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{{Short description|German interwar defence ministry}}
{{Short description|German interwar defence ministry}}
{{Infobox government agency
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The '''Ministry of the Reichswehr''' ({{lang-de|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 [[Prussian Minister of War|War Ministry]] and ''[[Reichsmarineamt]]''. It was based in the [[Bendlerblock]] building. The ''Wehrgesetz'' (Defence Law) of 21 May 1935<ref>{{in lang|de}} RGBl I, S. 609 / Faksimile [http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-plus?apm=0&aid=dra&datum=19350007&seite=00000609&zoom= Wehrgesetz]</ref> renamed it the '''Reich Ministry of War''' ({{lang-de|Reichskriegsministerium}}), which was then abolished in 1938 and replaced with the ''[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]]''.
The '''Ministry of the Reichswehr''' ({{lang-de|Reichswehrministerium}} ) was the defence ministry of the [[Weimar Republic]] and the early [[Third Reich]]. Based in the [[Bendlerblock]] building in Berlin, it was established in October 1919 under the leadership of a defence minister and staffed mostly from the existing [[Ministry of War (Prussia)|Prussian Ministry of War]]. Its longest serving Weimar era ministers were the civilian [[Otto Gessler]] (almost 8 years) and the former general [[Wilhelm Groener]] (4 years).

Under the [[Nazi government]], the Ministry of the Reichswehr was renamed the '''Reich Ministry of War'''. It was led by Minister of War General [[Werner von Blomberg]], who had also been the last defence minister. The Ministry was abolished in 1938 and replaced with the ''[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]]'' (Armed Forces High Command) under the direct command of [[Adolf Hitler]].

⚫
== History ==

=== Formation ===
On 6 March 1919, the [[Weimar National Assembly]] – Germany's post-war interim parliament, which was tasked with passing necessary laws while it drafted a constitution for the Republic – enacted the Law on the Formation of a Provisional National Defence Force ({{Lang|de|Gesetz über die Bildung einer vorläufigen Reichswehr}} ). It authorized the [[President of Germany (1919–1945)|president of Germany]] to:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gesetz über die Bildung einer vorläufigen Reichswehr. Vom 6. März 1919 |trans-title=Law on the formation of a provisional national defence force. From 6. March 1919 (''full text in German'') |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/vorl-reichswehr_ges.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=documentArchiv.de |language=}}</ref>

disband the existing Army and to form a provisional ''Reichswehr'', which will protect the Reich's borders, enforce the orders of the Reich government and maintain peace and order within the Reich until the new Armed Forces ({{Lang|de|Wehrmacht}} ), which is to be organized by Reich law, is created.

The position of defence minister was established early in 1919<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Militärwesen im Deutschen Reich 1919–1932 |trans-title=Military System in the German Reich 1919–1932 |url=https://weimar.bundesarchiv.de/WEIMAR/DE/Content/Virtuelle-Ausstellungen/Die-besiegte-Nation/das-deutsche-militaerwesen-4-deutsches-reich-1919-1932.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=100 Jahre Weimarer Republik |language=de}}</ref> and filled by [[Gustav Noske]] on 13 February.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Das Kabinett Scheidemann (13. Februar – 20. Juni 1919) |url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/sch/sch1p/kap1_3/para2_1.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=Das Bundesarchiv |language=de}}</ref> On 20 August, President [[Friedrich Ebert]] ordered that the Reichswehr Ministry take over from the [[States of the Weimar Republic|federal states]]' war ministries on 1 October,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Reichswehrministerium - Ministry of the Reichswehr |url=https://portal.ehri-project.eu/authorities/ehri_cb-814 |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=EHRI}}</ref> although it was not until 8 November 1919 that the new ministry was officially opened. The heads of Army Command ({{Lang|de|Heeresleitung}} ) and the Admiralty – which became Navy Command ({{Lang|de|Marineleitung}} ) on 15 July 1920 – were subordinate to the defence minister.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Militärwesen im Deutschen Reich 1919–1932 |trans-title=Military System in the German Reich 1919–1932 |url=https://weimar.bundesarchiv.de/WEIMAR/DE/Content/Virtuelle-Ausstellungen/Die-besiegte-Nation/das-deutsche-militaerwesen-4-deutsches-reich-1919-1932.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=100 Jahre Weimarer Republik |language=de}}</ref> The Ministry was for the most part made up of members from the states' war ministries, with the majority coming from the [[Prussian Ministry of War]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reichswehrministerium |trans-title=Reichswehr Ministry |url=https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/DivisionenRW/RWM-R.htm |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=Lexikon der Wehrmacht |language=de}}</ref>

