DEMOBILISING THE WEHRMACHT

Dismantling the vast German war machine involved the disposition of prisoners, weapons and equipment during the months following the surrender

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On 5 June 1945, less than a month after the surrender of all German forces ended the Second World War, the Allied Control Council (ACC) was activated. The Nazi capitulation had been unconditional, and the instrument signed by the former warring parties specified that the German military was to cease operations and give up its arms and equipment without further resistance.

The ACC was the principal organisation charged with the administration of the occupation zones in Germany, each separately under the direct control of the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. Along with responsibilities for the repatriation of some displaced persons and the establishment of borders and procedures regarding interaction among the occupying troops, one of the most immediate tasks of the ACC was the demobilisation of the German military.