The Heer was the land forces component of the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) from 1935 to 1945, which also included the Navy (Kriegsmarine) and the Air Force (Luftwaffe). Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Kriegsmarine (English "War navy" was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945 during the Nazi regime superseding the ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. During the Second World War, a total of about 15 million soldiers served in the German Army, of whom about three million perished. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
General introduction
During the period of its rebuilding by Hitler the German Army continued to develop concepts pioneered during the First World War, combining ground (Heer) and air (Luftwaffe) assets into combined arms teams. Coupled with operational and tactical methods such as encirclements and the "battle of annihilation", the German military managed several quick victories in the two initial years of the Second World War, prompting foreign journalists to create a new word for what they witnessed, Blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial
The Wehrmacht entered the war with a minority of its Army infantry formations relying on the horse for transportations while the infantry remained foot soldiers throughout the war, artillery also remaining primarily horse-drawn. The motorized formations received much attention in the World press in the opening years of the war, and were cited as the reason for the success of the German invasions of Poland (September 1939), Norway and Denmark (April 1940), Belgium, France and Netherlands (May 1940), Yugoslavia (April 1941) and the early campaigns in the Soviet Union (June 1941). However there motorised and tank formations accounted for only 20% of the Heer's strength at their peak strength.
Role in the Second World War
Wehrmacht Army military system
During the Second World War the German Reich used the system of military districts [1] (German: Wehrkreis) to relieve field commanders of as much administrative work as possible, and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the field forces. Deutsches Reich was the name for Germany from 1871 to 1945 in the German language. Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army which are responsible for a certain area of territory The method OKW adopted was to separate the Field Army (Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres) from the Home Command (Heimatkriegsgebiet), and to entrust the responsibilities of training, conscription, supply and equipment to Home Command. For other uses of OKW see OKW (disambiguation. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht ( OKW) ( English: "High Command
The commander of an infantry Corps also commanded the Wehrkreis with the identical number in peacetime, but command of the Wehrkreis passed to his second-in command at the outbreak of the war.
Before the start of the war, there were also four Motorized Army Corps (Armeekorps (mot. )) which were in effect, staffs to control the training of Panzer and Light Panzer formations, and which had no corresponding military districts, but were provided with conscripts and supplies by the districts in which Corps headquarters or subordinate formations had their Home Garrison Stations. The Districts were organized into a hierarchy that included Area Headquarters (Wehrersatzbezirk Hauptquartier) and Sub-area headquarters (Wehrbezirk Hauptquartier).
Command, Arms of Service, and Service Corps of the Heer
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Decision making process
The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) was Germany's Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH was Germany 's Army High Command from 1936 to 1945 In theory the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) commanded the OKH. However, the de facto situation after 1941 was that the OKW directly commanded operations on the Western front while the OKH commanded the Russian front.
Determination of goals and objectives
In theory, OKW served as the military General Staff for the German Reich's armed forces, coordinating the Wehrmacht (Army Heer, Navy Kriegsmarine, and the Air Force Luftwaffe) operations. For other uses of OKW see OKW (disambiguation. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht ( OKW) ( English: "High Command The Kriegsmarine (English "War navy" was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945 during the Nazi regime superseding the ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. In practice OKW acted as Hitler's personal military staff, translating his ideas into military plans and orders, and issuing them to the three services while having little control over them. However, as the war progressed the OKW found itself exercising increasing amounts of direct command authority over military units, particularly in the West. This created a situation where by 1942 the OKW was the de facto command of Western Theatre forces while the Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres) (OKH) served Hitler as his personal command Staff on the Eastern Front.
