German Army (1935–1945)

1935–1945 land warfare branch of the German military

For the preceding German army of the Weimar Republic (1919–1935), see Reichswehr. For the post-World War II army of West Germany and the modern army of Germany (1955–present), see German Army.

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German Army

Deutsches Heer

Helmet decal used by the German Army in the mid-1940s

Founded| 1935; 89 years ago (1935)
Disbanded| August 1946; 78 years ago (1946-08)[a]
Country|  Germany
Allegiance|  Adolf Hitler
Type| Army
Size| Total served: 13,600,000[3]
Part of| Wehrmacht
Headquarters| Maybach I, Wünsdorf
Equipment| List of army equipment
Engagements| Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
World War II (1939–1945)
Commanders
Commander-in-chief| Adolf Hitler
Commander-in-chief of the Army| See list
Chief of the General Staff| See list
Insignia
Unit flag|

Military unit

The German Army (German: Heer, German: [heːɐ̯] ⓘ; lit. 'army') was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht,[b] the regular armed forces of Nazi Germany, from 1935 until it effectively ceased to exist in 1945 and then was formally dissolved in August 1946.[4] During World War II, a total of about 13.6 million volunteers and conscripts served in the German Army.

Only 17 months after Adolf Hitler announced the German rearmament programme in 1935, the army reached its projected goal of 36 divisions. During the autumn of 1937, two more corps were formed. In 1938 four additional corps were formed with the inclusion of the five divisions of the Austrian Army after the annexation of Austria by Germany in March.[5] During the period of its expansion under Hitler, the German Army continued to develop concepts pioneered during World War I, combining ground and air units into combined arms forces. Coupled with operational and tactical methods such as encirclements and "battle of annihilation", the German military managed quick victories in the two initial years of World War II, a new style of warfare described as Blitzkrieg (lightning war) for its speed and destructive power.[6]

## Structure

[edit]

Adolf Hitler with Wilhelm Keitel, Friedrich Paulus, and Walther von Brauchitsch, October 1941

The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) was Nazi Germany's Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. In theory, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) served as the military general staff for the Reich's armed forces, co-ordinating the Wehrmacht's (Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, and the Waffen-SS) operations. In practice, the OKW acted in a subordinate role to Hitler's personal military staff, translating his ideas into military plans and orders, and issuing them to the three services.[7] However, as World War II went on, the OKW found itself exercising an increasing amount of direct command authority over military units, particularly in the west. This meant that by 1942, the authority of the Army High Command (OKH) was limited to the Eastern Front.[8]

The Abwehr was the army intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr (German for "defence", here referring to counterintelligence) had been created just after World War I as an ostensible concession to Allied demands that Germany's intelligence activities be for defensive purposes only. After 4 February 1938, the name Abwehr was changed to the Overseas Department/Office in Defence of the Armed Forces High Command (Amt Ausland/Abwehr im Oberkommando der Wehrmacht).

Germany used a system of military districts (German: Wehrkreis) in order to relieve field commanders of as much administrative work as possible and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the field forces. The method the OKW adopted was to separate the Field Army (OKH) from the Home Command (Heimatkriegsgebiet) and to entrust the responsibilities of training, conscription, supply, and equipment to Home Command.

### Organisation of field forces

[edit]

German soldiers in Greece, April 1941

The German Army was mainly structured in army groups (Heeresgruppen) consisting of several armies that were relocated, restructured, or renamed in the course of the war. Forces of allied states, as well as units made up of non-Germans, were also assigned to German units.

For Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the army forces were assigned to three strategic campaign groupings:

* Army Group North with Leningrad as its campaign objective
* Army Group Centre with Smolensk as its campaign objective
* Army Group South with Kiev as its campaign objective

Below the army group level forces included field armies – panzer groups, which later became army level formations themselves, corps, and divisions. The army used the German term Kampfgruppe, which equates to battle group in English. These provisional combat groupings ranged from corps size, such as Army Detachment Kempf, to commands composed of companies or even platoons. They were named for their commanding officers.

