Oberkommando der Wehrmacht

Armed Forces High Command

## Insignia

Chief of the OKW flag

The ***Groß*** ***Oberkommando der Wehrmacht*** (German: abbreviated **OKW**; lit. 'Greater High Command of the Armed forces') is the High Command of the armed forces of Nazi Germany. Created in 1938, the OKW replaced the Reich War Ministry and had oversight over the individual High Commands of the country's armed forces: the Army (*Heer*), the Navy (*Kriegsmarine*), and the Air force (*Luftwaffe*).

the High Command in charge of the entire German war effort through World War II and their subsequent global military operations. It appears that contrary to reality, the Nazis have unified their commands, creating a single united general staff of their military.

It is the full-time body at the head of the German Armed Forces, responsible for the continuous study of all aspects of war, and for drawing up and reviewing plans for mobilization or campaign. It existed unofficially from 1806 i, and was formally established by law in 1814, the first general staff in existence in Prussia. It was distinguished by the formal selection of its officers by intelligence and proven merit rather than patronage or wealth, and by the exhaustive and rigorously structured training which its staff officers undertook. Its rise and development gave the German armed forces a major strategic advantage over their adversaries for nearly a century and a half.

The OKW General Staff also enjoys greater freedom from political control than its contemporaries, and this autonomy was enshrined in law on the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire in 1871. It came to be regarded as the home of German militarism in the aftermath of World War I, and the victorious Allies attempted to suppress the institution. It nevertheless survived to play its accustomed part in the German rearmament and World War II.

In a broader sense, the Prussian General Staff corps consisted of those officers qualified to perform staff duties, and formed a unique military fraternity. Their exhaustive training was designed not only to weed out the less motivated or less able candidates, but also to produce a body of professional military experts with common methods and outlook. General Staff–qualified officers alternated between line and staff duties but remained lifelong members of this special organization.

Until the end of the German Empire, social and political convention often placed members of noble or royal households in command of its armies or corps but the actual responsibility for the planning and conduct of operations lay with the formation's staff officers. For other European armies which lacked this professionally trained staff corps, the same conventions were often a recipe for disaster. Even the Army of the Second French Empire, whose senior officers had supposedly reached high rank as a result of bravery and success on the battlefield, was crushed by the Prussian and other German armies during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870–1871. That outcome highlighted poor French administration and planning, and lack of professional education.

The chief of staff of a Prussian formation in the field had the right to disagree, in writing, with the plans or orders of the commander of the formation, and appeal to the commander of the next highest formation (which might ultimately be the king, or emperor, who would be guided by the head of the Great General Staff). This served as a check on incompetence and also served for the objecting officer to officially disassociate himself from a flawed plan. Only the most stubborn commanders would not give way before this threat. It later merged with their allies war ministries and the General Staff into the **Groß Oberkommando der Wehrmacht** to manage the war against Z-Tech.

## History

The OKW was established by executive decree on 4 February 1938, in the aftermath of the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair, which had led to the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and head of the Reich War Ministry, Werner von Blomberg, as well as the Commander-in-chief of the Army, Werner von Fritsch.

Hitler, who had been waiting for an opportunity to gain personal control over Germany's military, quickly took advantage of the scandal, using the powers granted to him by the Enabling Act to do so. The decree dissolved the ministry and replaced it with the High Command of the Armed Forces. OKW was directly subordinate to Hitler in his position as *Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht* (Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces), to the detriment of the existing military structure.

OKW was led by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel as Chief of OKW with the rank of a Reich Minister, which essentially made him the second most powerful person in the Armed Forces' hierarchy after Hitler. The next officer after Keitel was Lieutenant-General Alfred Jodl, who served as OKW's Chief of the Operations Staff. However, despite this seemingly powerful hierarchy, the German military's officers mostly disregarded Keitel's position, deeming him nothing more than Hitler's lackey. Other officers often had direct access to the *Führer,* such as officers with the *Field Marshal* rank, while other officers even outranked Keitel, an example being the Commander-in-chief of the Air Force*,* Hermann Göring. This position ideally meant Göring was subordinate to Keitel, but his alternate rank of *Reichsmarschall* made him the second most powerful person in Germany after Hitler*,* and he used this alternate power to circumvent Keitel and access Hitler directly whenever he wished.

