From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The German General Staff or 'Grosser Generalstab' was the most important German "weapon" for nearly two centuries.
Prussia was first among nations to create a separate standing unit dedicated entirely to the rational planning of all aspects of War. It was the work of the Prussian General staff which was one of the main factors responsible for the unification of all the independent German states and the creation of a German Empire under Prussian control in 1870. The Prussian General staff was also responsible for the defeat of the French army in that same year, to the surprise of so many military professionals around the world. With unification it became the German General Staff and began planning for the upcoming war with France.
When imperial Germany was defeated in 1918, the articles of peace specifically forbade the creation or recreation of the General Staff. Despite this, the German officer corps carefully set about planning the next war in a camouflaged general staff hidden within the "Truppenamt" ("troup office"), an innocuous looking human ressources bureau within the small army permitted by the peace accord and the Treaty of Versailles in particular.
When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 all he had to do was to follow the Truppenamt-General Staff plan to build up the German war machine. The General Staff advised Hitler that the German army would be fully modernised and ready in 1944-45 only. He could not accept this since he needed a much earlier war in order to avoid elections and the expected demise of the Nazi party at the polls.
History
Chiefs of the Prussian General Staff (1808 - 1871)
Chiefs of the German General Staff (1871 - 1919)
Chiefs of Troop Office (1919 - 1933)
Chiefs of the General Staff (1933 - 1945)
Readings