Abwehr (Army intelligence)
The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944 The term Abwehr (German for defence) was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only. After 4 February 1938, its name in title was Overseas Department/Office in Defence of the Armed Forces High Command ("Amt Ausland/Abwehr im Oberkommando der Wehrmacht" in German). Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
System of operational planning
Organisation of the field forces
High Command in the field
Field Armies
Panzer Groups
Army Corps
Kampfgruppen
The German term Kampfgruppe (pl. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland East Prussia (Ostpreußen; Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Prusy Wschodnie Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya) refers to the main part The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied The List of World War II military units of Germany contains all Military units to serve with the Armed forces of Germany during World War II. The List of World War II military units of Germany contains all Military units to serve with the Armed forces of Germany during World War II. List of military corps — List of German corps in WWII This is a list of German army corps that existed during World War II. Kampfgruppen; abbrev. KG) which equates to the English 'combat group' or battle group, can refer to a combined arms combat formation of any size, but most usually to that employed by the Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II, ranging from an Army Corps size such as Kampfgruppe Kampf to commands composed of several companies and even platoons. A battlegroup (British/Commonwealth term or Task force (US term in modern military theory, is the basic building block of an Army 's They were named for their commanding officers using the family name, e. g. Kampfgruppe Meyer.
Divisions
Other units
Foreign volunteers
Among the foreign volunteers who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II were ethnic Germans, Dutch, and Scandinavians along with people from the Baltic states and the Balkans who were either volunteers or later conscripted for service. This is a list of German divisions in World War II. Only ground units are covered "divisions" of aircraft are not World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Russians recruited from prisoner of war camps fought in the Russian Liberation Army or as Hilfswilliger. Russian Liberation Army (Russian Russkaya Osvoboditel'naya Armiya, Русская Освободительная Армия abbreviated in Cyrillic as РОА in Latin Hiwi is a German abbreviation It has two meanings "voluntary assistant" ( Hilfswilliger, literally one willing to help) and "assistant scientist" Non-Russians from the Soviet Union formed the Ostlegionen. Ostlegionen or Ostgruppen (literally "Eastern Legion" were conscripts and volunteers from occupied territories who fought in the German Army ( Wehrmacht These units were all commanded by General Ernst August Köstring and represented about five percent of the Wehrmacht.
Other military and support organisation
Strategic employment of the Army
The German Army was mainly structured in Heeresgruppen (army groups, Category:Army groups of the German Army) consisting of several armies that were relocated, restructured or renamed in the course of the war. An army group is a Military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods Forces or allied states as well as units made up of non-Germans were also assigned to German units.
For Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Army forces were assigned to three strategic campaign groupings:
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- Army High Command Norway (Armee-Oberkommando Norwegen)
- Army Group North Heeresgruppe Nord with Leningrad as its campaign objective
- Army Group Centre Heeresgruppe Mitte with Smolensk as its campaign objective
- Army Group South Heeresgruppe Süd with Kievas its campaign objective
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- Later in the campaign the Army Group was divided into
- Army Group A Heeresgruppe A with Caucasus as its campaign objective
- Army Group B Heeresgruppe B with Stalingrad as its campaign objective
- Army Group A Heeresgruppe A with Caucasus as its campaign objective
- Later in the campaign the Army Group was divided into
The troops sent to North Africa to support Italian forces were designated the Afrikakorps. Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II 21st Norwegian Army ( Armeeoberkommando Norwegen, abbr AOK Norwegen) was one of the two army echelon Headquarters controlling German troops in the far north Army Group North ( Heeresgruppe Nord) was a strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Army Group Center (Heeresgruppe Mitte was the name of two distinct German strategic Army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II Smolensk (Смоленск is a city in western Russia, located on the Dnieper River, the administrative centre of Smolensk Oblast. Army Group South (Heeresgruppe Süd was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Army Group A was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East The German Afrikakorps ( German: Deutsches Afrikakorps DAK) was the original German blocking force (Sperrverband = Armored Blocking Force in Libya
Operational methods of the Army
German operational doctrine emphasized sweeping pincer and lateral movements meant to obliterate the enemy as quick as possible. The pincer movement or double envelopment is a basic element of Military strategy which has been used to some extent in many Wars and is considered In Military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force This "strategy" referred to as Blitzkrieg was an operational doctrine[2] instrumental in the success of the offensives in Poland and France. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial
Tactics
The Wehrmacht's military strength was managed through mission-based tactics (rather than order-based tactics) and an almost proverbial discipline. Mission-type tactics ( German: Auftragstaktik, from Auftrag and Taktik" also known as Mission Command in the US have (arguably been a central In public opinion, the Wehrmacht was and is sometimes seen as a high-tech army, since new technologies that were introduced before and during World War II influenced its development of tactical doctrine. Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the These technologies were featured by propaganda, but were often only available in small numbers or late in the war, as overall supplies of raw materials and armaments became low. For example only 40% percent of all units were fully motorised, supply columns mainly relied on horses, and most soldiers moved by foot or used bicycles (de:Radfahrtruppen).
