Oberkommando

Oberkommando is a German term meaning “supreme command” or “high command.” In military usage, it denotes the highest level of command authority within a German armed force and is used in the formal names of historical organizations to indicate centralized strategic leadership.

The best-known instance is Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), the High Command of the Armed Forces, established in 1938 to coordinate strategy across the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany. The OKW functioned as the central body for planning, policy, and liaison with the Führer and the Nazi leadership. Day-to-day operational control, however, typically remained with the service-specific high commands: Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) for the Army, Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) for the Air Force, and Oberkommando der Marine (OKM) for the Navy. The Chief of OKW led the organization, with figures such as Wilhelm Keitel serving in senior leadership roles and Alfred Jodl as chief of operations.

In practice, the OKW served as the overall planning and coordination organ, integrating strategic considerations and theater-level intelligence, while battlefield execution and operational decision-making were carried out by the respective service commands and field units. The distinction between strategic direction and operational control was a defining feature of the German command structure in the period, shaping how campaigns were planned and conducted during World War II.

The term Oberkommando can also appear in other historical contexts to denote top-level command authorities within German-speaking militaries, but theOKW remains the principal historical reference associated with the title.