The Prussian armed forces remained under the command of General [[Walther Reinhardt]], the [[Prussian Minister of War]], until the Ministry was disbanded on 30 September 1919.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pöhlmann |first=Markus |date=10 March 2016 |editor-last=Daniel |editor-first=Ute |editor2-last=Gatrell |editor2-first=Peter |editor3-last=Janz |editor3-first=Oliver |editor4-last=Jones |editor4-first=Heather |editor5-last=Keene |editor5-first=Jennifer |editor6-last=Kramer |editor6-first=Alan |editor7-last=Nasson |editor7-first=Bill |title=Prussian War Ministry |url=https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/prussian_war_ministry |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=1914–1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War |publisher=Freie Universität Berlin}}</ref> Reinhardt sat on the first two cabinets of the Weimar Republic as a non-voting member until 30 September, as did Admiral [[Adolf von Trotha]] in a similar capacity for the Admiralty until 27 March 1920, when the [[Bauer cabinet]] resigned.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Das Kabinett Scheidemann (13. Februar – 20. Juni 1919) |url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/sch/sch1p/kap1_3/para2_1.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=Das Bundesarchiv |language=de}}</ref>

As a covert replacement for the [[German Empire]]'s [[Oberste Heeresleitung|General Staff (OHL)]], which had been banned by the [[Treaty of Versailles]] (Article 160), the ''[[Truppenamt]]'' was formed within the Reichswehr Ministry in October 1919. General [[Hans von Seeckt]] was its first head.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Truppenamt (TA) im Reichswehrministerium |trans-title=''Truppenamt'' (TA) in the ''Reichswehr'' Ministry |url=https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/DivisionenRW/RWMTruppenamt-R.htm |access-date=5 July 2024 |website=Lexikon der Wehrmacht |language=de}}</ref>

The Reich law to create a new Armed Forces, which had been referred to in the 1919 Law on the Formation of a Provisional National Defence Force, was promulgated as the Defence Act ({{Lang|de|Wehrgesetz}} ) on 23 March 1921 by the [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Weimar Reichstag]]. It formally established the ''Reichswehr'' in compliance with the limits set in the Treaty of Versailles. In § 8 [2], it stated that: "the Reich President is the supreme commander of the entire Armed Forces. Under him, the Armed Forces minister exercises command over the entire Armed Forces." Paragraph 10 also provided that:<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Wehrgesetz. Vom 23. März 1921 |trans-title=Defense Act. From 23 March 1921 (''full text in German'') |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/1921/wehrgesetz.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=documentArchiv.de}}</ref>

[1] An Army Board ({{Lang|de|Kammer}} ) and a Navy Board, whose members are elected by secret ballot, are to be established at the Reichswehr Ministry as advisory and expert bodies. [2] The Army and Navy Boards are directly subordinate to the defence minister.

