Oberkommando des Heeres

"OKH" redirects here. For other uses, see OKH (disambiguation).

The Oberkommando des Heeres (lit. 'Upper Command of the Army'; abbreviated OKH) was the high command of the Army of Nazi Germany. It was founded in 1935 as part of Adolf Hitler's rearmament of Germany. OKH was de facto the most important unit within the German war planning until the defeat at Moscow in December 1941.

Army High Command
Oberkommando des Heeres
Command flag from 1938 to 1942
Founded	1935
Disbanded	23 May 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	German Army
Type	High Command
Part of	Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht)
Headquarters	Maybach I, Wünsdorf
Nickname(s)	OKH
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief of the Army	See list
Chief of the General Staff	See list
Insignia
Command flag 1936–38
Command flag 1938–42

During World War II, OKH had the responsibility of strategic planning of Armies and Army Groups. The General Staff of the OKH managed operational matters. Each German Army also had an Army High Command (Armeeoberkommando or AOK). The Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) then took over this function for theatres other than the Eastern front.

The OKH commander held the title of Commander-in-chief of the Army (Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres). After the Battle of Moscow, the OKH commander Field marshal Walther von Brauchitsch was removed from office, and Hitler appointed himself as Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

From 1938, OKH was, together with Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (transl. Air Force High Command) and Oberkommando der Marine (transl. Naval High Command) formally subordinated to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.

OKH vs OKW

OKH had been independent until February 1938, when Hitler created the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht which, on paper, subordinated OKH to OKW. After a major crisis developed in the Battle of Moscow, von Brauchitsch was dismissed (partly because of his failing health), and Hitler appointed himself as head of the OKH. At the same time, he limited the OKH's authority to the Russian front, giving OKW direct authority over army units elsewhere. This enabled Hitler to declare that only he had complete awareness of Germany's strategic situation, should any general request a transfer of resources between the Russian front and another theatre of operations.^[1]

Although both OKW and OKH were headquartered in the Maybach complex in Nazi Germany, the functional and operational independence of both establishments were not lost on the respective staff during their tenure. Personnel at the compound remarked that even if Maybach 2 (the OKW complex) was completely destroyed, the OKH staff in Maybach 1 would scarcely notice. These camouflaged facilities, separated physically by a fence, also maintained structurally different mindsets towards their objectives.

On 28 April 1945 (two days before his suicide), Hitler formally subordinated OKH to OKW, giving the latter command of forces on the Eastern Front.^[2]

Organisation

In 1944, these elements were subordinate to the OKH:^[3]

• C.-in-C. Reserve Army and Chief of Equipment (Chef der Heeresausrüstung und Befehlshaber des Ersatzheeres): Friedrich Fromm
• Chief of General Army Office [de] (Chef des Allgemeines Heeresamt): Friedrich Olbricht
• Chief of Army Ordnance Office (Chef des Heereswaffenamtes): Emil Leeb
• Chief of Army Personnel Office (Chef des Heerespersonalamtes): Rudolf Schmundt
• Chief of Army Administrative Office (Chef des Heeresverwaltungsamtes): Herbert Osterkamp [de]
• Army Propaganda and Public Relations Office: Hasso von Wedel – Albrecht Blau – Kurt Dittmar
• Inspector General of Armoured Troops (Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen): Heinz Guderian
• General officer commanding for Engineers and Fortifications (General der Pioniere und Festungen): Alfred Jacob
• Inspector General for Officer Cadets (Generalinspektion des Militärerziehungs- und Bildungswesens): Karl-Wilhelm Specht

List of commanders

Commander-in-Chief of the Army

The Commander-in-Chief of the Army (German: Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres) was the head of the OKH and the German Army during the years of the Nazi regime.

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		von Fritsch, WernerGeneraloberst Werner von Fritsch (1880–1939)	1 February 1934	4 February 1938	4 years, 34 days	–
2		von Brauchitsch, WaltherGeneralfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948)	4 February 1938	19 December 1941	3 years, 318 days	–
3		Hitler, AdolfFührer und Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) [a]	19 December 1941	30 April 1945 †	3 years, 132 days	–
4		Schörner, FerdinandGeneralfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner (1892–1973) [b]	30 April 1945	8 May 1945	8 days	–

Chief of General Staff of the OKH

Flag of Chief of the German Army General Staff

The Chiefs of the OKH General Staff (German: Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres) were:

No.	Portrait	Chief of the OKH General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		Beck, LudwigGeneraloberst Ludwig Beck (1880–1944)	1 July 1935	31 August 1938	3 years, 61 days	[4]
2		Halder, FranzGeneraloberst Franz Halder (1884–1972)	1 September 1938	24 September 1942	4 years, 23 days	[5][6]
3		Zeitzler, KurtGeneraloberst Kurt Zeitzler (1895–1963)	24 September 1942	10 June 1944	1 year, 260 days	[6]
–		Heusinger, AdolfGeneralleutnant Adolf Heusinger (1897–1982) Acting [c]	10 June 1944	21 July 1944	41 days	–
–		Guderian, HeinzGeneraloberst Heinz Guderian (1888–1954) Acting	21 July 1944	28 March 1945	250 days	[7]
4		Krebs, HansGeneral der Infanterie Hans Krebs (1898–1945) [d]	1 April 1945	2 May 1945 †	30 days	[8]
–		Keitel, WilhelmGeneralfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) Acting	2 May 1945	8 May 1945	7 days	–
–		Jodl, AlfredGeneraloberst Alfred Jodl (1890–1946) Acting	13 May 1945	23 May 1945	10 days	–

See also

• German general staff
• Glossary of World War II German military terms
• Maybach I and II
• Oberste Heeresleitung, the German Empire's highest army command during World War I

Notes

1. Hitler assumed personal command of the OKH following Brauchitsch's dismissal in order to supervise Operation Barbarossa, the German-led invasion of the Soviet Union.
2. One of Hitler's favorite military commanders who was named in Hitler's last will and testament as the new commander of the OKH. Meanwhile, the OKH was subordinated to the OKW of the Wehrmacht, under Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel.
3. Later served as the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (1957–1961) and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (1961–1964)
4. Committed suicide

References

1. Barnett, Correlli (1989). Hitler's Generals. Grove. pp. 497. ISBN 978-1555841614.
2. Grier, Howard D. Hitler, Dönitz, and the Baltic Sea, Naval Institute Press, 2007, ISBN 1-59114-345-4. p. 121
3. CIA (1944). Who's Who In Nazi Germany (PDF). CIA. pp. 31–32. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
4. Murray, Williamson (1984). The Change in the European Balance of Power, 1938–1939 The Path to Ruin. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-691-05413-1.
5. Müller, Rolf-Dieter (2015). Enemy in the East: Hitler's Secret Plans to Invade the Soviet Union. London: I.B. Tauris. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-78076-829-8.
6. Adam, Wilhelm; Ruhle, Otto (2015). With Paulus at Stalingrad. Translated by Tony Le Tissier. Pen and Sword Books Ltd. p. 78. ISBN 9781473833869.
7. Hart, Russell A. (2006). Guderian: Panzer Pioneer or Myth Maker?. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-59797-453-0.
8. Joachimsthaler, Anton (1999) [1995]. The Last Days of Hitler: The Legends – The Evidence – The Truth. Brockhampton Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-1-86019-902-8.

External links

• "Not the Stuff of Legend: The German High Command in World War II" – lecture by Dr. Geoffrey Megargee, author of Inside Hitler's High Command, available at the official YouTube channel of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center