The Replacement Army () was part of the

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

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and part of the

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

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

, 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 were deliberately misused as part of the unsuccessful 20 July plot to assassinate

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, arrest SS troops, and stage a military coup d'etat through the organization driven by the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Claus von Stauffenberg, 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 Replacement Army.

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

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 , archive-date=26 March 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326174254/http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/utils/getfile/collection/p4013coll8/id/2020/filename/2009.pdf , url-status=dead Military units and formations of the Wehrmacht Military units and formations of Germany in World War I