[CatoRenasci]

The relationship of the German Army (Heer) to the Nazis was rather more complicated. In the 1930s, most of the Army was happy enough to have Hitler in power, even if they rather disliked the Nazis and considered them their social inferiors. There were some senior officers who were very sympathetic to the Nazis, and some who detested them. Beck and von Fritsch in the later 30's come to mind as those who were strongly anti-Nazi. General von Fritsch, a former chief of staff, was so disgusted that he insisted on going to the very front lines during the Polish campaign in 1939 and, it is said, deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire as an honorable way of expiating his guilt at his early cooperation with the Nazis.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I believe both the German Army and the major industrialists of the time thought they could use Hitler, and found out it was the other way around. Hitler always felt the army was a potential rival, and detested the largely Prussian officer corps, a hangover from his lowly days as an Austrian coporal in the Bavarian Army.

To seal the Fuhrer's power the chief of staff of the army was eliminated in the mid to late thirties. I don't recall his name, but I think he was arrrested on bogus charges, which damaged the army's reputation, and also executed, which sent a signal to other generals. The Waffen SS, far from being a special forces unit, had complete armored divisions and was seen as a new German Army remade in the mold of the perfect Ayrian killing machine, absolutely ruthless and loyal to the regime to the end.