Since the end of World War II, Germans have struggled with the legacy of the Wehrmacht-the unified armed forces mobilized by Adolf Hitler in 1935 to ensure the domination of the Third Reich in perpetuity. Now available for the first time in English, this meticulously researched yet accessible overview provides the most comprehensive analysis of the organization to date, illuminating its role in a complex, horrific era. Muller examines the Wehrmacht's leadership principles, organization, equipment, and training, as well as the front-line experiences of soldiers, airmen, Waffen SS, foreign legionnaires, and volunteers. He skillfully demonstrates how state-directed propaganda and terror influenced the extent to which the militarized Volksgemeinschaft (national community) was transformed under the pressure of total mobilization. Finally, he evaluates the army's conduct of the war, from blitzkrieg to the final surrender and charges of war crimes.

Introduction: current state of research -- The army in the Führer's totalitarian state -- The regime's armed forces -- Training and front experience -- The Wehrmacht and the Volksgemeinschaft -- The war of the factories -- Total war and the war of annihilation -- The Wehrmacht and operations -- Epilogue: the difficult legacy.