German Army (Wehrmacht)
| German Army Heer |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1935–46 |
| Country |
 Germany
|
| Allegiance | Adolf Hitler |
| Branch | Wehrmacht |
| Type | Army |
| Size |
6,550,000 (peak in 1943)
|
| Part of | Oberkommando des Heeres |
| Motto(s) | "Gott mit uns" |
| Engagements |
Spanish Civil War World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Commander in Chief | Adolf Hitler |
| Insignia | |
| Ranks and insignia | Ranks and insignia of the Heer |
| Infantry unit flag | .png) |
6,550,000 (peak in 1943)
The German Army (German: Heer, German pronunciation: [ˈheːɐ̯]) was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht, the regular German Armed Forces, from 1935 until it was demobilized and later dissolved in August 1946. The Wehrmacht also included the Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). During World War II, a total of about 13 million soldiers served in the German Army. Most army personnel were conscripted.
Only 17 months after Adolf Hitler announced publicly the rearmament program, the Army reached its projected goal of 36 divisions. During the autumn of 1937, two more corps were formed. In 1938, four additional corps were formed with the inclusion of the five divisions of the Austrian Army after the Anschluss in March. During the period of its expansion by Adolf Hitler, the German Army continued to develop concepts pioneered during World War I, 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 quick victories in the two initial years of World War II, prompting the use of the word Blitzkrieg (literally lightning war, meaning lightning-fast war) for the techniques used.
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