Oberkommando des Heeres
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| Army High Command | |
|---|---|
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | |
| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. Command flag from 1938 to 1942 | |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Disbanded | 23 May 1945 |
| Country | File:Flag of Germany (1935–1945).svg Nazi Germany |
| Branch | File:War ensign of Germany (1938–1945).svg German Army |
| Type | High Command |
| Part of | Armed Forces High Command (Script error: No such module "Lang".) |
| Headquarters | Maybach I, Wünsdorf |
| NicknameTemplate:Pluralize from text | OKH |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | See list |
| Chief of the General Staff | See list |
| Insignia | |
| Command flag 1936–38 | File:OKH1.svg |
| Command flag 1938–42 | File:OKH2.svg |
Template:Short descriptionScript error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
The Script error: No such module "Lang". (lit.Template:Thinsp'Upper Command of the Army'; abbreviated OKH) was the high command of the Army of Nazi Germany. It was founded in 1935 as part of Adolf Hitler's rearmament of Germany. OKH was de facto the most important unit within the German war planning until the defeat at Moscow in December 1941.
During World War II, OKH had the responsibility of strategic planning of Armies and Army Groups. The General Staff of the OKH managed operational matters. Each German Army also had an Army High Command (Script error: No such module "Lang". or AOK). The Armed Forces High Command (Script error: No such module "Lang".) then took over this function for theatres other than the Eastern front.
The OKH commander held the title of Commander-in-chief of the Army (Script error: No such module "Lang".). After the Battle of Moscow, the OKH commander Field marshal Walther von Brauchitsch was removed from office, and Hitler appointed himself as Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
From 1938, OKH was, together with Script error: No such module "Lang". (transl. Air Force High Command) and Script error: No such module "Lang". (transl. Naval High Command) formally subordinated to the Script error: No such module "Lang"..
OKH vs OKW
OKH had been independent until February 1938, when Hitler created the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht which, on paper, subordinated OKH to OKW. After a major crisis developed in the Battle of Moscow, von Brauchitsch was dismissed (partly because of his failing health), and Hitler appointed himself as head of the OKH. At the same time, he limited the OKH's authority to the Russian front, giving OKW direct authority over army units elsewhere. This enabled Hitler to declare that only he had complete awareness of Germany's strategic situation, should any general request a transfer of resources between the Russian front and another theatre of operations.[1]
Although both OKW and OKH were headquartered in the Maybach complex in Nazi Germany, the functional and operational independence of both establishments were not lost on the respective staff during their tenure. Personnel at the compound remarked that even if Maybach 2 (the OKW complex) was completely destroyed, the OKH staff in Maybach 1 would scarcely notice. These camouflaged facilities, separated physically by a fence, also maintained structurally different mindsets towards their objectives.
On 28 April 1945 (two days before his suicide), Hitler formally subordinated OKH to OKW, giving the latter command of forces on the Eastern Front.[2]
Organisation
In 1944, these elements were subordinate to the OKH:[3]
- C.-in-C. Reserve Army and Chief of Equipment (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Friedrich Fromm
- Chief of General Army Office (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Friedrich Olbricht
- Chief of Army Ordnance Office (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Emil Leeb
- Chief of Army Personnel Office (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Rudolf Schmundt
- Chief of Army Administrative Office (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Herbert Osterkamp
- Army Propaganda and Public Relations Office: Hasso von Wedel – Albrecht Blau – Kurt Dittmar
- Inspector General of Armoured Troops (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Heinz Guderian
- General officer commanding for Engineers and Fortifications (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Alfred Jacob
- Inspector General for Officer Cadets (Script error: No such module "Lang".): Karl-Wilhelm Specht
List of commanders
Commander-in-Chief of the Army
The Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Template:Langx) was the head of the OKH and the German Army during the years of the Nazi regime.
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief of the German Army | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Werner von Fritsch (1880–1939) | 1 February 1934 | 4 February 1938 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | – | |
| 2 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Walther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948) | 4 February 1938 | 19 December 1941 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | – | |
| 3 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) [a] | 19 December 1941 | 30 April 1945 † | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | – | |
| 4 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Ferdinand Schörner (1892–1973) [b] | 30 April 1945 | 8 May 1945 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | – |
Chief of General Staff of the OKH
The Chiefs of the OKH General Staff (Template:Langx) were:
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the OKH General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Ludwig Beck (1880–1944) | 1 July 1935 | 31 August 1938 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | [4] | |
| 2 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Franz Halder (1884–1972) | 1 September 1938 | 24 September 1942 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | [5][6] | |
| 3 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Kurt Zeitzler (1895–1963) | 24 September 1942 | 10 June 1944 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | [6] | |
| – | Script error: No such module "Lang". Adolf Heusinger (1897–1982) Acting [c] | 10 June 1944 | 21 July 1944 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | – | |
| – | Script error: No such module "Lang". Heinz Guderian (1888–1954) Acting | 21 July 1944 | 28 March 1945 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | [7] | |
| 4 | Script error: No such module "Lang". Hans Krebs (1898–1945) [d] | 1 April 1945 | 2 May 1945 † | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | [8] | |
| – | Script error: No such module "Lang". Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) Acting | 2 May 1945 | 13 May 1945 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | – | |
| – | Script error: No such module "Lang". Alfred Jodl (1890–1946) Acting | 13 May 1945 | 23 May 1945 | #REDIRECT Template:Age in years and days nts | – |
See also
- German general staff
- Glossary of World War II German military terms
- Maybach I and II
- Oberste Heeresleitung, the German Empire's highest army command during World War I
Notes
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- ^ Hitler assumed personal command of the OKH following Brauchitsch's dismissal in order to supervise Operation Barbarossa, the German-led invasion of the Soviet Union.
- ^ One of Hitler's favorite military commanders who was named in Hitler's last will and testament as the new commander of the OKH. Meanwhile, the OKH was subordinated to the OKW of the Wehrmacht, under Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel.
- ^ Later served as the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (1957–1961) and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (1961–1964)
- ^ Committed suicide
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Barnett, Correlli (1989). Hitler's Generals. Grove. pp. 497. ISBN 978-1555841614.
- ^ Grier, Howard D. Hitler, Dönitz, and the Baltic Sea, Naval Institute Press, 2007, Template:ISBN. p. 121
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.CIA (1944). Who's Who In Nazi Germany (PDF). CIA. pp. 31–32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Murray, Williamson (1984). The Change in the European Balance of Power, 1938–1939 The Path to Ruin. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-691-05413-1.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Müller, Rolf-Dieter (2015). Enemy in the East: Hitler's Secret Plans to Invade the Soviet Union. London: I.B. Tauris. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-78076-829-8.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Adam, Wilhelm; Ruhle, Otto (2015). With Paulus at Stalingrad. Translated by Tony Le Tissier. Pen and Sword Books Ltd. p. 78. ISBN 9781473833869.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hart, Russell A. (2006). Guderian: Panzer Pioneer or Myth Maker?. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-59797-453-0.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Joachimsthaler, Anton (1999) [1995]. The Last Days of Hitler: The Legends – The Evidence – The Truth. Brockhampton Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-1-86019-902-8.
External links
- "Not the Stuff of Legend: The German High Command in World War II" – lecture by Dr. Geoffrey Megargee, author of Inside Hitler's High Command, available at the official YouTube channel of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
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