Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz)
"W" symbol of the Wolven League
"W" symbol of the Regime Amry
Four squares symbol of the Regime Army
The Wehrmacht (Defense Force) also known as the German Armed Forces (the Wolven League in the German version of the original games [see Timeline], and the Regime in the German version of the New Order and the Old Blood) are the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to the present. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (War navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force presumably, by at least 1960, aerospace defense force), they were responsible, alongside with the Waffen-SS and the Fallschirmjäger paratrooper units, for the rapid expansion of the German Reich in 1939-1943.
The designation "Wehrmacht" replaced the previously used term Reichswehr and is the manifestation of the Nazi regime's efforts to rearm Germany to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted. Split in the three conventional branches of Heer (ground-based Army), Kriegsmarine (seagoing Navy and naval infantry units) and Luftwaffe (air force and presumably, by at least 1960, aerospace defense force), they were responsible, alongside with the Waffen-SS and the Fallschirmjäger paratrooper units, for the rapid expansion of the Greater German Reich in 1939-1943.
After the Nazi rise to power in 1933, one of Adolf Hitler's most overt and audacious moves was to establish the Wehrmacht, a modern offensively-capable armed force, fulfilling the Nazi régime's long-term goals of regaining lost territory as well as gaining new territory and dominating its neighbours. This required the reinstatement of conscription and massive investment and defense spending on the arms industry.
Although they were by far less motorized and modern than U.S. and Soviet militaries by the latter stage of the war, they managed to test and sometimes even deploy highly advanced and even groundbreaking technology. In the Wolfenstein timeline, the Reich made a gigantic leap forward around 1946 thanks to Deathshead, allowing them to end the War in triumph by 1948. While significantly less ideologically uniform than the dreaded SA and SS, the Wehrmacht nonetheless took part in most of the atrocities committed by the German government during the War.
History[]
The German term Wehrmacht generically describes any nation's armed forces, thus Britische Wehrmacht denotes "British Armed Forces."
The Frankfurt Constitution of 1848 (Paulskirchenverfassung) designated all German military forces as the German Wehrmacht, consisting of the Seemacht (sea force) and the Landmacht (land force).[14] In 1919, the term Wehrmacht also appears in Article 47 of the Weimar Constitution, establishing that: The Reich's President holds supreme command of all armed forces [i.e. the Wehrmacht] of the Reich ("Der Reichspräsident hat den Oberbefehl über die gesamte Wehrmacht des Reiches"). From 1919, Germany's national defense force was known as the Reichswehr, which name was dropped in favor of Wehrmacht on 16 March 1935. In modern day Germany the name Wehrmacht is considered a proper noun for the 1935–45 armed forces, and the term Streitkräfte means "armed forces"; however, this was not so even some decades after 1945. In English writing Wehrmacht is often used to refer specifically to the land forces (army); the correct German for this is Heer.
Games[]
Return to Castle Wolfenstein[]
Flag of the Wehrmacht
Censored flag of the Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht appears in RtCW in the Campaign and Multiplayer modes. They face William Joseph B.J. Blazkowicz in the Campaign, and against the U.S Army in the Multiplayer mode.
MachineGames Timeline[]
the Wehrmacht discovered a secret placement of Da'at Yichud where the German soldiers stole the secrets inside the placement. All the information was given to General Wilheim Strasse, where he could develop his advanced weapons for the German Reich at his fortified compound. Wehrmacht has enjoyed many victories, seizing the Suez Canal and repelling Operation Overlord being chief among them, and is undergoing a heavy reconstruction, with new, incredibly advanced weaponry being deployed and field-tested throughout Greater Germany. Furthermore, SS officers, historically ridiculed and often if not always less successful than their Wehrmacht counterparts, are arbitrarily put in charge of entire districts as the border between the Waffen-SS, the Party Paramilitary Wing, and the Wehrmacht, the national military, become more and more blurred. As the Soviet Union burns under the relentless advance of the German troops and the Caucasus falls, Rommel is mentioned pulling the unbelievable stunt of launching the ground invasion of the British Raj, striking at the Crown Jewel of the British Empire. Meanwhile, the Kriegsmarine won the Battle of the Atlantic, crippling the Western war effort, and reached the Pacific to give the U.S. and Royal Navies a sound beating. By 1948, the USSR has capitulated, with Stalin M.I.A. and the last resistance pockets retreating in Siberia, China has been occupied, India has presumably already fallen and Canada has been occupied entirely. The other Axis powers, including Finland, the Free State of Croatia, the Empire of Japan and the Kingdoms of Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary have been betrayed by Germany and invaded, as by 1960 Belica (Croatia) is under direct German occupation and Italy's been effectively annexed according to a 1949 newspaper. The Kreisau Circle's map of Europe further hints at this. Japan was allowed to remain independent, albeit under heavy German influence despite the unsuccessful assault at the Deathshead's compound, General Strasse continued to develop his researches until the Wehrmacht won World War II by the creation of the atomic bomb. Finally, on December 21st, 1948, Nazi Nuclear bomb, "Der Bestrafer", annihilated Manhattanin the U.S, thus ending World War II in total German victory. After the war, all armies of the world were absorbed by the military forces of the Third Reich and the Wehrmacht is now considered has the sole most powerful army of the history of mankind. All technologies developed inside the Deathshead's compound give the Wehrmacht more powerful each day until all soldiers are invincible. Despite all these, all the enemies (bar those in the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine) encountered in the New Order except Gen Strasse himself were all members of the SS.
