Ministry of the Reichswehr

Ministry of the Reichswehr

Reichswehrministerium (German)
Entrance to the Bendlerblock.
Ministry overview
Formed	October 1919 (1919-10)
Dissolved	4 February 1938 (1938-02-04)
Jurisdiction	Government of Weimar Republic Government of Nazi Germany
Headquarters	Bendlerblock, Berlin
Minister responsible	Defence minister

The Ministry of the Reichswehr (German: Reichswehrministerium ) was the defence ministry of the Weimar Republic and the early Third Reich. Based in the Bendlerblock building in Berlin, it was established in October 1919 under the leadership of a defence minister and staffed mostly from the existing Prussian Ministry of War. Its longest serving Weimar era ministers were the civilian Otto Gessler (almost 8 years) and the former general Wilhelm Groener (4 years).

Under the Nazi government, the Ministry of the Reichswehr was renamed the Reich Ministry of War. It was led by Minister of War General Werner von Blomberg, who had also been the last defence minister. The Ministry was abolished in 1938 and replaced with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command) under the direct command of Adolf Hitler.