The Replacement Army () was part of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and part of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It was based within Germany proper and included command and administrative units as well as training and guard troops. Its primary role was to provide replacements for the combat divisions of the regular army.

Third Reich

It was formed in the various German military districts ('' Wehrkreise'') and was tasked with the

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...

, recruitment, training and replacement of personnel, testing of new military equipment, and administration such as responsibility for soldiers on home leave. The ''Ersatzheer'' contingency plans for

Operation Valkyrie Operation Valkyrie (german: Unternehmen Walküre) was a German World War II emergency continuity of government operations plan issued to the Territorial Reserve Army of Germany to execute and implement in the event of a general breakdown in ci ...

were deliberately misused as part of the unsuccessful

20 July plot On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. The ...

to assassinate

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

, arrest SS troops, and stage a military coup d'etat through the organization driven by the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Claus Von Stauffenburg in early 1944. Its commander, '' Generaloberst'' Friedrich Fromm, had enough power to control the German state because his position controlled the army's procurement and production and the command of all army troops in Germany. Fromm had refused to cooperate in an earlier coup, Operation Spark, but the planners in 1944 still planned to use the Reserve Army.

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

personally took over control of the Replacement Army because of its potential to be used in another assassination attempt.

Leadership

;Commanders ;Chief of Staff

References

* *

External links

*{{cite web , work=Combined Arms Research Library , title=The German Replacement Army , url=http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/utils/getfile/collection/p4013coll8/id/2020/filename/2009.pdf , language=German , accessdate=5 February 2015 Military units and formations of the Wehrmacht Military units and formations of Germany in World War I