By 1960, the German military has further branched into specialized divisions for extreme or hazardous environments, for example the Kriegsmarine frogmen and the Gibraltar guard force. Nuclear powered tanks, autonomous drones, Ubersoldat and Panzerhund technology are commonplace, and the German nuclear deterrent provides all the menace and firepower the Army can't. Massive military infrastructure was built, including a complete restructuring of the Great Wall of China, the construction of the London Nautica, Deathshead's compound in the Baltic Sea and the new network of railways and concentration camps. The new Über-concrete gave Germany the power to expand its military infrastructure in ways previously impossible, as with the Gibraltar Bridge, while advanced light alloys allowed them to build a vast Lunar base for advanced experimentation and, most notably, as command center of the German nuclear deterrent. As of the threat of a Moon-based nuclear arsenal wasn't enough, the Germans managed to complete the giagantic Sonnengeweher, a complex of orbital mirrors, controlled by a 2,5 kilometers long space station and capable of focusing sunlight and radiation into a massive beam capable of melting cities and evaporating oceans, at least according to the designers. Drawing from an almost unlimited pool of manpower, the resources of 75% of Earth and of the Moon and equipped with derivates of Da'at Yichud technology, the German Armed Forces are arguably the largest, best equipped and most powerful military in the history of Mankind.
It is hinted at during the Übercommander Albert Grosse assassination mission that the Wehrmacht is being forced to make cutbacks despite the fact they are the wealthiest civilization in history. This could mean that the efforts of The Kreisau Circle in Europe and The American Resistance in the United States of America as well as any other resistance movements around the world are having an effect on the effectiveness of the German Armed Forces and that continued attacks by the Allied Resistance could cripple the Wehrmacht and destroy the Nazi Empires ability to control the world.
Ranking System[]
Reichsmarschall[]
The Reichsmarshall or Reich Marshal is the highest rank in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. The only individual elevated to this rank was Hermann Göring, the leader of the Luftwaffe. The rank is immediately inferior to the Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht.
Generalfeldmarschall[]
The Generalfeldmarshall is the second highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Field Marshal or General Field Marshal.
Generaloberst[]
The Generaloberst is the third highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Colonel General.
General[]
The General is fourth highest rank in the Wehrmacht.
Generalleutnant[]
The Generalleutnant is the fifth highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of Lieutenant General.
Generalmajor[]
The Generalmajor is the sixth highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Major General. One famous Generalmajor was Klaus Klinger.
Oberst[]
The Oberst is the seventh highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Colonel.
Oberstleutnant[]
The Oberstleutnant is the eighth highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Lieutenant Colonel.
Major[]
The Major is the ninth highest rank in the Wehrmacht.
Hauptmann[]
The Hauptmann is the tenth highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Captain.
Oberleutnant[]
The Oberleutnant is the eleventh highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Lieutenant.
Leutnant[]
The Leutnant is the twelfth highest rank in the Wehrmacht. It is considered the equivalent of a Second Lieutenant.
Enemies[]
Wolfenstein 3D[]
Return to Castle Wolfenstein[]
Wolfenstein[]
Wolfenstein: The New Order[]
- Soldier
- Riot Guard
- Commander
- Deathshead's Commando
- Fire Trooper
- Rocket Trooper
- Space Marine
- Space Trooper
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood[]
Wolfenstein: The New Colossus[]
Wolfenstein: The Youngbloods[]
Weapons[]
Original Timeline[]
Equipment[]
- Knife (Wolf3D and RtCW variants)
- Grenade
- Mdl. 24 grenade
- Dynamite
- Flamethrower
- Tesla Gun (RtCW and Wolfenstien versions)
- Panzerfaust
- Panzerschreck
- Flakvierling 38
Pistols[]
Assault Rifles[]
Submachine Gun[]
- MP40 (RtCW and Wolfenstein versions)
Marksman Rifles[]
Heavy Machine Guns[]
- MG 42 (RtCW and Wolfenstein versions)
- Venom
- Leichenfaust 44
Vehicles[]
Machine Games Timeline[]
Equipment[]
Pistols[]
- Handgun 1946
- Handgun 1960
- Magnum Pistole
Assault Rifles[]
- Assault Rifle 1946 (And it's Variant)
- Assault Rifle 1960
- Marksman Rifle (Plasma Mode, Space Marine's only)
- Sturmgewehr
Submachine guns[]
Shotguns[]
Marksman rifles[]
Heavy machine guns[]
Vehicles[]
- Staff car
- Opel Blitz
- APC
- Assault Amphibious Vehicle
- Wolf-Tank
- Laderoboter
- Herr Faust
- Horten Ho 229
- Haunebu-V
- Project Whisper
- Ausmerzer
- Zeppelin
- Eva's Hammer
List of Appearances[]
- Castle Wolfenstein
- Beyond Castle Wolfenstein
- Wolfenstein 3D
- Spear of Destiny
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein
- Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
- Wolfenstein (2009)
- Wolfenstein RPG
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
- Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood