Reichswehr
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Reichswehr 
listen (în germană, Apărarea naţională) a constituit entitatea forţelor armate ale Germaniei între 1919 şi 1935, când a fost renumită Wehrmacht (în română, "Forţa de apărare").
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[modifică] Scurt istoric
[modifică] După primul război mondial
La sfârşitul primului război mondial, forţele militare ale Imperiului german fuseseră aproape dezintegrate, majoritatea foştilor soldaţi şi ofiţeri întorcându-se acasă individual sau în grupuri mici. Mulţi dintre ei s-au alăturat entităţii militare denumită Freikorps, o colecţie de unităţi paramilitare de voluntari care au devenit ulterior implicate în revoluţia germană, respectiv în ciocnirile de frontieră care au urmat între 1918 şi 1923.
Noua formată Republică de la Weimar avea nevoie de o forţă militară. La 6 martie 1919, guvernul Republicii a decretat existenţa entităţii militare, Vorläufige Reichswehr ("Apărarea naţională provizorie"), care consta din Vorläufige Reichsheer ("Armata naţională provizorie") şi Vorläufige Reichsmarine ("Marina naţională provizorie"). Circa 400,000 de oameni fuseseră înrolaţi în Reichsheer.
[modifică] Organizare
La 30 septembrie 1919, armata germană a fost reorganizată ca Übergangsheer ("Armata de tranziţie"). Această organizare provizorie a durat până la 1 ianuarie 1921, când titulatura Reichswehr a fost atribuită oficial, iar organizarea acesteia a fost determinată de limitele impuse de către Tratatul de la Versailles.
Conform limitărilor impuse de Tratatul de la Versailles, care stipula o armată de 100.000 de oameni, compoziţia Reichswehr era următoarea
- The Reichsheer, an army consisting of two group commands,
Tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft were forbidden.
- The Reichsmarine, a navy limited to a handful of ships. Submarines and aircraft were forbidden.
Despite the limitations on its size, their analysis of the loss of World War I, research and development, secret testing abroad (in cooperation with the Red Army) and planning for "better times" went on. As well, although forbidden to have a general staff, the army continued to conduct the typical functions of a general staff under the disguised name of Truppenamt, or "Troop Office". During this time, many of the future leaders of the Wehrmacht, for instance, Heinz Guderian, first formulated the ideas that they were to use so effectively a few years later.
The Reichswehr was never a friend of democracy but stayed loyal to the democratic German government. The apolitical character of the Reichswehr was emphasised, and this gave democracy the chance to develop without intervention from the military leadership. The biggest influence on the development of the Reichswehr was Hans von Seeckt (1866-1936), who served from 1920-1926 as Chef der Heeresleitung (literally "Chief of the Army Leadership").
Whilst the reduction of the peacetime strength of the German army from 780,000 (1913) to 100,000 actually enhanced the quality of the Reichswehr (only the best of the best would be permitted to join the army) the changing face of warfare meant that the smaller Rechswehr was largely helpless without mechanised and aerial support, no matter how much effort was put into modernising infantry tactics.
During 1933 and 1934, after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, the Reichswehr began a secret programme of expansion. With the Nazi takeover of power, there were suggestions by Ernst Rohm that the SA, the Nazi paramilitary force, take over the functions of the Reichswehr. This alarmed the leaders of the military, and to forestall the possibility of a coup, Hitler sided with the military and killed Rohm and his supporters in the Night of the Long Knives. The secret programme of expansion, finally became public with the formal announcement of the Wehrmacht in 1935.
[modifică] Referinţe
- Wheeler-Bennett, Sir John The Nemesis of Power: German Army in Politics, 1918-1945 New York: Palgrave Macmillan Publishing Company, 2005.
[modifică] Legături externe
- Axis History Factbook - Reichswehr
- Feldgrau's overview of the Reichswehr
- de The Archives of technical Manuals 1900-1945 (includes the Reichswehr-regulations)