In § 12, the war ministries of [[Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria)|Bavaria]], Saxony and [[Ministry of War of Württemberg|Württemberg]] were dissolved, and command authority was concentrated in the hand of the defence minister.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Wehrgesetz. Vom 23. März 1921 |trans-title=Defense Act. From 23 March 1921 (''full text in German'') |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/1921/wehrgesetz.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=documentArchiv.de}}</ref>

A Minister's Office (''Ministeramt''), which served as a top military authority between the minister and the army and navy leadership, was set up on 1 March 1929.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Militärwesen im Deutschen Reich 1919–1932 |trans-title=Military System in the German Reich 1919–1932 |url=https://weimar.bundesarchiv.de/WEIMAR/DE/Content/Virtuelle-Ausstellungen/Die-besiegte-Nation/das-deutsche-militaerwesen-4-deutsches-reich-1919-1932.html |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=100 Jahre Weimarer Republik |language=de}}</ref>


=== Under the Third Reich ===
⚫
==History==
Just over two years after [[Adolf Hitler]] and the [[Nazi Party]] rose to power, the Proclamation of Military Sovereignty ({{Lang|de|Verkündung der Wehrhoheit}} ) of 16 March 1935 created a new ''[[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe]]'' (OKL) under the [[Air Ministry (Germany)|Air Ministry]] and turned the ''Heeresleitung'' into the ''[[Oberkommando des Heeres]]'' (OKH) and the ''Marineleitung'' into the ''[[Oberkommando der Marine]]'' (OKM). The Minister's Office was renamed the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' Office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Nazi Party: Military Organization of the Third Reich |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/military-organization-of-the-third-reich |access-date=5 July 2024 |website=Jewish Virtual Library}}</ref> The Defence Act ({{Lang|de|Wehrgesetz}} ) of 21 May 1935 made the ''Führer'' and chancellor (Hitler) supreme commander of the ''Wehrmacht''. Under him, the renamed minister of war ({{Lang|de|Reichskriegsminister}} ) became commander-in-chief of the ''Wehrmacht'' (§ 3).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wehrgesetz. Vom 21. Mai 1935 |trans-title=Defence Law. From 21 May 1935 |url=https://de.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Wehrgesetz._Vom_21._Mai_1935 |access-date=5 July 2024 |website=Wikisource (German) |language=de}}</ref>
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 [[President of Germany (1919–1945)|''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 [[Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria)|Bavaria]], Saxony, [[Ministry of War of Württemberg|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]].


As a result of the [[Blomberg–Fritsch affair]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scriba |first=Arnulf |date=14 September 2014 |title=Die Fritsch-Blomberg-Affäre |url=https://www.dhm.de/lemo/kapitel/ns-regime/innenpolitik/fritsch-blomberg-affaere.html |access-date=5 July 2024 |website=Deutsches Historisches Museum |language=de}}</ref> Hitler took over as commander-in-chief of the ''Wehrmacht'' by decree on 4 February 1938. Under the same decree, the functions of the Ministry of War were taken over by the High Command of the Wehrmacht ([[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|''Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'']], OKW). The Ministry of War ceased to exist at that point.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 2019 |title=Digitalisierte Bestände der Abteilung Militärarchiv: Bestand Reichswehrministerium / Reichskriegsministerium |trans-title=Digitised Holdings of the Military Archives Department: Reichswehr Ministry / Reich War Ministry Holdings |url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/DE/Content/Artikel/Ueber-uns/Aus-unserer-Arbeit/Textsammlung-digitalisierte-Bestaende-MA/digitalisierte-bestaende-ma.html?chapterId=60394 |access-date=5 July 2024 |website=Das Bundesarchiv |language=de}}</ref>
The "''Verkündung der Wehrhoheit''" (proclamation of military sovereignty) of 1935 created a new ''[[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe]]'' (OKL), under the [[Air Ministry (Germany)|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==
==Lists of officials==
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Revision as of 12:37, 15 July 2024

Ministry of the Reichswehr
Reichswehrministerium (German)

Entrance to the Bendlerblock.
Ministry overview
FormedOctober 1919 (1919-10)
Dissolved4 February 1938 (1938-02-04)
JurisdictionGovernment of Weimar Republic
Government of Nazi Germany
HeadquartersBendlerblock, Berlin
Minister responsible
  • Defence minister

The Ministry of the Reichswehr (German: Reichswehrministerium ) was the defence ministry of the Weimar Republic and the early Third Reich. Based in the Bendlerblock building in Berlin, it was established in October 1919 under the leadership of a defence minister and staffed mostly from the existing Prussian Ministry of War. Its longest serving Weimar era ministers were the civilian Otto Gessler (almost 8 years) and the former general Wilhelm Groener (4 years).

