Deist was a widely published author and a chief editor of the seminal series Germany and the Second World War from the MGFA.
He had a long career at the MGFA, where he succeeded Manfred Messerschmidt as chief historian and oversaw Germany and the Second World War.
[1] Under Deist's direction, the series continued to emphasise multi-disciplinary approach to the war, integrating political, societal and economic research, in addition to providing the classic operational history.
According to the historian and journalist Sven Felix Kellerhoff, the completed series shows that this goal has been met: of the 87 contributions, 44 are dealing with operations in a narrow sense, the others with their precursors and consequences.
In 2006, the association established the Wilhelm Deist Prize for Military History in his honour.