View source for OB West

{{Short description|WW2 German military command on the Western Front}}
'''''Oberbefehlshaber West''''' ([[German language|German]]: [[initialism|initials]] '''''OB West''''') (German: "Commander-in-Chief [in the] West") was the overall commander of the ''[[Westheer]]'', the German armed forces on the [[Western Front (WWII)|Western Front]] during [[World War II]]. It was directly subordinate to the [[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht]] (the German armed forces High Command). The area under the command of the OB West varied as the war progressed. At its furthest extent, it reached the French Atlantic coast. By the [[end of World War II in Europe]], it was reduced to commanding troops in [[Bavaria]].

==Commanders==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| officeholder_title = Name
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showdefencebranch  = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S37772, Gerd v. Rundstedt.jpg
| military_rank     = ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]''
| officeholder      = [[Gerd von Rundstedt]]
| officeholder_sort = Rundstedt, Gerd
| born_year         = 1875
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 10 October 1940
| term_end          = 1 April 1941
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1940|10|10|1941|04|01}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1978-043-13, Erwin v. Witzleben.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Erwin von Witzleben]]
| officeholder_sort = Witzleben, Erwin
| born_year         = 1881
| died_year         = 1944
| term_start        = 1 May 1941
| term_end          = 15 March 1942
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1941|04|01|1942|03|15}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = (1)
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S37772, Gerd v. Rundstedt.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Gerd von Rundstedt]]
| officeholder_sort = Rundstedt, Gerd
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Officially reported as retiring due to age and ill-health.}}
| born_year         = 1875
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 15 March 1942
| term_end          = 2 July 1944
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1942|03|15|1944|07|02}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1973-139-14, Günther v. Kluge.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Günther von Kluge]]
| officeholder_sort = Kluge, Günther
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Committed suicide on 19 August 1944 after being recalled to Berlin.}}
| born_year         = 1882
| died_year         = 1944
| term_start        = 2 July 1944 
| term_end          = 17 August 1944
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1944|07|02|1944|08|17}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = –
| image             = Walther Model on the front.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Walter Model]]
| officeholder_sort = Model, Walter
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Temporary replacement, continued as commander of [[Army Group B]].}}
| born_year         = 1891
| died_year         = 1945
| term_start        = 17 August 1944
| term_end          = 3 September 1944
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1944|08|17|1944|09|03}}
| acting            = y
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = (1)
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S37772, Gerd v. Rundstedt.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Gerd von Rundstedt]]
| officeholder_sort = Rundstedt, Gerd
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Replaced after [[Battle of Remagen|Allies crossed the Rhine]].}}
| born_year         = 1875
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 3 September 1944
| term_end          = 11 March 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1944|09|03|1945|03|11}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R93434, Albert Kesselring.jpg
| military_rank     = ''Generalfeldmarschall''
| officeholder      = [[Albert Kesselring]]
| officeholder_sort = Kesselring, Albert
| born_year         = 1885
| died_year         = 1960
| term_start        = 11 March 1945
| term_end          = 22 April 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|03|11|1945|04|22}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

==Order of battle from June 1944 to January 1945==
{| class="wikitable"
|+OB West{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}
|-----
| colspan="3" align="center" | '''[[Army Group B]]'''|| '''[[5th Panzer Army|Panzer Group West]]'''
| colspan="2" align="center" | '''[[Army Group G]]''' 
| colspan="2" align="center" | '''[[Army Group H]]'''||   '''[[Army Group D]]'''
|-----
| [[7th Army (Wehrmacht)|Seventh Army]]                          
| [[15th Army (Wehrmacht)|Fifteenth Army]]           
|[[6th Panzer Army|Sixth SS Panzer Army]]
(Dec 1944-Jan 1945) 

| [[Fifth Panzer Army]]
| [[1st Army (Wehrmacht)|First Army]] 
| [[19th Army (Wehrmacht)|Nineteenth Army]] || [[1st Parachute Army]] || [[25th Army (Wehrmacht)|25th Army]]
|Structure of the OB West
|-----
| [[German LXXXIV Corps|LXXXIV Corps]]                 || [[German LXXXVIII Corps|LXXXVIII Corps]]|| [[I SS Panzer Corps]] ||[[I SS Panzer Corps]]||[[XII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XII Corps]]||[[LXII Corps]]||[[2nd Parachute Corps (Germany)|II Parachute Corps]]||[[XXX Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXX Corps]]
|
|-----
| [[2nd Parachute Corps (Germany)|II Parachute Corps]]     ||[[LXXXVIII Corps (Germany)|LXXXVIII Corps]]|| [[II SS Panzer Corps]]|| [[XLVII Panzer Corps]]||[[XXIV Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXIV Corps]]||[[LXXXV Corps]]||[[LXXXVI Corps]]||
|
|-----
| [[LIII Corps (Germany)|LIII Corps]]
(Dec 1944)     
|[[LXXXVI Corps (Germany)|LXXXVI Corps]]||[[LXVII Corps]]||[[II SS Panzer Corps]]||[[XXIV Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXIV Corps]] ||[[LXXXV Corps]]||[[LXXXVI Corps]]||
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
* [http://niehorster.org/011_germany/44-oob/44-06-01_neptune/__OB_WEST.htm Oberbefehlshaber West, German Army, 06.06.1944]{{More citations needed|date=April 2021}}

[[Category:German High Command during World War II]]