Under the Nazi government, the Ministry of the Reichswehr was renamed the Reich Ministry of War. It was led by Minister of War General Werner von Blomberg, who had also been the last defence minister. The Ministry was abolished in 1938 and replaced with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command) under the direct command of Adolf Hitler.

History

Formation

On 6 March 1919, the Weimar National Assembly – Germany's post-war interim parliament, which was tasked with passing necessary laws while it drafted a constitution for the Republic – enacted the Law on the Formation of a Provisional National Defence Force (Gesetz über die Bildung einer vorläufigen Reichswehr ). It authorized the president of Germany to:[1]

disband the existing Army and to form a provisional Reichswehr, which will protect the Reich's borders, enforce the orders of the Reich government and maintain peace and order within the Reich until the new Armed Forces (Wehrmacht ), which is to be organized by Reich law, is created.

The position of defence minister was established early in 1919[2] and filled by Gustav Noske on 13 February.[3] On 20 August, President Friedrich Ebert ordered that the Reichswehr Ministry take over from the federal states' war ministries on 1 October,[4] although it was not until 8 November 1919 that the new ministry was officially opened. The heads of Army Command (Heeresleitung ) and the Admiralty – which became Navy Command (Marineleitung ) on 15 July 1920 – were subordinate to the defence minister.[2] The Ministry was for the most part made up of members from the states' war ministries, with the majority coming from the Prussian Ministry of War.[5]

The Prussian armed forces remained under the command of General Walther Reinhardt, the Prussian Minister of War, until the Ministry was disbanded on 30 September 1919.[6] Reinhardt sat on the first two cabinets of the Weimar Republic as a non-voting member until 30 September, as did Admiral Adolf von Trotha in a similar capacity for the Admiralty until 27 March 1920, when the Bauer cabinet resigned.[3]

As a covert replacement for the German Empire's General Staff (OHL), which had been banned by the Treaty of Versailles (Article 160), the Truppenamt was formed within the Reichswehr Ministry in October 1919. General Hans von Seeckt was its first head.[7]

The Reich law to create a new Armed Forces, which had been referred to in the 1919 Law on the Formation of a Provisional National Defence Force, was promulgated as the Defence Act (Wehrgesetz ) on 23 March 1921 by the Weimar Reichstag. It formally established the Reichswehr in compliance with the limits set in the Treaty of Versailles. In § 8 [2], it stated that: "the Reich President is the supreme commander of the entire Armed Forces. Under him, the Armed Forces minister exercises command over the entire Armed Forces." Paragraph 10 also provided that:[8]

[1] An Army Board (Kammer ) and a Navy Board, whose members are elected by secret ballot, are to be established at the Reichswehr Ministry as advisory and expert bodies. [2] The Army and Navy Boards are directly subordinate to the defence minister.

