Wehrmacht: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date	March 16, 1935 - August 20, 1946
Areas Of Involvement	army
Related People	Adolf Hitler • Hermann Göring • Erwin Rommel • Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg • Gerd von Rundstedt • Wilhelm Keitel • Werner von Blomberg • Erich Raeder • Walther von Brauchitsch

Photos and Videos

Operation Barbarossa

Illustration of a German Wehrmacht infantryman from a static division in World War II, shown in green uniform and helmet, carrying a rifle, stick grenade, ammunition pouches, gas mask container, and shovel handle, with descriptive labels and a brief summary of static divisions' roles.

Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler walk past rows of uniformed guards holding rifles during a parade, with Nazi flags displayed on buildings in the background.

Illustration of a German SS Panzer Grenadier, labeled as a machine gunner, wearing a camouflage helmet and uniform, with an ammunition belt, MG42 machine gun, Walther P.38 handgun, and various field gear including a gas mask container, canteen, and tool kit.

Bismarck battleship

Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini

Organizational chart showing the German military chain of command in Western Europe on June 6, 1944, with Adolf Hitler at the top, followed by branches for navy, army, and air force leaders, and their respective subordinate commanders and divisions involved in the Normandy invasion.

Operation Barbarossa: Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union

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Topics

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Germany invades Poland, September 1, 1939, using 45 German divisions and aerial attack. By September 20, only Warsaw held out, but final surrender came on September 29.

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