### Select arms of service

[edit]

* Afrika Korps (Africa Corps)
* Feldgendarmerie (Field Military Police)
* Feldjägerkorps (Field Police Corps)
* Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troops)
* Geheime Feldpolizei (Secret Field Police)
* Ostlegionen (Eastern Legions)
* Panzergrenadier (Mechanized Infantry)
* Panzerjäger (Anti-Tank Troops)
* Panzerwaffe (Armoured Forces)
* Nachrichtentruppe (Signal Corps)
* Sicherungs-Divisionen (Security Divisions)

## Doctrine and tactics

[edit]

The German operational doctrine emphasized sweeping pincer and lateral movements meant to destroy the enemy forces as quickly as possible. This approach, referred to as Blitzkrieg, was an operational doctrine instrumental in the success of the offensives in Poland and France. Blitzkrieg has been considered by many historians as having its roots in precepts developed by Fuller, Liddel-Hart, and Hans von Seeckt, and even having ancient prototypes practised by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon.[9][10] Recent studies of the Battle of France also suggest that the actions of either Erwin Rommel or Heinz Guderian or both of them (both had contributed to the theoretical development and early practices of what later became Blitzkrieg prior to World War II),[11][12] ignoring orders of superiors who had never foreseen such spectacular successes and thus prepared much more prudent plans, were conflated into a purposeful doctrine and created the first archetype of Blitzkrieg, which then gained a fearsome reputation that dominated the Allied leaders' minds.[13][14][15] Thus 'Blitzkrieg' was recognised after the fact, and while it became adopted by the Wehrmacht, it never became the official doctrine nor got used to its full potential because only a small part of the Wehrmacht was trained for it and key leaders at the highest levels either focused on only certain aspects or even did not understand it.[16][17][18]

Max Visser argues that the German Army focused on achieving high combat performance rather than high organisational efficiency (like the US Army). It emphasised adaptability, flexibility, and decentralised decision making. Officers and NCOs were selected based on character and trained towards decisive combat leadership. Good combat performance was rewarded. Visser argues this allowed the German Army to achieve superior combat performance compared to a more traditional organisational doctrine like the American one; while this was ultimately offset by the Allies' superior numerical and materiel advantage, Visser argues that it allowed the German Army to resist far longer than if it had not adopted this method of organisation and doctrine.[19] Peter Turchin reports a study by US colonel Trevor Dupuy that found that German combat efficiency was higher than both the British and US armies – if a combat efficiency of 1 was assigned to the British, then the Americans had a combat efficiency of 1.1 and the Germans of 1.45. This would mean British forces would need to commit 45% more troops (or arm existing troops more heavily to the same proportion) to have an even chance of winning the battle, while the Americans would need to commit 30% more to have an even chance.[20]

### Tactics

[edit]

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Soldiers of the Großdeutschland Division during Operation Barbarossa, 1941

The military strength of the German Army was managed through mission-based tactics (Auftragstaktik) rather than detailed order-based tactics, and rigid discipline. Once an operation began, whether offensive or defensive, speed of response to changing circumstances was considered more important than careful planning and co-ordination of new plans.

In public opinion, the German military was and is sometimes seen as a high-tech army, since new technologies that were introduced before and during World War II influenced its development of tactical doctrine. These technologies were featured by Nazi propaganda, but were often only available in small numbers or late in the war, as overall supplies of raw materials and armaments became low. For example, lacking sufficient motor vehicles to equip more than a small portion of their army, the Germans chose to concentrate the available vehicles in a small number of divisions which were to be fully motorised. The other divisions continued to rely on horses for towing artillery, other heavy equipment, and supply wagons, and the men marched on foot or rode bicycles. At the height of motorisation only 20 per cent of all units were fully motorised.[citation needed] The small German contingent fighting in North Africa was fully motorised (relying on horses in the desert was near to impossible because of the need to carry large quantities of water and fodder), but the much larger force invading the Soviet Union in June 1941 numbered only some 150,000 trucks and some 625,000 horses (water was abundant and for many months of the year horses could forage, reducing the burden on the supply chain). However, the production of new motor vehicles by Germany, even with the exploitation of the industries of occupied countries, could not keep up with the heavy loss of motor vehicles during the winter of 1941–1942. From June 1941 to the end of February 1942 German forces in the Soviet Union lost some 75,000 trucks, approximately half the number they had at the beginning of the campaign, to mechanical wear and tear and combat damage. Most of these were lost during the retreat in the face of the Soviet counteroffensive from December 1941 to February 1942. Another substantial loss was incurred during the defeat of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad in the winter of 1942–1943. These losses in men and materiel led to motorised troops making up no more than 10% of total Heer forces at some points of the war.

