Reichswehr
|
Reichswehr Reich Defence |
|
|---|---|
.svg)
War Ensign of the Reichswehr
|
|
| Active | 1919–35 |
| Country |  Weimar Republic (1919–33) Nazi Germany (1933–35) |
| Allegiance |
Germany
|
| Branch | |
| Role | Armed forces of the Weimar Republic |
| Size | 115,000 (1921) |
| Garrison/HQ | Zossen, near Berlin |
| Colors | Black-Red-Gold |
| Engagements |
|
| Commanders | |
| Ceremonial chief |
Friedrich Ebert Paul von Hindenburg |
| Notable commanders |
Hans von Seeckt Werner von Fritsch |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |
Iron Cross |
The Reichswehr (English: Realm Defence) formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was united with the new Wehrmacht (Defence Force).
At the end of World War I, the forces of the German Empire had mostly split up, the men making their way home individually or in small groups. Many of them joined the Freikorps (Free Corps), a collection of volunteer paramilitary units that were involved in suppressing the German Revolution and border clashes between 1918 and 1923.
It was conceded that the newly formed Weimar Republic did need a military, so on 6 March 1919 a decree established the Vorläufige Reichswehr (Provisional National Defence), consisting of the Vorläufiges Reichsheer (Provisional National Army) and Vorläufige Reichsmarine (Provisional National Navy). The Vorläufige Reichswehr was made up of 43 brigades.
On 30 September 1919, the army was reorganised as the Übergangsheer (Transitional Army), and the force size was reduced to 20 brigades. About 400,000 men served in the armed forces. In May 1920 it was downsized to 200,000 men and restructured again, forming three cavalry divisions and seven infantry divisions. On 1 October 1920 the brigades were replaced by regiments and the manpower was now only 100,000 men as stipulated by the Treaty of Versailles. This lasted until 1 January 1921, when the Reichswehr was officially established according to the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles (Articles 159 to 213).
The Reichswehr was a unified organisation composed of the following (as was allowed by the Versailles Treaty):
General Command 1 at Berlin supervised 1st Division (Königsberg), 2nd Division (Stettin), 3rd Division (Berlin), and 4th Division (Dresden) as well as 1st and 2nd Cavalry Divisions (Frankfurt an der Oder and Breslau). General Command 2 at Kassel supervised 5, 6, 7 and 3rd Cavalry divisions (Stuttgart, Münster, Munich, and Weimar).
...
Wikipedia