Summary
The Ministry of the Reichswehr (German: Reichswehrministerium) was the defence ministry of the Weimar Republic and the early Third Reich. The 1919 Weimar Constitution provided for a unified, national ministry of defence to coordinate the new Reichswehr, and that ministry was set up in October 1919, from the existing Prussian War Ministry and Reichsmarineamt. It was based in the Bendlerblock building. The Wehrgesetz (Defence Law) of 21 May 1935[1] renamed it the Reich Ministry of War (German: Reichskriegsministerium), which was then abolished in 1938 and replaced with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.
| Reichswehrministerium (German) | |
 Entrance to the Bendlerblock. | |
| Ministry overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 1919 |
| Dissolved | 4 February 1938 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Weimar Republic Government of Nazi Germany |
| Headquarters | Bendlerblock |
| Minister responsible |
|
History edit
Within the framework of the Gesetz über die Bildung einer vorläufigen Reichswehr ("Law on the formation of a provisional national defence force") of March 1919, the Reichspräsident was commander-in-chief of the armed forces, with the Reichswehrminister (Reich Minister of Defence) exercising command. These arrangements left out the Prussian armed forces, which remained under the command of the Prussian Minister of War. After the Weimar Constitution came into force, the war ministries of Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg and Prussia were dissolved, and command authority was concentrated in the hand of the national Reichswehrminister. Power of command for each branch was given to the head of the Army Command (Heeresleitung) and the head of the Navy Command (Marineleitung). The Ministeramt was established as a third office within the ministry in 1929, with the Ministeramt′s head acting as the Reichswehrminister′s political deputy. The innocuous Troop Office (Truppenamt) functioned as a covert general staff, which was banned by the Treaty of Versailles.
The "Verkündung der Wehrhoheit" (proclamation of military sovereignty) of 1935 created a new Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL), under the Air Ministry, and turned the Heeresleitung into the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) and the Marineleitung into the Oberkommando der Marine (OKM). The Ministeramt was renamed the Wehrmachtsamt. As a result of the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair in 1938, the Reichskriegsminister and Wehrmachtsamt were abolished by Adolf Hitler and their duties transferred to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW).
Lists of officials edit
Defence Ministers edit
- Minister of Defence
| No. | Portrait | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gustav Noske (1868–1946) | 13 February 1919 | 22 March 1920 | 1 year, 38 days | SPD | Scheidemann Bauer | |
| 2 | Otto Gessler (1875–1955) | 27 March 1920 | 19 January 1928 | 7 years, 298 days | DDP | Müller I Fehrenbach Wirth I − II Cuno Stresemann I − II Marx I − II Luther I − II Marx III − IV | |
| 3 | Wilhelm Groener (1867–1939) | 19 January 1928 | 30 May 1932 | 4 years, 132 days | Independent | Marx IV Müller II Brüning I − II | |
| 4 | Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934) | 1 June 1932 | 28 January 1933 | 243 days | Independent | von Papen von Schleicher | |
| 5 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 29 January 1933 | 21 May 1935 | 2 years, 113 days | Independent | Hitler |
- Minister of War
| No. | Portrait | Minister of War | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 21 May 1935 | 27 January 1938 | 2 years, 251 days | Independent | Hitler |
Ministerial office heads edit
- Heads of the Ministeramt (Chefs des Ministeramtes)
| No. | Portrait | Chefs des Ministeramtes | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General der Infanterie Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934) | 1 February 1929 | 1 June 1932 | 3 years, 121 days | |
| 2 | Generalmajor Ferdinand von Bredow (1884–1934) | 1 June 1932 | 30 January 1933 | 243 days | |
| 3 | Oberst Walter von Reichenau (1884–1942) | 1 February 1933 | 1 February 1934 | 1 year, 0 days |
- Heads of the Wehrmachtamt (Chefs des Wehrmachtamtes)
| No. | Portrait | Chefs des Wehrmachtamtes | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Generalmajor Walter von Reichenau (1884–1942) | 1 February 1934 | 30 September 1935 | 1 year, 243 days | |
| 2 | Generalmajor Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) | 1 October 1935 | 4 February 1938 | 2 years, 127 days |
Army heads edit
- Heads of the Army Command (Chefs der Heeresleitung)
| No. | Portrait | Chefs der Heeresleitung | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Generalmajor Walther Reinhardt (1872–1930) | 13 September 1919 | 22 March 1920 | 191 days | |
| 2 | Generaloberst Hans von Seeckt (1866–1936) | 26 March 1920 | 9 October 1926 | 6 years, 197 days | |
| 3 | Generaloberst Wilhelm Heye (1869–1947) | 9 October 1926 | 31 October 1930 | 4 years, 22 days | |
| 4 | General der Infanterie Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord (1878–1943) | 1 November 1930 | 31 January 1934 | 3 years, 91 days | |
| 5 | General der Artillerie Werner von Fritsch (1880–1939) | 1 February 1934 | 1 June 1935 | 1 year, 120 days |
- Commander-in-chief of the Army (Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres)
| No. | Portrait | Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Generaloberst Werner von Fritsch (1880–1939) | 1 June 1935 | 4 February 1938 | 2 years, 248 days |
edit
- Chief of the Admiralty (Chef der Admiralität)
| No. | Portrait | Chefs der Admiralität | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vizeadmiral Adolf von Trotha (1868–1940) | 26 March 1919 | 22 March 1920 | 362 days | |
| – | Konteradmiral William Michaelis (1871–1948) Acting | 22 March 1920 | 1 September 1920 | 163 days | |
| 2 | Vizeadmiral Paul Behncke (1869–1937) | 1 September 1920 | 14 September 1920 | 13 days |
- Heads of the Naval Command (Chefs der Marineleitung)
| No. | Portrait | Chefs der Marineleitung | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vizeadmiral Paul Behncke (1869–1937) | 14 September 1920 | 1 October 1924 | 4 years, 17 days | |
| 2 | Vizeadmiral Hans Zenker (1870–1932) | 1 October 1924 | 30 September 1928 | 3 years, 365 days | |
| 3 | Vizeadmiral Erich Raeder (1876–1960) | 1 October 1928 | 1 June 1935 | 6 years, 243 days |
- Commander-in-chief of the Navy (Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine)
| No. | Portrait | Oberbefehlshaber der Marine | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Großadmiral Erich Raeder (1876–1960) | 1 June 1935 | 30 January 1943 | 7 years, 243 days |
References edit
- ^ (in German) RGBl I, S. 609 / Faksimile Wehrgesetz
External links edit
- (in German) Article on adlexikon.de