A color photo of Adolf Hitler listening to a German soldier

In offensive operations the infantry formations were used to attack more or less simultaneously across a large portion of the front so as to pin the enemy forces ahead of them and draw attention to themselves, while the mobile formations were concentrated to attack only narrow sectors of the front, breaking through to the enemy rear and surrounding him. Some infantry formations followed in the path of the mobile formations, mopping-up, widening the corridor manufactured by the breakthrough attack and solidifying the ring surrounding the enemy formations left behind, and then gradually destroying them in concentric attacks. One of the most significant problems bedeviling German offensives and initially alarming senior commanders was the gap created between the fast-moving "fast formations" and the following infantry, as the infantry were considered a prerequisite for protecting the fast formations' flanks and rear and enabling supply columns carrying fuel, petrol, and ammunition to reach them.

In defensive operations the infantry formations were deployed across the front to hold the main defense line and the mobile formations were concentrated in a small number of locations from where they launched focused counterattacks against enemy forces which had broken through the infantry defense belt. In autumn 1942, at El Alamein, a lack of fuel compelled the German commander, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, to scatter his armoured units across the front in battalion-sized concentrations to reduce travel distances to each sector, rather than hold them concentrated in one location. In 1944 Rommel argued that in the face of overwhelming Allied air power the tactic of employing the concentrated "fast formations" was no longer possible to defend against the expected Allied invasion of France, because they could no longer move quickly enough to reach the threatened locations due to the expected interdiction of all routes by Allied fighter-bombers. He therefore suggested scattering these units across the front just behind the infantry. His commanders and peers, who were less experienced in the effect of Allied air power, disagreed vehemently with his suggestion, arguing that this would violate the prime principle of concentration of force.

## Campaigns

[edit]

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The infantry remained foot soldiers throughout the war, and artillery remained primarily horse-drawn. The motorized formations received much attention in the world press in the opening years of the war, and were cited as the main reason for the success of the German invasions of Poland (September 1939), Denmark and Norway (1940), Belgium, France, and the Netherlands (May 1940), Yugoslavia (April 1941), and the initial stages of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941). However, their motorised and tank formations accounted for only 20% of the Heer's capacity at their peak strength.[21] The army's lack of trucks and fuel to run them severely limited infantry movement, especially during and after the Normandy invasion when Allied air power devastated the French rail network north of the Loire. Panzer movements also depended on rail, since driving a tank long distances caused serious wear.[22][failed verification]

## Personnel

[edit]

See also: Ranks and insignia of the German Army (1935–1945) and Army Personnel Office (Wehrmacht)

## Equipment

[edit]

See also: List of German military equipment of World War II

Contrary to popular belief, the German Army in World War II was not a mechanised juggernaut as a whole. In 1941, between 60 and 70 percent of their forces were not motorised, relying on railroad for rapid movement and on horse-drawn transport cross country. The percentage of motorisation decreased thereafter.[23] In 1944 approximately 85 percent of the Army was not motorised.[24] The standard uniform used by the German Army consisted of a Feldgrau (field grey) tunic and trousers, worn with a Stahlhelm.

## War crimes

[edit]

Main article: War crimes of the Wehrmacht

Nazi propaganda had told German soldiers to wipe out what were variously called Jewish Bolshevik subhumans, the Mongol hordes, the Asiatic flood, and the red beast.[25] While the principal perpetrators of the killings of civilians behind the front lines amongst German armed forces were the Nazi German "political" armies (the SS-Totenkopfverbände, the Waffen-SS, and the Einsatzgruppen), the army committed and ordered war crimes of its own (e.g. the Commissar Order), particularly during the invasion of Poland[26] and later in the war against the Soviet Union.

