Shadow wrote:Greetings "ljadw" !!
I honestly don't know !!
On the 22nd June 1941 the Östliche Frontseite Heersgruppen reported to the OBdH (Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch) through his Chef GenStdH (Generaloberst Franz Halder) who, in turn, were answerable (theoretically) to the Chef OKW (Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel) who, in turn, was answerable to the Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht (Adolf Hitler).
So, as I understand it, on day of Operation Barbarossa the chain of command went something like this:
![:[]](./images/smilies/icon_study.gif "Study")
1. Armeeoberkommands reported to:
2. Heeresgruppen reported to:
3. O.K.H. reported to:
4. O.K.W. reported to:
5. Hitler !!
Or something like that -
Hm,The authority of the OKW is an old mythe (that never will die
),in fact the power of the OKW was very limited :it was the war ministry ,under an other name.
Head of the OKW was Hitler, who delegated the dayly running to Keitel (who,untill 1938) was the chief of cabinet of the minister of war .
The 4 main agencies of the OKW were :
Amt Ausland -Abwehre (the espionage and security services of the Wehrmacht):head Admiral Canaris
Wehrwirtschaft-und Ruestungsamt(agency for armament and war economy ):head General Thomas
Wehrmachtfuhrungsamt:head general Jodl
Algemeines Wehrmachtamt (central admilistration=ministry of war ):Head General Reinicke
The Abwehr lost the battle against the SS
Thomas lost almost all power to the benefit of Speer
Jodl:was NEVER something as chairman of the joint chiefs ;he had no authority on the operations on the Eastern front.
Because Keitel and Jodl had few things to do,they were always in Hitler's neighbourhood,in the hope they could increase their power,if they were in Berlinfar away from Fueherhauptquartier,they would lose influence .
Before Barbarossa,the only operation for the Wehrmachfuehrungsamt was Weseruebung (the attack on Danemark and Norway).
At the start of Barbarossa,there was a division :the East was for OKH (OKH theatre),the rest for OKW (OKW theatres),but AOK 20 in Finland (Dietl) continued to depend from OKW,because,initially,they were coming from Norway .
Of course,OKW tried tohave authority on army,navy and air force,but never,it succeeded .
The attempts from OKW already started before the war,under Blomberg,who was minister of war AND commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht,this was only a meaningless title ,but army,navy and air force joined their efforts to block these attempts .
Blomberg,who had Hitler's ear
,ceated the Abteilung Landesverteidigung (that was to be a combined staff,under a hidden name),Beck,army chief of staff,followed the principle'If you can't beat them,join them '(and sabotage them
) and his candidate ,Jodl,became chief of the Abteilung Landesverteidigung,with as mission to spy(Troyan Horse
),but ,when Jodl choose the side of Blomberg,there was open war with the Army staff:Beck was forbidding all members of the Army staff,to have any contact (even unofficially ) with the Abteilung Landesverteidigung ) .