Use of fortifications and field defenses
German use of fortifications defenses included the Siegfried Line which was intended for defence of the western borders, and the Atlantic Wall erected under command of General Rommel stretching from Normandy to southern Cherbourg. The original Siegfried line ( Siegfriedstellung) was a line of defensive forts and tank defenses built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916-1917 The Atlantikwall ( English: Atlantic wall) was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the German Third Reich The Germans also made great use of fortified cities (termed Festungen) such as Metz and Poznan during the latter part of the war. Metz (mɛs in French) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine région and Préfecture The Battle of Poznań during World War II in 1945 was a massive assault by the Soviet Union's Red Army that had as its objective the elimination of When building temporary field defenses the Heer relied on the defensive tactics developed during the First World War. Infantry would occupy up to five lines of defence with the first being only lightly held advance posts. Further back would be pre-sighted anti-tank and artillery positions preferably not registered by the enemy field artillery counter-battery fires. The armoured formations would stage behind these prepared positions to counter-attack any enemy breakthroughs. The armoured reserves would employ a range of counter-offensive tactics depending on the size of the breach and enemy strength. The most important consideration for the defenders would be to hold the flanks of any breach no matter how wide, and then attempt to close the breach.
Logistics, evacuation and movements
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Practice of combined Arms operations
Luftwaffe ground formations
Four types of Luftwaffe formations and units served in ground roles with the Wehrmacht Heer during the Second World War:
Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring (1st Paratroop Panzer Division Hermann Goering - abbreviated Fallschirm-Panzer-Div 1 HG) was an elite German Luftwaffe armoured division. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. The Fallschirm-Panzer-Division1 Hermann Göring ( 1st Paratroop Panzer Division Hermann Goering - abbreviated Fallschirm-Panzer-Div 1 HG The HG saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and on the Eastern Front. The division was a created by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, and through the war increased in size from a German: abteilung battalion to a Panzer Corps. Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also spelled Goering) (12 January 1893 15 October 1946 was a German Politician, Military leader and a leading member The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. A Panzer Corps (German Panzerkorps) was a military formation type in the German Wehrmacht during World War II.
Fallschirmjäger (or 'parachute rangers' in English, from German: Fallschirm "parachute" and Jäger, "hunter or ranger") is also used as a term for light infantry). (often rendered Fallschirmjager in English; from the German Fallschirm "parachute" and Jäger, "hunter The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a Skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of Infantry, harassing Fallschirmjäger (plural) were the first to be committed in large scale airborne operations during the Second World War, notably during the Battle of Crete which proved to be bloody for the Corps. The Battle of Crete ( German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) was a battle during World War II During the whole period of its existence, the Fallschirmjäger commander was Kurt Student. Kurt Student ( May 12, 1890 &ndash July 1, 1978) was a German Luftwaffe General who fought as
The Luftwaffe Field Divisions (German: Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen) were German military formations which although nominally part of the Luftwaffe served within the Wehrmacht Heer organisational structure during the Second World War. The Luftwaffe Field Division s (German Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen or LwFD were German military formations which fought during World War II. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Heer was the land forces component of the German armed forces ( Wehrmacht) from 1935 to 1945, which also included the Navy ( World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Luftwaffe field division were mostly organised on the same principle as the Infantry divisions of the Heer.