## Propaganda

[edit]

"Above All Stands the German Infantry" — Nazi propaganda poster

The German Army was extensively promoted by Nazi propaganda.[27]

## See also

[edit]

* Army Personnel Office (Wehrmacht)
* Bribery of senior Wehrmacht officers
* General der Nachrichtenaufklärung
* Glossary of German military terms
* Military production during World War II
* Ranks and insignia of the German Army (1935–1945)
* Waffenamt
* War crimes of the Wehrmacht

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The official dissolution of the Wehrmacht began with the German Instrument of Surrender of 8 May 1945. Reasserted in Proclamation No. 2 of the Allied Control Council on 20 September 1945, the dissolution was officially declared by ACC Law No. 34 of 20 August 1946.[1][2]
2. ^ Though "Wehrmacht" is often erroneously used to refer only to the Army, it also included the Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force).

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Allied Control Authority 1946a, p. 81.
2. ^ Allied Control Authority 1946b, p. 63.
3. ^ Overmans 2000, p. 257.
4. ^ Large 1996, p. 25.
5. ^ Haskew 2011, p. 28.
6. ^ Haskew 2011, pp. 61–62.
7. ^ Haskew 2011, pp. 40–41.
8. ^ Harrison 2002, p. 133.
9. ^ Rice 2005, pp. 9, 11.
10. ^ Paniccia 2014, p. ?.
11. ^ Grossman 1993, p. 3.
12. ^ Lonsdale 2007, p. ?.
13. ^ Showalter 2006, p. ?.
14. ^ Krause & Phillips 2006, p. 176.
15. ^ Stroud 2013, pp. 33–34.
16. ^ Caddick-Adams 2015, p. 17.
17. ^ Vigor 1983, p. 96.
18. ^ Zabecki 1999, p. 1175.
19. ^ Visser, Max. "Configurations of human resource practices and battlefield performance: A comparison of two armies." Human Resource Management Review 20, no. 4 (2010): 340–349.
20. ^ Turchin, P., 2007. War and peace and war: The rise and fall of empires. Penguin, pp.257–258
21. ^ Balsamo, Larry T. (1991). "Germany's Armed Forces in the Second World War: Manpower, Armaments, and Supply". The History Teacher. 24 (3): 263–277. doi:10.2307/494616. ISSN 0018-2745. JSTOR 494616.
22. ^ Keegan 1982, pp. 156–157.
23. ^ Zeiler & DuBois 2012, pp. 171–172.
24. ^ Tucker 2009, p. 1885.
25. ^ Evans 1989, pp. 58–60.
26. ^ Böhler 2006, pp. 183–184, 189, 241.
27. ^ "ueber Allem Steht Die Deutshe Infantrie (Above All Comes the German Infantry)". digitalcollections.hclib.org. Retrieved 2023-08-31.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Allied Control Authority (1946a). "Enactments and Approved Papers of the Control Council and Co-ordinating Committee" (PDF). I. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
* Allied Control Authority (1946b). "Enactments and Approved Papers of the Control Council and Co-ordinating Committee" (PDF). IV. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
* Böhler, Jochen (2006). Auftakt zum Vernichtungskrieg. Die Wehrmacht in Polen 1939 (in German). Frankfurt: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-596-16307-6.
* Caddick-Adams, Peter (2015). Snow & Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944–45. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199335145.
* CIA (24 August 1999). "Records Integration Title Book" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
* Evans, Richard J. (1989). In Hitler's Shadow West German Historians and the Attempt to Escape the Nazi Past. New York: Pantheon. ISBN 978-0-394-57686-2.
* Grossman, David A. (1993). Maneuver Warfare in the Light Infantry-The Rommel Model (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
* Harrison, Gordon A. (2002). The Cross Channel Attack (Publication 7-4). Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
* Haskew, Michael (2011). The Wehrmacht: 1935–1945. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-907446-95-5.
* Keegan, John (1982). Six Armies in Normandy. Viking Press. ISBN 978-0670647361.
* Krause, Michael D.; Phillips, R. Cody (2006). Historical Perspectives of the Operational Art. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160725647.
* Large, David Clay (1996). Germans to the Front: West German Rearmament in the Adenauer Era. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807845394.
* Lonsdale, David J. (Dec 10, 2007). Alexander the Great: Lessons in Strategy. Routledge. ISBN 9781134244829.
* Overmans, Rüdiger (2000). Deutsche militärische Verluste im Zweiten Weltkrieg (in German). De Gruyter Oldenbourg. ISBN 3-486-56531-1.
* Paniccia, Arduino (Jan 14, 2014). Reshaping the Future: Handbook for a new Strategy. Mazzanti Libri - Me Publisher. ISBN 9788898109180.
* Rice, Earle Jr. (2005). Blitzkrieg! Hitler's Lightning War. Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc. ISBN 9781612286976.
* Shepherd, Ben (2016). Hitler's Soldiers: The German Army in the Third Reich. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300179033.
* Showalter, Dennis (Jan 3, 2006). Patton And Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century. Penguin. ISBN 9781440684685.
* Stroud, Rick (2013). The Phantom Army of Alamein: The Men Who Hoodwinked Rommel. A&C Black. ISBN 9781408831281.
* Tucker, Spencer C. (2009). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5.
* Vigor, P.H. (1983). Soviet Blitzkrieg Theory. Springer. ISBN 9781349048144.
* Zabecki, David T. (1999). World War Two in Europe. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780824070298.
* Zeiler, Thomas W.; DuBois, Daniel M. (2012). A Companion to World War II. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-32504-9.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heer (Wehrmacht).

