What responsibilities did the Army High Command have on the Eastern Front?

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Wehrmacht German soldiers fighting in the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa, 1941.

The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH; Army High Command) functioned as the de facto theater command for the war on the Eastern Front following the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.1

While the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) managed military operations in western Europe and North Africa, the OKH was specifically responsible for running the war in the East. Initially headed by Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch, the OKH's leadership changed in December 1941 when Adolf Hitler forced his resignation and assumed personal command of the Russian front for the remainder of the war.21

This division of authority meant that the OKH operated as a rival entity to the OKW, with both commands reporting separately to Hitler.2