Okw

OKW

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) (English: "Supreme Command of the Armed Forces") was part of the command structure of the armed forces (Wehrmacht) of Nazi Germany during World War II. Created in 1938, the OKW had nominal oversight over the army, navy and Luftwaffe. Rivalry with the Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres or OKH) prevented the OKW from becoming a unified general staff. However it did coordinate operations among the three services. During the war the OKW, with Hitler in personal command, acquired more and more operational powers. By 1942 OKW had responsibility for all theaters except for the Eastern Front against the USSR. Hitler manipulated the bipolar system to keep ultimate decisions in his own hands.