List of German defence ministers

This page lists German Defence Ministers.

See also:

• Minister of Defence (Germany)
• Lists of office-holders

For pre-1919 Prussian Ministers of War, see Prussian Minister of War.

Ministers of Defence, 1919-1935

• Gustav Noske 1919-1920
• Otto Geßler 1920-1928
• Wilhelm Groener 1928-1932
• Kurt von Schleicher 1932
• Ferdinand von Bredow (acting) 1932-1933
• Werner von Blomberg 1933-1935

Ministers of War, 1935-1938

• Werner von Blomberg 1935-1938

Chiefs of the OKW, 1938-1945

• Wilhelm Keitel 1938-1945

Ministers of Defence of the German Democratic Republic, 1956-1990

• Willi Stoph 1956-1960
• Heinz Hoffmann 1960-1985
• Heinz Kessler 1985-1989
• Theodor Hoffmann 1989-1990
• Rainer Eppelmann 1990

Ministers of Defence of the Federal Republic, 1955-present

• Theodor Blank 1955-1956
• Franz Josef Strauss 1956-1963
• Kai-Uwe von Hassel 1963-1966
• Gerhard Schröder 1966-1969
• Helmut Schmidt 1969-1972
• Georg Leber 1972-1978
• Hans Apel 1978-1982
• Manfred Wörner 1982-1988
• Rupert Scholz 1988-1989
• Gerhard Stoltenberg 1989-1992
• Volker Rühe 1992-1998
• Rudolf Scharping 1998-2002
• Peter Struck 2002-