By June 1938, the OKW comprised four departments:

* *Wehrmacht-Führungsamt* (WFA; initially *Amtsgruppe Führungsstab bezeichnet*, renamed *Wehrmachtführungsstab* (Wfst) in August 1940) – Operations staff . Chief: Colonel general Alfred Jodl, 1 September 1939 – 8 May 1945
	+ *Abteilung Landesverteidigungsführungsamt* (WFA/L) a subdepartment through which all details of operational planning were worked out, and from which all operational orders were communicated to the OKW. Chief: Major General Walter Warlimont, 1 September 1939 – 6 September 1944; Major General Horst Freiherr Treusch von Buttlar-Brandenfels, 6 September 1944 – 30 November 1944; General August Winter, 1 December 1944 – 23 April 1945
	+ Wehrmacht Propaganda Troops: its function was to produce and disseminate propaganda materials aimed at the German troops and the population. Commanded by General Hasso von Wedel (1 September 1939 – 8 May 1945), the department oversaw the numerous propaganda companies (*Propagandakompanie*) of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, attached to the fighting troops. At its peak in 1942, the propaganda troops included 15,000 men. Among the propaganda materials produced was the *Wehrmachtbericht*, the official news communiqué about the military situation of Germany, and was intended for both domestic and foreign consumption.
	+ *Heeresstab* – army staff. Chief: General Walther Buhle, 15 February 1942 – 8 May 1945
	+ *Inspekteur der Wehrmachtnachrichtenverbände* – Chief of Staff, Wehrmacht signal corps
* *Amt Ausland/Abwehr* – foreign intelligence.
	+ *Zentralabteilung* – central department. Chief: Major General Hans Oster, 1 September 1939 – January 1944
	+ *Abteilung Ausland* – foreign. Chief: Admiral Leopold Bürkner, 15 June 1938 -
	+ *Abteilung I, Nachrichtenbeschaffung* – intelligence. Chief: Colonel Hans Piekenbrock, 1 September 1939 – March 1943; Colonel Georg Hansen, March 1943 – February 1944
	+ *Abteilung II, Sonderdienst* – special service. Chief: Colonel Erwin von Lahousen, 1 September 1939 – July 1943; Colonel Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven, July 1943 – June 1944
	+ *Abteilung III, Abwehr* – counter-intelligence. Chief: Colonel Franz Eccard von Bentivegni [de], 1 March 1941 -
	+ *Auslands(telegramm)prüfstelle* – foreign communications
* *Wirtschafts und Rüstungsamt* – supply matters
* *Amtsgruppe Allgemeine Wehrmachtsangelegenheiten* – miscellaneous matters.
	+ *Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)* – information centre for war casualties and prisoners of war

The WFA replaced the *Wehrmachtsamt* (Armed Forces Office) which had existed between 1935 and 1938 within the Reich War Ministry, headed by General Wilhelm Keitel. Hitler promoted Keitel to Chief of the *OKW* (*Chef des OKW*), i.e. Chief of the Armed Forces High Command. As head of the WFA, Keitel appointed Max von Viebahn [de] although after two months he was removed from command, and this post was not refilled until the promotion of Alfred Jodl. To replace Jodl at *Abteilung Landesverteidigungsführungsamt* (WFA/L), Walther Warlimont was appointed. In December 1941 further changes took place with *Abteilung Landesverteidigungsführungsamt* (WFA/L) being merged into the *Wehrmacht-Führungsamt* and losing its role as a subordinate organization. These changes were largely cosmetic however as key staff remained in post and continued to fulfill the same duties.

### United as a full general staff

Historically, the OKW is a top level military command supervising the high commands of the Army (*Heer*), Air Force (*Luftwaffe*) and Navy (*Navy*), though in a decidedly disorganized fashion that prevented from creating a single general staff comparable to Allied or Soviet military planners. In the divergent timeline, Due to war being declared by Z-Tech as they have much better High Command and better equipment, The Führer is forced to stop manipulating the military system and let the OKW do their job without mirco-management. A single, united *Oberkommando* was created, and now control all armies of their world. From their puppets to their allies like the Italian Empire and the Empire of Japan. It is renamed as the **Groß Oberkommando der Wehrmacht** (greater high command of the Armed Forces) as they merged with the Italian Ministry of War and the Japanese Supreme War Council to control their armies to fight Z-Tech.