Some Bund questions, help needed

[THATGUY]

This is a question, well really several questions, that I have wanted to know for a while.

1. If WW2 ended in 1945, and the Bundeswehr did not start up till 1949, what was the German military force present? Or was there no German military force?
2. For all the Wehrmacht soldiers who were not captured and laid down their arms once the truce was called in Europe, did they still report back to their units as if it was pre-May 1945? When were Wehrmacht units officially disbanded?
3. Can anyone show me what a 1949 Bundeswehr soldat would look like? Dress and combat uniforms and equipment? Did they still use Wehrmacht equipment?
4. Does anyone have an estimate of how many Wehrmacht soldiers went on to have careers in the Bundeswehr?

Thanks all, and if they are dumb quesitons, please forgive me. I have tried to learn about them for a while, but can get no where.

And if anyone can direct me to online documents, that would be great!

Sam

[Collectinsteve]

Hi Sam,

Very briefly and quite superficially...

Actually, the Bundeswehr did not exist until 1955, not 1949. You are getting confused about when the Bundesrepublik Deuschland (BRD) was formed, which was October 7, 1949. Between these two times Germany was fully occupied and therefore did not need a military force.

What it did have were various armed police (Polizei) and border guards (Bundesgrenzschutz) units. The BGS being the largest and definitely geared towards a military force more than just checking for passports and looking for people crossing the borders illegally. The BGS started in 1951, but there were Polizei (and other) armed units formed even before the BRD was official. However, these pre-BRD forces were strictly controlled by the Allied powers.

Many of the ranks of the Polizei and BGS were filled by Wehrmacht veterans. This isn't surprising since pretty much all males fit for such service in 1945 were in uniform then and most would still be of age to continue serving in the early 1950s. When the Bundeswehr was eventually formed a large portion of the BGS was transfered into the BW. Retired Wehrmacht personnel were brought back into uniform.

When the 3rd Reich collapsed all forms of government organizations, military and otherwise, were officially disbanded. Everything. The Allies assumed all responsibilities, and costs, for keeping civilian order. Over time those institutions which were compatible with a Democratic country were recreated and responsibilities handed back to the Germans. For example, military pensions, local law enforcement, railways, etc. Hitler Youth, for example, was not But the reconstituted organizations were built around either Allied rules or the BRD constitution.

The Bundeswehr was completely started fresh. In fact, the BW was not allowed to exist until there was a joint European security arrangement in place. The successful organization that came about was NATO. So not only did the forces get built back up from scratch, it also had to comply with foreign organizational and responsibility requirements. This is not to say that the new BW didn't borrow heavily from its military traditions, because it did. But the organizations themselves were definitely not the same as they were in 1945.

Hope that helps!

Steve

[Kreitzer]

Very well told Steve. Thank you.
Nice summary.

[Guardian 5]

Steve - Excellent summary!

Sam - Don't forget to check out the DDR forum to learn about the origin of the East German Army, an equally compelling and fascinating subject.

All the best - TJ

[Mike Yokum]

Very well told Steve. Thank you.
Nice summary.

Agreed!

[THATGUY]

Thank you CollectinSteve for that brief yet very informative reply. Greatly appreciated!