* The Nazi German Army 1935–1945 (Heer)
* "The Role of the German Army during the Holocaust: A Brief Summary.": Video on YouTube—lecture by Geoffrey P. Megargee, via the official channel of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Structure of the German Army

* v
* t
* e

Army Groups of the German Army (1935–1945)

* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H (Northwest)
* Africa
* Centre
* Courland
* Don
* North
* Ostmark
* South
* Upper Rhine
* North Ukraine
* South Ukraine
* Vistula

* v
* t
* e

Armies of the German Army in World War II

Armies|

| Numbered|

| 1 – 9|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9

|

10 – 19|

* 10
* 11
* 12
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 17
* 18
* 19

|

20 – 25|

* 20 (Mountain)
* 21
* 24
* 25

|

Named|

* Liguria
* Norway
* East Prussia

| Army Detachment|

* Kempf
* Steiner

|

Panzer|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 11 (SS)
* Africa

Parachute|

* 1

* v
* t
* e

German Army corps (1934–1945)

Army
Armeekorps|

| I – IX|

* I
* II
* III
* IV
* V
* VI
* VII
* VIII
* IX

|

X – XIX|

* X
* XI
* XII
* XIII
* XIV
* XV
* XVI
* XVII
* XVIII
* XIX

|

XX – XXIX|

* XX
* XXI
* XXII
* XXIII
* XXIV
* XXV
* XXVI
* XXVII
* XXVIII
* XXIX

|

XXX – XXXIX|

* XXX
* XXXI
* XXXII
* XXXIII
* XXXIV
* XXXV
* XXXVIII
* XXXIX

|

XXXX – XXXXVIII|

* XXXX
* XXXXI
* XXXXII
* XXXXIII
* XXXXIV
* XXXXVI
* XXXXVII
* XXXXVIII

|

L – LIX|

* L
* LI
* LII
* LIII
* LIV
* LV
* LVII
* LIX

|

LXII – LXIX|

* LXII
* LXIII
* LXIV
* LXV
* LXVI
* LXVII
* LXVIII
* LXIX

|

LXX – LXXVIII|

* LXX
* LXXI
* LXXII
* LXXIII
* LXXIV
* LXXV
* LXXVI
* LXXVIII

|

LXXX – LXXXIX|

* LXXX
* LXXXI
* LXXXII
* LXXXIII
* LXXXIV
* LXXXV
* LXXXVI
* LXXXVII
* LXXXVIII
* LXXXIX

|

LXXXX – CI|

* LXXXX
* LXXXXI
* LXXXXVII
* CI

|

Panzer
Panzerkorps|

| I – XXXIX|

* III
* IV
* VII
* XIV
* XXIV
* XXXVIII
* XXXIX

|

XXXX – XXXXVIII|

* XXXX
* XXXXI
* XXXXVI
* XXXXVII
* XXXXVIII

|

LVI – LXXVI|

* LVI
* LVII
* LVIII
* LXXVI

|

* Feldherrnhalle
* Großdeutschland

Mountain
Gebirgskorps|

* XV
* XVIII
* XIX
* XXI
* XXII
* XXXVI
* XXXXIX
* LI

Cavalry
Kavalleriekorps|

* I

Miscellaneous|

* Afrika Korps

* v
* t
* e

German Panzer divisions of World War II

Army|

| Numbered|

| 1st – 9th|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9

|

10th – 19th|

* 10
* 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 17
* 18
* 19

|

20th – 27th|

* 20
* 21
* 22
* 23
* 24
* 25
* 26
* 27

|

* 116

Named|

* Clausewitz
* Feldherrnhalle 1
* Feldherrnhalle 2
* Holstein
* Jüterbog
* Kempf
* Panzer Lehr
* Müncheberg
* Tatra

Reserve|

* 155
* 179
* 233
* 273

Waffen-SS|

* 1 Leibstandarte
* 2 Das Reich
* 3 Totenkopf
* 5 Wiking
* 9 Hohenstaufen
* 10 Frundsberg