The Flakkorps and Flakdivision (anti-aircraft artillery Corps and divisions) which served as the headquarters for controlling smaller flak units attached to Herr formations rather than separate divisions organized for ground combat. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces However they also served as area formations deployed to protect large important cities and fortified areas.
Relationship with Waffen-SS
Weapons
- Karabiner 98k
- Gewehr 41
- MP40
- MG42
- Panzerfaust
- Sturmgewehr 44
- Panzerschreck
- MG34
- Luger P08 pistol
- Walther P38
- Stielhandgranate
- Mauser C96
- FG42
- Flammenwerfer 35
- MP18
- Gewehr 43
- Sturmgewehr 45
- Volkssturmgewehr 1-5
- Gewehr 98
- Sauer 38H
- Mauser HSc
- MG 81 machine gun
- MP3008
Infantry weapons
Artillery weapons
- 88 mm gun anti-aircraft or artillery weapon
- Hummel (artillery)
- 15 cm sIG 33
- Schwerer Gustav
- Nebelwerfer
- Krupp K5
- Wespe
Vehicles
- SdKfz 251
- SdKfz 4
- SdKfz 2
- SdKfz 7
- SdKfz 10
- Leichter Panzerspähwagen
- Schwerer Panzerspähwagen
- SdKfz 250
Equipment
Assault gun
Anti-Aircraft Gun
Tanks
- Panzer I
- Panzer II
- Panzer III
- Panzer IV
- Panzer V "Panther"
- Tiger I
- Tiger II or King Tiger
- Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte is was a project to make a super-heavy tank during World War 2(project cancelled)
- Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster(project cancelled)
- Panzer VIII Maus(project cancelled)
Tank Destroyer
- Elefant
- Hetzer
- Jagdpanzer IV
- Jagdpanther
- Jagdtiger
- Marder I
- Marder II
- Marder III
- Nashorn
- Panzerjäger I
Uniforms, insignia and personal equipment
Assessment
Max Hastings, respected British author, historian and ex-newspaper editor, said in a radio interview on WGN Chicago ". The Karabiner 98 Kurz (often abbreviated Kar98k or K98k) was a Bolt-action Rifle adopted as the standard infantry rifle in 1935 by the The Gewehr 41 rifle commonly known as the G41, was a Semi-automatic rifle used by Nazi Germany during World War II Background The MP40 ( Maschinenpistole 40, literally "Machine Pistol 40" is a Submachine gun developed in Germany and used extensively by Paratroopers The MG42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "Machine Gun 42" is a Machine gun that was developed for and entered The Panzerfaust (plural Panzerfäuste, "armored fist" or "tank fist" was an inexpensive recoilless German Anti-tank Panzerschreck (tank shocker was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse ('rocket tank rifle' abbreviated to RPzB an 88 mm Calibre reusable The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG34, was a German Machine gun that was first produced and accepted for service in 1934, and first issued to units The Parabellum-Pistole ( Pistol Parabellum) popularly (but incorrectly known as the Luger, is a toggle locked recoil operated, Semi-automatic The Walther P38 is a 9 mm pistol that was developed by Walther as the Service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War The Model 24 Stielhandgranate (English "stick hand grenade" was the standard Hand grenade of the German Army from the end of World War The C96 is a Semi-automatic pistol that was manufactured from 1896 to 1936 in Germany. The Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 ( FG42) was an Automatic rifle produced in Nazi Germany during World War II. The Flammenwerfer 35, or FmW 35 (literally "flame thrower" or "thrower of flames" was the one-man German Flamethrower used during World The MP181 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau Abteilung was the first practical Submachine gun used in combat The Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 (G43 K43 Gew 43 Kar 43 is a 792x57mm Mauser caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by Nazi Germany during World The Mauser Sturmgewehr 45 (aka StG45(M literally "Storm Rifle" or "Assault Rifle" 1945) was a prototype Assault rifle developed by Mauser The Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 is a 792 mm caliber semi-automatic Rifle developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Gewehr 98 (abbreviated G98 or Gew 98) was the standard German Infantry Rifle from 1898 to 1935 when it was replaced by the Karabiner The Sauer model 38H or often just H was a small semiautomatic Pistol made in Nazi Germany from 1938 until just after the end The Mauser HSc is a small caliber Pistol made in Nazi Germany from 1940 until the end of World War II. The MG 81 was a belt fed 792 mm Machine gun for fixed or flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft replacing the older The 9 mm MP 3008 ( Maschinenpistole 3008, literally "machine pistol 3008" was a Nazi German substitute standard Submachine gun The 88 mm gun ( eighty-eight) is a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank Artillery gun from World War II. The Hummel ( "Bumble Bee") was a Self-propelled artillery gun based on the Geschützwagen III/IV chassis armed with a 15 cm Howitzer. Schwerer Gustav (English Heavy Gustav) and Dora were the names of the German 80 cm K (E Railway guns They were developed in The Nebelwerfer (German for "smoke launcher" was a World War II German towed Rocket artillery launcher developed in the 1930s The Krupp K5 was a heavy Railway gun used by Germany through World War II. The SdKfz 124 Wespe ( German for Wasp) or (Leichte Feldhaubitze 18 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II was a German Self-propelled The Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 ( SdKfz 251) Half-track was an Armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Nazi Germany 's Hanomag The SdKfz 4 Gleisketten-Lastkraftwagen ("track chain truck" nicknamed Maultier (" Mule " was a family of Half-tracks developed The SdKfz 7 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 7 was a Half-track military vehicle used by the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS during the The SdKfz 10 was a German Half-track that saw very widespread use in World War II. The Leichter Panzerspähwagen (roughly "Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle" were a series of light 4 x 4 armoured cars produced by Nazi Germany from The term Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (Heavy armored reconnaissance vehicle covers the 6 and 8 wheel armoured cars Germany The SdKfz 250 was a light armoured Halftrack, very similar in appearance to the larger Hanomag -designed Sdkfz The Sturmgeschütz III ( StuG III) Assault gun was Germany's most produced Armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. The Sturmgeschütz IV (SdKfz 167 (StuG IV, was a German Assault gun of the Second World War. Sturmtiger is the common name of a World War II German Assault gun built on the Panzer VI Tiger The Sturmpanzer IV (also known as Sturmpanzer 43 or SdKfz 166) was an armoured infantry support gun based on the Panzer IV Chassis used The Flakpanzer IV "Ostwind" was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the Panzer IV tank The Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz ("ball lightning" was a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed during World War II, which was The Flakpanzer 38(t (officially named Flakpanzer 38(t auf Selbstfahrlafette 38(t Ausf M ( SdKfz 140)) was a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun The 37cm FlaK auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen IV (sf ( SdKfz The Flakpanzer IV "Wirbelwind" ( Whirlwind in German) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the Panzer IV tank The Panzer I is a Light tank which was produced in Germany in the 1930s Panzer II is the common name of a German Tank used in World War II. Panzer III is the common name of a Medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and used extensively in World War II. The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a Medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively The Panther ( was a Tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945 Tiger I ( is the common name of a German heavy Tank of World War II. Tiger II is the common name of a German Heavy tank of the Second World War. The Landkreuzer P 1000 was to have been an extremely large tank for use by Nazi Germany during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Landkreuzer P 1500 Monster was a German pre-prototype Super-heavy tank designed during World War II — representing the apex of the Nazis extreme The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (SdKfz 205 was a German Super-heavy tank design and the heaviest Tank to The Panzerjäger Tiger (P Elefant (SdKfz 184 was a Panzerjäger ( tank hunter) of the German Wehrmacht in The Jagdpanzer 38(t (SdKfz 138/2 after World War II known as Hetzer ("foxhound" was a German Tank destroyer of the The Jagdpanzer IV, SdKfz 162 was a Tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis built in three main variants The Jagdpanther ("Hunting Panther" was a Tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther The Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf