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Heer

Heer is a German noun meaning "army" and is used to refer specifically to the land forces of the German-speaking world. In contemporary German, das Heer is the official designation of the army branch of the armed forces, with the other branches being Die Luftwaffe (air) and Die Marine (navy). The Heer operates as the largest service component of the Bundeswehr, Germany's post-World War II military, established in its current form in 1956.

Historically, the term also designated the land forces of the German Army in the Wehrmacht era from

In other languages, notably Dutch and Afrikaans, heer means "gentleman" or "lord" and is used as a

1935
to
1945,
when
the
ground
forces
were
collectively
known
as
the
Heer.
The
concept
of
the
army
has
roots
in
medieval
and
early
modern
German
states,
but
the
modern
formal
usage
centers
on
the
Bundeswehr
and
Wehrmacht
legacies.
polite
form
of
address
(de
Heer)
and,
as
a
surname,
occurs
in
Dutch-
and
German-speaking
communities.
In
religious
contexts,
de
Heer
translates
as
"the
Lord,"
as
in
references
to
God.