* 12 Hitlerjugend

Luftwaffe|

* 1 Hermann Göring

See also: Heavy tank battalion, SS Panzer Division order of battle

* v
* t
* e

Infantry divisions of the German Army (1935–1945)

Infantry divisions

* 1st
* 2nd
* 3rd
* 4th
* 5th
* 6th
* 7th
* 8th
* 9th
* 10th
* 11th
* 12th
* 13th
* 14th
* 15th
* 16th
* 17th
* 18th
* 19th
* 20th
* 21st
* 22nd
* 23rd
* 24th
* 25th
* 26th
* 27th
* 28th
* 29th
* 30th
* 31st
* 32nd
* 33rd
* 34th
* 35th
* 36th
* 38th
* 39th
* 41st
* 44th
* 45th
* 46th
* 47th
* 48th
* 49th
* 50th
* 52nd
* 56th
* 57th
* 58th
* 59th
* 60th
* 61st
* 62nd
* 63rd
* 64th
* 65th
* 68th
* 69th
* 70th
* 71st
* 72nd
* 73rd
* 74th
* 75th
* 76th
* 77th
* 78th
* 79th
* 80th
* 81st
* 82nd
* 83rd
* 84th
* 85th
* 86th
* 87th
* 88th
* 89th
* 91st
* 92nd
* 93rd
* 94th
* 95th
* 96th
* 98th
* 102nd
* 106th
* 110th
* 111th
* 112th
* 113th
* 121st
* 122nd
* 123rd
* 125th
* 126th
* 129th
* 131st
* 132nd
* 134th
* 137th
* 148th
* 153rd
* 154th
* 155th
* 156th
* 157th
* 158th
* 159th
* 160th
* 161st
* 162nd
* 162nd (Turk.)
* 163rd
* 164th
* 166th
* 167th
* 168th
* 169th
* 170th
* 174th
* 176th
* 180th
* 181st
* 182nd
* 183rd
* 189th
* 190th
* 196th
* 197th
* 198th
* 199th
* 201st
* 203rd
* 205th
* 206th
* 207th
* 208th
* 209th
* 210th
* 211th
* 212th
* 213th
* 214th
* 215th
* 216th
* 217th
* 218th
* 219th
* 221st
* 223rd
* 225th
* 226th
* 227th
* 228th
* 230th
* 231st
* 232nd
* 237th
* 239th
* 240th
* 242nd
* 243rd
* 244th
* 245th
* 246th
* 249th
* 250th
* 251st
* 252nd
* 253rd
* 254th
* 255th
* 256th
* 257th
* 258th
* 260th
* 262nd
* 263rd
* 264th
* 265th
* 266th
* 267th
* 268th
* 269th
* 270th
* 271st
* 272nd
* 273rd
* 274th
* 275th
* 276th
* 277th
* 278th
* 279th
* 280th
* 281st
* 282nd
* 286th
* 290th
* 291st
* 292nd
* 293rd
* 294th
* 295th
* 296th
* 297th
* 298th
* 299th
* 301st
* 302nd
* 303rd
* 304th
* 305th
* 306th
* 309th
* 311th
* 319th
* 320th
* 321st
* 323rd
* 324th
* 325th
* 326th
* 327th
* 328th
* 329th
* 330th
* 331st
* 332nd
* 333rd
* 334th
* 335th
* 336th
* 337th
* 338th
* 339th
* 340th
* 342nd
* 343rd
* 344th
* 346th
* 347th
* 348th
* 349th
* 351st
* 352nd
* 353rd
* 355th
* 356th
* 357th
* 358th
* 359th
* 361st
* 362nd
* 363rd
* 364th
* 365th
* 367th
* 369th
* 370th
* 371st
* 372nd
* 373rd
* 376th
* 377th
* 379th
* 383rd
* 384th
* 385th
* 387th
* 389th
* 392nd
* 393rd
* 395th
* 399th
* 416th
* 430th
* 462nd
* 521st
* 526th
* 554th
* 555th
* 556th
* 557th
* 600th
* 606th
* 650th
* 702nd
* 703rd
* 704th
* 707th
* 708th
* 709th
* 710th
* 711th
* 712th
* 713th
* 714th
* 715th
* 716th
* 717th
* 718th
* 719th
* Berlin
* Döberitz
* Ferdinand v. Schill
* Friedrich Ludwig Jahn
* Großdeutschland
* Güstrow
* Hamburg
* Kurland
* Potsdam
* Schlageter
* Seeland
* Scharnhorst
* Theodor Körner
* Ulrich v. Hutten