B Jagdtiger (Sd Kfz 186 was a German Tank destroyer (self-propelled anti tank The Marder I "Marten" ( SdKfz 135 was a German World War II Tank destroyer, armed with a 75 mm anti-tank gun The Marder II was a German Tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II Chassis The Marder III is the name for a series of World War II German Tank destroyers built on the chassis of the Panzer 38(t. Nashorn ( German " Rhinoceros " pronounced Nahz-horn not Nash-orn initially known as Hornisse ( German The Panzerjäger I ("Tank Hunter I" was the first of the Panzerjäger designs for German Tank destroyers in the Second World Sir Max Hastings, FRSL (born December 28, 1945) is a British Journalist, editor, Historian and Author . . there's no doubt that man for man, the German army was the greatest fighting force of the second world war". This view was also explained in his book "Overlord: D-Day and the battle for Normandy". D-Day may also refer to Decimal Day in the United Kingdom. D-Day is a term often used in Military parlance to denote Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. In the book World War II : An Illustrated Miscellany, Anthony Evans writes: 'The German soldier was very professional and well trained, aggressive in attack and stubborn in defence. He was always adaptable, particularly in the later years when shortages of equipment were being felt'. These views of the Wehrmacht are an attempt to evaluate their fighting abilities and not trying to excuse or justify some of the aims or actions of the Nazi regime.
An often-overlooked characteristic of the late-war German Army was the liberal use of machine-guns with high rates of fire and medium- and heavy-caliber mortars. Although German battalions were often smaller than those of their opponents by 1944, they were still capable, in terms of organic weapons, of bringing substantially higher weights of fire to bear than those of their opponents. This discrepancy in relative weights of fire made the dislodgement of defending German units difficult, and often resulted in Western Allied and Soviet tendencies to 'even the odds' through the use of artillery and air support. Coupled with a high unit cohesiveness that was a product of German social behavior, these factors made the German Army a dangerous opponent even into 1945.
After the war
Confronted with a huge number of German prisoners of war after VE Day, the Western Allies kept Feldjägerkommando III (a regimental-sized unit of German military police) active and armed to assist with the control of the POWs. Victory in Europe Day ( V-E Day or VE Day) was May 7 and May 8, 1945, the dates when the World War II Allies The Western Allies were the democracies and their colonial peoples within the broader coalition of Allies during World War II. Military police ( MPs) are normally the Police of a Military Organization. Feldjägerkommando III remained armed and under Western Allied control until 23 June 1946, when it was finally deactivated. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [1]
Memorials
Wehrmacht Army in Popular culture
The Wehrmacht Army has been portrayed in various films such as Saving Private Ryan
References
- ^ Williamson, p. Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. 13.
Bibliography
- Max Hastings, Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy 1944, 1985, reissued 1999, Pan, ISBN 0-330-39012-0. Sir Max Hastings, FRSL (born December 28, 1945) is a British Journalist, editor, Historian and Author
- Max Hastings, Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1945, 2004, Macmillan, ISBN 0-333-90836-8. Sir Max Hastings, FRSL (born December 28, 1945) is a British Journalist, editor, Historian and Author
- Anthony A Evans, World War II: An Illustrated Miscellany, 2005, Worth Press, ISBN 1-84567-681-5.
- W. J. K. Davies, German Army Handbook, 1973, Ian Allen Ltd. , Shepperton, Surrey, ISBN 0-7110-0290-8.
- Gordon Williamson, German Military Police Units 1939-45, 1995, London: Osprey, ISBN 0-85045-902-8.
See also
Online resources
- Extensive history and information about German armed forces from 1919 to 1945
- Examples of, and information about, camouflage uniforms used by the Wehrmacht Heer, Wehrmacht Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS during the Second World War
- Archives of the German military manuals including secret manuals of Enigma and Cryptography
- Over 2,000 original German WWII soldier photographs from the Eastern Front
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