Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It combined the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy), and the Luftwaffe (air force) and was formed as part of the regime's drive to rearm. Officially subordinate to the Nazi state, the Wehrmacht operated under the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) with strategic direction from the high command and field leadership in wartime. Adolf Hitler held the position of supreme commander as Führer, while civilian and party leaders influenced military policy through state structures.

With conscription and professional officers, the Wehrmacht carried out large-scale campaigns across Europe and beyond. It invaded Poland in 1939, overran much of Western Europe in 1940, and then fought the Soviet Union after 1941. The Luftwaffe sought air superiority and close air support, the Kriegsmarine directed naval warfare and U-boat operations, and the Heer provided most of the ground forces. In occupied territories, Wehrmacht units conducted security actions and faced partisan resistance; the organization has been associated with war crimes and abuses, though its status and responsibility relative to the SS have been the subject of historical debate.

After Germany's defeat in 1945, the Wehrmacht was dissolved by the Allied powers. Postwar Germany reconstituted its armed forces in the 1950s as the Bundeswehr, in a new constitutional and institutional framework. The Wehrmacht's legacy remains controversial due to its role in aggressive war, occupation policies, and war crimes committed during the war.