Werner von BlombergMay 1935
Helps found the Wehrmacht, consists of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force)
Germany · Warfare / Military. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.
Helps found the Wehrmacht, consists of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force)
Legally, the Commander in Chief of the Wehrmacht was Adolf Hitler in his capacity as Germany's head of state, a position he gained after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934. Administration and military authority initially lay with the war ministry under Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg
When conscription is reintroduced Hitler had himself promoted to the new title Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht (Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces)
Appointed Head of the Wehrmacht Office
Appointed Chief of the High Command of the Armed forces, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Appointed Commander in Chief of the Wehrmacht
After von Blomberg resigned in the course of the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair the Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW) under Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel is created
The OKW coordinates military activities but Keitels sway over the three branches of service (army, air force, and navy) was rather limited, each its own High Command, known as Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH, army), Oberkommando der Marine (OKL). In the reshuffle Hitler becomes the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
The OKW coordinates military activities but Keitels sway over the three branches of service (army, air force, and navy) was rather limited, each its own High Command, known as Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH, army), Oberkommando der Marine (OKL). After von Blomberg resigned in the course of the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair the Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW) under Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel is created
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