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The Replacement Army (German: Ersatzheer) was part of the Imperial German Army during World War I and part of the Wehrmacht during World War II. 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.[1]
Third Reich
editIt was formed in the various German military districts (Wehrkreise) and was tasked with the conscription, recruitment, training and replacement of personnel, testing of new military equipment, and administration such as responsibility for soldiers on home leave.[2]
The Ersatzheer contingency plans for Operation Valkyrie were deliberately misused as part of the unsuccessful 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, 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.[3] 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 personally took over control of the Replacement Army because of its potential to be used in another assassination attempt.[4]
Leadership
edit- Commanders
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General der Infanterie zur Verwendung Joachim von Stülpnagel (1880–1968) | 26 August 1939 | 31 August 1939 | 5 days |  German Army | |
| 2 | Generaloberst Friedrich Fromm (1888–1945) | 1 September 1939 | 20 July 1944 | 4 years, 323 days | German Army | |
| 3 | Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler (1900–1945) | 21 July 1944 | 29 April 1945 | 282 days |  Schutzstaffel |
![Joachim von Stülpnagel [de]](/https/en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:No_image.png)
- Chief of Staff
| No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Jüttner (1894–1965) | 21 July 1944 | 29 April 1945 | 282 days | Schutzstaffel |
References
edit- ^ Ph.D, David T. Zabecki (2014-10-28). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History [4 volumes]: 400 Years of Military History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598849813.
- ^ Balkoski, Joseph (2005). Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811732376.
- ^ Ziemke, Earl F.; Bauer, Magna E. (1985). Moscow To Stalingrad: Decision In The East. U.S. Army Center of Military History. ISBN 9780160019425.
- ^ Zaloga, Steven J. (2016-01-20). US Infantryman vs German Infantryman: European Theater of Operations 1944. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472801388.
- German Replacement Army (Ersatzheer) April 1944, Part 1. BiblioGov. 2013. ISBN 978-1-288-58410-9.
- German Replacement Army (Ersatzheer) April 1944, Part 2. BiblioGov. 2013. ISBN 978-1-288-58417-8.
External links
edit- "The German Replacement Army" (PDF). Combined Arms Research Library (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2015.