In § 12, the war ministries of Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg were dissolved, and command authority was concentrated in the hand of the defence minister.[8]

A Minister's Office (Ministeramt), which served as a top military authority between the minister and the army and navy leadership, was set up on 1 March 1929.[2]

Under the Third Reich

Just over two years after Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power, the Proclamation of Military Sovereignty (Verkündung der Wehrhoheit ) of 16 March 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 Minister's Office was renamed the Wehrmacht Office.[9] The Defence Act (Wehrgesetz ) of 21 May 1935 made the Führer and chancellor (Hitler) supreme commander of the Wehrmacht. Under him, the renamed minister of war (Reichskriegsminister ) became commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht (§ 3).[10]

As a result of the Blomberg–Fritsch affair,[11] Hitler took over as commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht by decree on 4 February 1938. Under the same decree, the functions of the Ministry of War were taken over by the High Command of the Wehrmacht (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, OKW). The Ministry of War ceased to exist at that point.[12]

Lists of officials

Defence Ministers

See also: List of German defence ministers
Flag of the Minister of Defence from 1933 to 1935
Flag for the minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht (23 June 1935 – 5 October 1935)
Minister of Defence
No. Portrait Minister Took office Left office Time in office Party Cabinet
1
Gustav Noske
Noske, GustavGustav Noske
(1868–1946)		13 February 191922 March 19201 year, 38 daysSPDScheidemann
Bauer
2
Otto Gessler
Gessler, OttoOtto Gessler
(1875–1955)		27 March 192019 January 19287 years, 298 daysDDPMüller I
Fehrenbach
Wirth I − II
Cuno
Stresemann I − II
Marx I − II
Luther I − II
Marx III − IV
3
Wilhelm Groener
Groener, WilhelmWilhelm Groener
(1867–1939)		19 January 192830 May 19324 years, 132 daysIndependentMarx IV
Müller II
Brüning I − II
4
Kurt von Schleicher
Schleicher, KurtKurt von Schleicher
(1882–1934)		1 June 193228 January 1933243 daysIndependentvon Papen
von Schleicher
5
Werner von Blomberg
Blomberg, WernerWerner von Blomberg
(1878–1946)		29 January 193321 May 19352 years, 113 daysIndependentHitler
Minister of War
Flag for the minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht
No. Portrait Minister Took office Left office Time in office Party Cabinet
1
Werner von Blomberg
Blomberg, WernerWerner von Blomberg
(1878–1946)		21 May 193527 January 19382 years, 251 daysIndependentHitler

Ministerial office heads

Heads of the Ministeramt (Chefs des Ministeramtes)
No. Portrait Chefs des Ministeramtes Took office Left office Time in office
1
Kurt von Schleicher
Schleicher, KurtGeneral der Infanterie
Kurt von Schleicher
(1882–1934)		1 February 19291 June 19323 years, 121 days
2
Ferdinand von Bredow
Bredow, FerdinandGeneralmajor
Ferdinand von Bredow
(1884–1934)		1 June 193230 January 1933243 days
3
Walter von Reichenau
Reichenau, WalterOberst
Walter von Reichenau
(1884–1942)		1 February 19331 February 19341 year, 0 days
Heads of the Wehrmachtamt (Chefs des Wehrmachtamtes)
No. Portrait Chefs des Wehrmachtamtes Took office Left office Time in office
1
Walter von Reichenau
Reichenau, WalterGeneralmajor
Walter von Reichenau
(1884–1942)		1 February 193430 September 19351 year, 243 days
2
Wilhelm Keitel
Keitel, WilhelmGeneralmajor
Wilhelm Keitel
(1882–1946)		1 October 19354 February 19382 years, 127 days

