Which Wehrmacht branch had the largest number of troops during World War II?

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

The Heer (army) was by far the largest branch of the Wehrmacht during World War II.1

By the end of the war, more than 17 million troops had served in the Wehrmacht, with the branches accounting for the following approximate totals:

Heer (Army): 13 million troops2
Luftwaffe (Air Force): 3 million troops2
Kriegsmarine (Navy): 1.5 million troops2

While the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) was designed to exercise command and control over these three branches, the army remained the dominant force in terms of personnel throughout the conflict.13