Motorised infantry divisions

* 2nd
* 3rd
* 10th
* 13th
* 14th
* 16th
* 18th
* 20th
* 25th
* 29th
* 36th
* 60th
* 345th
* 386th

Panzergrenadier divisions

* 3rd
* 10th
* 15th
* 16th
* 18th
* 20th
* 25th
* 29th
* 90th
* Brandenburg
* Kurmark
* Großdeutschland

Mountain divisions

* 1st
* 2nd
* 3rd
* 4th
* 5th
* 6th
* 7th
* 8th
* 9th
* 157th
* 188th

Ski divisions

* 1st

Grenadier divisions

* 19th
* 31st
* 36th
* 45th
* 78th
* 541st
* 542nd
* 543rd
* 544th
* 545th
* 546th
* 547th
* 548th
* 549th
* 550th
* 551st
* 552nd
* 553rd
* 558th
* 559th
* 560th
* 561st
* 562nd
* 563rd
* 564th

Jäger divisions

* 5th
* 8th
* 28th
* 42nd
* 97th
* 100th
* 101st
* 104th
* 114th
* 117th
* 118th

Light divisions

* 3rd
* 5th
* 8th
* 28th
* 90th Africa
* 97th
* 99th
* 100th
* 101st
* 164th Africa
* 999th Africa

Security divisions

* 52nd
* 201st
* 203rd
* 207th
* 213th
* 221st
* 281st
* 285th
* 286th
* 325th
* 390th
* 391st
* 403rd
* 444th
* 454th
* 707th

Volksgrenadier divisions

* 6th
* 9th
* 12th
* 16th
* 18th
* 19th
* 22nd
* 26th
* 31st
* 36th
* 45th
* 46th
* 47th
* 61st
* 62nd
* 78th
* 79th
* 98th
* 167th
* 183rd
* 211th
* 212th
* 246th
* 256th
* 257th
* 271st
* 272nd
* 276th
* 277th
* 278th
* 320th
* 326th
* 334th
* 337th
* 340th
* 347th
* 349th
* 352nd
* 361st
* 363rd
* 462nd
* 541st
* 542nd
* 544th
* 545th
* 547th
* 548th
* 549th
* 551st
* 553rd
* 558th
* 559th
* 560th
* 561st
* 562nd
* 563rd
* 564th
* 565th
* 566th
* 567th
* 568th
* 569th
* 570th
* 571st
* 572nd
* 573rd
* 574th
* 575th
* 576th
* 577th
* 578th
* 579th
* 580th
* 581st
* 582nd
* 583rd
* 584th
* 585th
* 586th
* 587th
* 588th
* 708th

