Reichswehr

Reichswehr, German term meaning “army of the state.” Set up by the German republic after World War I, it had 300,000 troops until the Treaty of Versailles reduced it to 100,000. During the Wiemar Republic (1919–33), the Reichswehr developed into a training program that enabled its ranks to swell and its combat efficiency to increase after Adolf Hitler came to power. In World War II, the Reichswehr made up the core of Hitler's army, which overran most of Europe.