawn from academies such as the Kriegsschule and influenced by doctrines embodied in texts like the works of Carl von Clausewitz and the legacy of Helmuth von Moltke (the Elder).

Personnel, Training, and Doctrine

Personnel selection emphasized former Imperial German Army officers and NCOs, often veterans of World War I including recipients of decorations like the Pour le Mérite and veterans of battles such as the Battle of Tannenberg and the Western Front (World War I). Training and doctrine prioritized combined-arms maneuver, rail logistics, artillery coordination, and the cultivation of an officer corps steeped in officer schools associated with the Prussian Military Academy and the staff traditions of Hans von Seeckt. Counterinsurgency experience from suppressing uprisings such as the Spartacist uprising and the Silesian Uprisings influenced internal security practices. Cooperation with foreign entities—most notably secret collaboration on aviation, armor, and chemical warfare research with the Soviet Union at facilities like Kama Tank School and Lipetsk fighter-pilot school—shaped covert doctrinal development later used in Blitzkrieg concepts credited in part to officers influenced by operational thinkers like Erich von Manstein.

Role in Domestic and Political Affairs

The Reichswehr played an active role in domestic politics, balancing loyalty to the Weimar Republic with institutional conservatism and monarchist sympathies linked to figures such as Paul von Hindenburg and networks around the Conservative Revolutionary movement. The military intervened in crises: suppressing the Spartacist uprising, opposing the Kapp Putsch’s open insurrection while ambiguous in other coups, and operating alongside paramilitary formations like the Freikorps and Organisation Consul. Its relationship with political parties—including the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Centre Party (Germany), and later the National Socialist German Workers' Party—was fraught; clandestine contacts with Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler coexisted with institutional attempts to preserve autonomy. The Reichswehr’s oath of allegiance and personnel appointments involved presidents such as Friedrich Ebert and Paul von Hindenburg, influencing presidential politics and appointments to cabinets including Chancellor Franz von Papen and Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher.

Rearmament, Covert Activities, and Treaty Violations

Despite Versailles limitations, the Reichswehr engaged in covert rearmament through procurement, training, and industrial partnerships with firms like Krupp, Daimler, and Rheinmetall. Secret projects included armor trials, aviation experiments with proxies such as Junkers and Heinkel, and chemical weapons research echoing earlier use in World War I. Diplomatic cover involved treaties and protocols including Rapallo and clandestine cooperation with the Soviet Union at sites like Kama Tank School and Lipetsk fighter-pilot school. Domestic subterfuge involved military-run labor and work-creation schemes and intelligence activities overlapping with organizations like the Gestapo’s precursors and Abwehr-linked networks. Internationally, violations surfaced during crises like the Rhineland occupation negotiations and later open rearmament after the remilitarization momentum which culminated under the Nazi regime.

Dissolution and Transition to the Wehrmacht

The Reichswehr formally ceased as an independent institution in 1935 when the Wehrmacht was proclaimed and the Luftwaffe openly reestablished, following political shifts after the Reichstag fire and the Enabling Act of 1933. Leadership transitions involved figures such as Werner von Blomberg and Werner von Fritsch before the Night of the Long Knives altered civil-military relations; the consolidation under Adolf Hitler and the appointment of ministers like Walther von Reichenau and Wilhelm Keitel finalized institutional incorporation. Former Reichswehr officers and doctrines significantly shaped early Wehrmacht campaigns in the Poland, the Battle of France, and operations on the Eastern Front, leaving a contested legacy examined through postwar trials such as the Nuremberg Trials and scholarship by historians like Christopher Clark and Ian Kershaw.

Category:Military history of Germany