Frontier Guard divisions

* 538th

Shadow divisions

* Böhmen
* Breslau
* Demba
* Dennewitz
* Donau
* Döllersheim
* Dresden
* Generalgouvernement
* Grafenwöhr
* Groß-Born
* Großgörschen
* Hannover
* Jütland
* Katzbach
* Mähren
* Mielau
* Milowitz
* Möckern
* Münsingen
* Neuhammer
* Niedergörsdorf
* Ostpreußen
* Röhn
* Schlesien
* Wahn
* Wildflecken

Field training divisions

* 52nd
* 149th
* 151st
* 152nd
* 153rd
* 154th
* 155th
* 156th
* 158th
* 381st
* 382nd
* 388th
* 390th
* Kurland
* Nord

Fortress divisions

* 41st
* 133rd
* Crete
* Gotenhafen
* Frankfurt/Oder
* Stettin
* Swinemünde
* Warsaw

See also: Aufstellungswelle • List of German divisions in World War II

* v
* t
* e

German Field Marshals and Grand Admirals of Nazi Germany

Marshal of the Reich
(Reichsmarschall)|

| Wehrmacht|

* Hermann Göring

|

Field Marshals
(Generalfeldmarschall)|

| Heer|

* Werner von Blomberg
* Fedor von Bock
* Eduard Freiherr von Böhm-Ermolli (honorary)
* Walther von Brauchitsch
* Ernst Busch
* Wilhelm Keitel
* Ewald von Kleist
* Günther von Kluge
* Georg von Küchler
* Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
* Wilhelm List
* Erich von Manstein
* Walter Model
* Friedrich Paulus
* Walter von Reichenau
* Erwin Rommel
* Gerd von Rundstedt
* Ferdinand Schörner
* Maximilian von Weichs
* Erwin von Witzleben

|

Luftwaffe|

* Robert Ritter von Greim
* Albert Kesselring
* Erhard Milch
* Wolfram von Richthofen
* Hugo Sperrle

Grand Admirals
(Großadmiral)|

| Kriegsmarine|

* Karl Dönitz
* Erich Raeder

|

* v
* t
* e

Wehrmacht

Army Kriegsmarine Luftwaffe

Leadership|

* Adolf Hitler
* Minister of War
* OKW
* OKH
* OKM
* OKL
* Wehrmachtbefehlshaber

Organization|

| General|

* Abwehr
* Propaganda Troops
* Office for General Affairs

|

Army|

* Army units
* Army Personnel Office
* Army Weapons Agency
* General der Nachrichtenaufklärung

Kriegsmarine|

* Organization
* Kriegsmarine Personnel Office
* Seekriegsleitung
* Fleet commander
* Kriegsmarine Weapons Agency

Luftwaffe|

* Organization
* Luftwaffe Personnel Office
* Inspector of Fighters
* Inspector of Bombers
* Luftwaffe Weapons Agency

Personnel|

* Foreign volunteers and conscripts
* Bribery of senior officers
* Flag officers of the Kriegsmarine
* Luftwaffe personnel structure

Ranks|

* Army ranks
* Kriegsmarine ranks
* Luftwaffe ranks

Uniforms|

* Heer
* Kriegsmarine
* Luftwaffe

Equipment|

* German military equipment
* Kriegsmarine ships
* German military aircraft

Crimes|

* War crimes of the Wehrmacht
* German military brothels in World War II
* Bandenbekämpfung
* Myth of the clean Wehrmacht
* German persecution of Soviet prisoners of war
* High Command Trial

Uranverein|Uranprojekt
*[lit.]: literal translation
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