Army heads

Heads of the Army Command (Chefs der Heeresleitung)
Flag of the Chef der Heeresleitung from 1925–1927.
Flag of the Chef der Heeresleitung from 1927–1933.
Flag of the Chef der Heeresleitung from 1927–1933.
No. Portrait Chefs der Heeresleitung Took office Left office Time in office
1
Walther Reinhardt
Reinhardt, WaltherGeneralmajor
Walther Reinhardt
(1872–1930)		13 September 191922 March 1920191 days
2
Hans von Seeckt
Seeckt, HansGeneraloberst
Hans von Seeckt
(1866–1936)		26 March 19209 October 19266 years, 197 days
3
Wilhelm Heye
Heye, WilhelmGeneraloberst
Wilhelm Heye
(1869–1947)		9 October 192631 October 19304 years, 22 days
4
Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord
Hammerstein-Equord, KurtGeneral der Infanterie
Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord
(1878–1943)		1 November 193031 January 19343 years, 91 days
5
Werner von Fritsch
Fritsch, WernerGeneral der Artillerie
Werner von Fritsch
(1880–1939)		1 February 19341 June 19351 year, 120 days
Commander-in-chief of the Army (Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres)
Flag of the Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres from 1935–1941.
No. Portrait Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres Took office Left office Time in office
1
Werner von Fritsch
Fritsch, WernerGeneraloberst
Werner von Fritsch
(1880–1939)		1 June 19354 February 19382 years, 248 days
Chief of the Admiralty (Chef der Admiralität)
No. Portrait Chefs der Admiralität Took office Left office Time in office
1
Adolf von Trotha
Trotha, AdolfVizeadmiral
Adolf von Trotha
(1868–1940)		26 March 191922 March 1920362 days
–
William Michaelis
Michaelis, WilliamKonteradmiral
William Michaelis
(1871–1948)
Acting		22 March 19201 September 1920163 days
2
Paul Behncke
Behncke, PaulVizeadmiral
Paul Behncke
(1869–1937)		1 September 192014 September 192013 days
Heads of the Naval Command (Chefs der Marineleitung)
No. Portrait Chefs der Marineleitung Took office Left office Time in office
1
Paul Behncke
Behncke, PaulVizeadmiral
Paul Behncke
(1869–1937)		14 September 19201 October 19244 years, 17 days
2
Hans Zenker
Zenker, HansVizeadmiral
Hans Zenker
(1870–1932)		1 October 192430 September 19283 years, 365 days
3
Erich Raeder
Raeder, ErichVizeadmiral
Erich Raeder
(1876–1960)		1 October 19281 June 19356 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
Erich Raeder
Raeder, ErichGroßadmiral
Erich Raeder
(1876–1960)		1 June 193530 January 19437 years, 243 days

References

  1. ^ "Gesetz über die Bildung einer vorläufigen Reichswehr. Vom 6. März 1919" [Law on the formation of a provisional national defence force. From 6. March 1919 (full text in German)]. documentArchiv.de. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Militärwesen im Deutschen Reich 1919–1932" [Military System in the German Reich 1919–1932]. 100 Jahre Weimarer Republik (in German). Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Das Kabinett Scheidemann (13. Februar – 20. Juni 1919)". Das Bundesarchiv (in German). Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Reichswehrministerium - Ministry of the Reichswehr". EHRI. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Reichswehrministerium" [Reichswehr Ministry]. Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  6. ^ Pöhlmann, Markus (10 March 2016). Daniel, Ute; Gatrell, Peter; Janz, Oliver; Jones, Heather; Keene, Jennifer; Kramer, Alan; Nasson, Bill (eds.). "Prussian War Ministry". 1914–1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Freie Universität Berlin. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Truppenamt (TA) im Reichswehrministerium" [Truppenamt (TA) in the Reichswehr Ministry]. Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Wehrgesetz. Vom 23. März 1921" [Defense Act. From 23 March 1921 (full text in German)]. documentArchiv.de. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  9. ^ "The Nazi Party: Military Organization of the Third Reich". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Wehrgesetz. Vom 21. Mai 1935" [Defence Law. From 21 May 1935]. Wikisource (German) (in German). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  11. ^ Scriba, Arnulf (14 September 2014). "Die Fritsch-Blomberg-Affäre". Deutsches Historisches Museum (in German). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Digitalisierte Bestände der Abteilung Militärarchiv: Bestand Reichswehrministerium / Reichskriegsministerium" [Digitised Holdings of the Military Archives Department: Reichswehr Ministry / Reich War Ministry Holdings]. Das Bundesarchiv (in German). 11 October 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
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