The Wehrmacht (literally translated as "Defense Force") was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It replaced the old Reichswehr and was succeeded by the West German Bundeswehr, and the East German Nationale Volksarmee (NVA).

The German word Wehrmacht predates the 1930s and originally meant the entirety of the armed forces of a given country (or another entity, e.g. Christianity). Since World War II, the term is almost as closely associated with the Third Reich in German as it is in English.

Creation

In 1935, with the re-institution of conscription in Germany by the national socialist government, the "Wehrmacht" became the official term for the German armed forces, previously known as the Reichswehr. The Wehrmacht adopted the symbol used by the Reichswehr, which was a simplified form of the Iron Cross.

Branches and commands

• Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) -- Armed Forces High Command
• Oberbefehlshaber West (OB West) -- Commander of the German forces in the West
• Abwehr -- Military Intelligence
• Heer -- Army
• Luftwaffe -- Airforce
• Kriegsmarine -- Navy

The different branches of the Wehrmacht had different command organisations:

• Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) -- Army High Command
• Oberkommando der Marine (OKM) -- Navy High Command
• Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) -- Airforce High Command

Command

The Commander-in-Chief was the German Chancellor (a position Adolf Hitler had gained in 1933). In 1938, after the Blomberg-Fritsch-Krise the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) under Wilhelm Keitel was formed, intended to serve as military staff for the Chancellor.

After 1937, all soldiers in the Wehrmacht had to swear "unconditional loyalty" to the "Führer und Reichskanzler" Adolf Hitler.

Rebellion

On July 20th 1944 Wehrmacht officers led by Claus von Stauffenberg tried to assassinate Hitler and overthrow his government. Following the attempt, Hitler distrusted the Wehrmacht and the conservative forces of Germany, and thousands of Wehrmacht officers were persecuted and killed. See List of members of the July 20 plot.

After WWII

Following the German surrender in May 1945, Germany was forbidden an independent modern army. It was over ten years before the tensions of the Cold War led to the creations of separate defence forces in East and West Germany. The West German defence force, created in 1955, took the name Bundeswehr meaning "Federal Military", while the East German defence force, created in 1956, took the name National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee). Following German reunification, the East and West German armed forces were merged and are now known collectively as the Bundeswehr.