The Wehrmacht , lit. 'defence force') was the unified armed forces of Germany from 1870â1918 and 1935 to 1946. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe . The designation Wehrmacht for Nazi Germany's military replaced the previously used term, Reichswehr and constituted the Third Reichâs efforts to rearm their nation to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted.