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German Command and Control

© Ralph Zuljan

One of the most important weaknesses inherent in the armed forces of the Third Reich lay in the peculiar military command structure that evolved during the course of the war. At its pinnacle from the beginning was Adolf Hitler as the Führer or "leader." This in fact was not inconsistent with the relationship of the political leadership and the armed forces found in any of the other great powers. However, the Byzantine organization that developed under Hitler's leadership created the complete lack of strategic direction that became a hallmark of Nazi militarism.

As early as 1938, the military command structure of the Third Reich diverged significantly from that of other great powers. It was in that year that Hitler issued a decree abolishing the Ministry of War and replaced it with a military command -- the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or High Command of the Armed Forces). Its Commander in Chief was Wilhelm Keitel and the Chief of Staff was Alfred Jodl. The OKW was nominally responsible for overseeing the individual military services and ensuring that the requirements of the political leadership were met. In essence, OKW was viewed by Hitler as a military staff responsible for issuing his commands to the individual services.

Each of the traditional services (the army, navy and from 1936 the air force) maintained its own high command throughout the period that the Third Reich existed. These were as follows: OKH (Oberkommando das Heers or High Command of the Army); OKM (Oberkommando das Kriegsmarine or High Command of the Navy); OKL (Oberkommando das Luftwaffe or High Command of the Air Force).

In the case of OKL, the commander in chief was nominally a political appointee as Hermann Göring was first and foremost a Nazi party official and only secondarily the Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe. Göring's interest in air power and his advocacy of an independent air force originated in his experience as a fighter pilot during the Great War and were instrumental in the formation of the Luftwaffe. Göring remained commander in chief from its inception in 1936 to its demise in 1945. For the most part, the Luftwaffe thrived because it had such a politically powerful patron as its leader.

Of course, like Hitler, Göring held numerous offices and had responsibilities that were far greater than those of the Comander in Chief of the OKL. In practice, Göring was uninvolved in the day to day operation of the Luftwaffe. The responsibility for actually commanding the Luftwaffe fell on Göring's deputy and the OKL Chief of Staff. These positions were occupied by career officers and the individuals concerned were generally considered to have done their jobs well.

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