Wehrmacht
/ˈveːʁmaxt/feminine
The German phrase Wehrmacht refers to the German armed forces.
Wehrmacht is the formal term used to describe the German armed forces during the period from 1935 to 1945.
Meaning: German armed forces from 1935 to 1945 (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the prefix Wehr-, derived from Wehren meaning to defend or resist and the suffix -macht, which comes from Macht meaning power or force.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈveːʁmaxt/
Did you know?
- The word Wehr in Wehrmacht also appears in the modern German word Feuerwehr for 'fire brigade'. In both cases, it relates to the idea of defending or resisting a threat.
- Following World War II, the 'Myth of the Clean Wehrmacht' became a widespread but debunked belief that the regular army had not participated in war crimes.
- In modern Germany, the word Wehrmacht is never used to describe the current military, which is called the Bundeswehr. Using the term for today's army would be a grave political error.
Examples in context
- Die Wehrmacht spielte eine entscheidende Rolle in den militärischen Aktionen des Zweiten Weltkriegs.The Wehrmacht played a crucial role in the military actions of World War II.
- Die Wehrmacht war damals sehr mächtig.The Wehrmacht was very powerful back then.
- Das Museum zeigt Uniformen der Wehrmacht.The museum shows uniforms of the Wehrmacht.
- Er liest ein Buch über die Wehrmacht.He is reading a book about the Wehrmacht.
Example conversation
Julia and Julian are discussing a history documentary.
- JuliaHast du die Dokumentation über die Wehrmacht gesehen?Did you see the documentary about the Wehrmacht?
- JulianJa, ich habe sie gestern Abend geschaut.Yes, I watched it yesterday evening.
- JuliaWas war dein Eindruck von dem Film?What was your impression of the film?
- JulianIch fand die historischen Fakten sehr interessant.I found the historical facts very interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wehrmacht” translations and entries Wehrmacht, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
