The brief episode of the Wehrmacht led to an immense military power display of the German Empire, resulting in overwhelming victories and catastrophic defeats, while also bearing shared responsibility for a criminal conduct of war, unprecedented in German history. The volume first provides an overview of the Wehrmacht in the Third Reich, its leadership principles, structure, equipment, training, and frontline experience. The second part reveals how the militarized community of the Germans changed under the pressure of total mobilization during World War II. The third part analyzes military operations from Blitzkrieg to the downfall of the Reich and the Wehrmacht. The outlook on how this difficult legacy is handled in the Federal Republic shows how deep the rupture in German military history has been.