Wehrkreis

One of the principle reasons for the continued cohesion of the German Army was the very method by which units were raised, refitted, and rotated. Central to the raising and refitting of divisions stood the Wehrkreis system. The goal of the Wehrkreis system was to relieve field commanders from as much administrative work as possible while providing a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the field army. In this it succeeded to a great extent despite the system’s apparent complexity. By 1943 there were a total of 19 Wehrkreise in Germany and the occupied territories. Each army division conducted its recruiting, garrisoning, and training within its designated Wehrkreis so that a regional association was at the core of each division. All infantry divisions within a Wehrkreis constituted an active infantry corps which, in turn, had a corresponding designation with its Wehrkreis.