Wehrmacht - Background

Wehrmacht (listen) ▶ (help·info) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. The Wehrmacht of World War II was comprised of the army (das Heer), the navy (die Kriegsmarine), the air force (die Luftwaffe). Waffen-SS ("SS in arms") units were occasionally subordinated to the Wehrmacht. Wehrmacht - Background. The German word Wehrmacht (literally "defence force") was ...

Including:

• Wehrmacht - Background
• Wehrmacht - History
• Wehrmacht - Command structure
• Wehrmacht - War years
• Wehrmacht - Rebellion
• Wehrmacht - War crimes
• Wehrmacht - Prominent members
• Wehrmacht - After World War II
• Wehrmacht - Reference

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The German word Wehrmacht (literally "defence force") was previously used in German in a generic sense, as a term describing the armed forces of Germany or of another nation. For instance, Article 47 of the Weimar Constitution of 1919 declared the Reichspräsident commander-in-chief of "all Wehrmacht of the Reich", and a reference to the Englische Wehrmacht encompassed all English forces. However, German armed forces were formally known as the Reichswehr until 1935, when they became known as the Wehrmach ...

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Wehrmacht, Wehrmacht - Background, Wehrmacht - History, Wehrmacht - Command structure, Wehrmacht - War years, Wehrmacht - Rebellion, Wehrmacht - War crimes, Wehrmacht - Prominent members, Wehrmacht - After World War II, Wehrmacht - Reference

Read more here: » Wehrmacht: Encyclopedia II - Wehrmacht - Background

While the predominant number of war crimes were attributed to Nazi organizations like the Schutzstaffel (SS), a number of Wehrmacht officers were charged with war crimes at the end of the war. In particular, OKW commander-in-chief Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel and chief of operations staff Alfred Jodl were indicted and tried for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremburg in 1946. Both were convicted of all charges, sentenced to death and executed by hanging. The International Military Tribunal's judgement, however, ...

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Wehrmacht, Wehrmacht - Background, Wehrmacht - History, Wehrmacht - Command structure, Wehrmacht - War years, Wehrmacht - Rebellion, Wehrmacht - War crimes, Wehrmacht - Prominent members, Wehrmacht - After World War II, Wehrmacht - Reference

Read more here: » Wehrmacht: Encyclopedia II - Wehrmacht - War crimes

Legally, the Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht was Adolf Hitler in his capacity as Germany's head of state, a position he gained after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934 and held until his suicide in late April 1945. Administration and military authority initially lay with the war ministry under Werner von Blomberg. After von Blomberg resigned in the course of the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair (1938) the ministry was dissolved and the Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or ...

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Wehrmacht, Wehrmacht - Background, Wehrmacht - History, Wehrmacht - Command structure, Wehrmacht - War years, Wehrmacht - Rebellion, Wehrmacht - War crimes, Wehrmacht - Prominent members, Wehrmacht - After World War II, Wehrmacht - Reference

Read more here: » Wehrmacht: Encyclopedia II - Wehrmacht - Command structure

After World War I ended with the capitulation of the German empire the treaty of Versailles imposed severe restrictions on Germany's military strength. The army was limited to one hundred thousand men with an additional fifteen thousand in the navy. The fleet was to consist of at most six battleships, six cruisers, and twelve destroyers. Tanks and heavy artillery were forbidden and the air force was dissolved. A new post-war military (the Reichswehr) was established on 23 March 1921. General conscription was abolished under anot ...

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Wehrmacht, Wehrmacht - Background, Wehrmacht - History, Wehrmacht - Command structure, Wehrmacht - War years, Wehrmacht - Rebellion, Wehrmacht - War crimes, Wehrmacht - Prominent members, Wehrmacht - After World War II, Wehrmacht - Reference

Read more here: » Wehrmacht: Encyclopedia II - Wehrmacht - History

Image:Rommel Africa color 210.jpg Powerful tank and air forces enabled quick successes during early stages of the war when nation after nation was overrun and occupied within weeks (Blitzkrieg). This convinced military leaders that a new concept of broad armament (rather than deep armament) made sense. However, when their powerful adversaries (the United Kingdom, Soviet Union and United States) began offering tenacious resistance the Blitzkrieg tactics could not be applied and the relatively low state of armam ...

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Wehrmacht, Wehrmacht - Background, Wehrmacht - History, Wehrmacht - Command structure, Wehrmacht - War years, Wehrmacht - Rebellion, Wehrmacht - War crimes, Wehrmacht - Prominent members, Wehrmacht - After World War II, Wehrmacht - Reference

Read more here: » Wehrmacht: Encyclopedia II - Wehrmacht - War years