Wehrmacht
Sign in to saveThe Wehrmacht (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force). The designation "Wehrmacht" replaced the previously used term (Reich Defence) and was the manifestation of the Nazi regime's efforts to rearm Germany to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted.
AI overview
The Wehrmacht were Nazi Germany's combined military forces—made up of the army, navy, and air force—that operated from 1935 to 1945. The creation of the Wehrmacht represented the Nazi regime's major rearmament effort, which violated the restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I.
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Key facts
- National military.name
- Armed Forces of the German Reich
- National military.image
- 170px
- National military.alt
- Black cross with white and black outline
- National military.caption
- Emblem: the
- National military.image2
- 190px
- National military.alt2
- Red flag with black Nordic cross, black swastika in the center and black iron cross in the upper left corner
- National military.caption2
- War Ensign:
- National military.motto
- ()
- National military.headquarters
- Maybach II, Wünsdorf
- National military.commander in chief_title
- Supreme Commander
- National military.chief minister_title
- Commander-in-chief
- National military.minister
Article
39 sectionsContents
- Origin
- Etymology
- Background
- Nazi rise to power
- Personnel and recruitment
- Training
- Officer training
- General staff officer
- Women in the ''Wehrmacht''
- Command structure
- Branches
- Army
- Air Force
- Navy
- Coexistence with the Waffen-SS
- Theatres and campaigns
- Eastern theatre
- Western theatre
- Mediterranean theatre
- Casualties
- War crimes
- Cooperation with the ''SS''
- Crimes against civilians
- Crimes against POWs
- Criminal and genocidal organization
- Resistance to the Nazi regime
- After World War II
- Military operational legacy
- Historical negationism
- Post-war militaries
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Printed
- Online
- External links
- Videos
The Wehrmacht (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force). The designation "Wehrmacht" replaced the previously used term (Reich Defence) and was the manifestation of the Nazi regime's efforts to rearm Germany to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted.
After the Nazi rise to power in 1933, one of Adolf Hitler's most overt and bellicose moves was to establish the Wehrmacht, a modern offensively-capable armed force, fulfilling the Nazi regime's long-term goals of regaining lost territory as well as gaining new territory and dominating its neighbours. This required the reinstatement of conscription and massive investment and defence spending on the arms industry.