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The Ministry of National Defense (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
: ''Ministerium für Nationale Verteidigung - MfNV'') was the chief administrative arm of the East German
National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...
. The MND was modeled on the
Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. The headquarters of the Ministry was in
Strausberg Strausberg () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located 30 km east of Berlin. With a population of about 27,000 it is the largest town in the district of Märkisch-Oderland. History Strausberg was founded ''circa'' 1240, and in 1333 its firs ...
near
East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
. The
Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein The Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein, officially ''Wachregiment "Hugo Eberlein"'' and also known as ''NVA Wachregiment 2'', was a military unit which provided security to the East German Ministry of National Defence. It was formed in 1956 as the ''Wa ...
provided security and guard services to the Ministry. The Ministry also had its own publishing house, .


Minister of Defence

The NVA was administered through the Ministry of National Defense, one of the principal branches of the national government. The ministers of National Defense were:


Hierarchy

The Minister of National Defence was assisted by a colloquium of deputy ministers who were also chiefs of certain key administrations within the ministry. In 1987 the deputy ministers and their assignments were as follows: * Chief of the
Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic The Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic (german: Grenztruppen der DDR) was the border guard of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1946 to 1990. The were the primary force guarding the Berlin Wall and the Inner German border ...
; * Chief of the
Volksmarine The ''Volksmarine'' (VM, ; en, People's Navy) was the naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The ''Volksmarine'' was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a coastal d ...
(People's Navy); * Chief of Technology and Weaponry; * Chief of the Main Political Administration (Kessler's former post); * Chief of the
Air Forces of the National People's Army The Air Forces of the National People's Army (german: Luftstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee; LSK) was the Air Force of East Germany. As with the , the , and the Border Troops, it was a military branch of the National People's Army (NVA). ...
* Chief of the
Land Forces of the National People's Army The Land Forces of the National People's Army (german: Landstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee – LaSK), was the ground-based military branch of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) National People's Army (NPA). The Land Forces Command, loc ...
; The Land Forces Command, located at
Geltow Schwielowsee () is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Schwielowsee lake, through which the River Havel flows. The municipality was founded on December 31, 2002 in merge ...
was established on 1 December 1972 as a management body for the land forces. * Chief of the Main Staff and secretary of the National Defense Council; * Chief of
civil defense Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...
; and * Chief of
rear services Rear services were those agencies in Warsaw Pact and Soviet style military forces concerned with military logistics and support. The Rear Services supplied the armed forces with ammunition, fuel, spare parts, food, clothing, and other material. They ...
.


History

On January 18, 1956, the People's Chamber (the national legislature) passed a bill creating the NVA and the Ministry of Defense from the
Chief Administration of Training Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...
of the
Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
. This act formally acknowledged the existence of East Germany's armed forces. The NVA incorporated the
Kasernierte Volkspolizei The Kasernierte Volkspolizei ( en, Barracked People's Police) was the precursor to the National People's Army (NVA) in East Germany. Their original headquarters was in Adlershof locality in Berlin, and from 1954 in Strausberg in modern-day Bra ...
or KVP, Sea Police, and Air Police into a single armed force having three branches: ground, naval, and air. The Ministry of Defense was headed by Colonel General (Generaloberst)
Willi Stoph Wilhelm Stoph (9 July 1914 – 13 April 1999) was a German politician. He served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1964 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1989. He ...
, who was also minister of the interior. In 1987 Stoph was chairman of the
Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
and a member of the SED Politburo. General Hoffmann, who was listed as first deputy minister of defense, attended the Soviet General Staff Academy in the mid-1950s and replaced Stoph as defense minister in 1960. Hoffmann held the post until his death in 1985. Concurrent with the establishment of the NVA as a legal entity was a return to public manifestations of German military traditions, with the addition of socialist elements. The training regimen for recruits approximated that of the former Wehrmacht, as did drill and ceremonies. New uniforms, whose cut but not colour (stone grey) were far closer to those of German World War II forces than to Soviet models, were introduced. Only the helmet represented a radical departure from World War II, but here too the design differed from the Soviet model. The creation of the NVA addressed both internal and external security problems. Internally the physical appearance of the NVA spoke to the population in terms of their traditional German heritage and differentiated the NVA from the
Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...
. In theory at least, East German citizens could have pride in their own army. The swift creation of the NVA as a force of more than 120,000 officers and other ranks practicing Prussian-style drill was a dramatic gesture of nationalism that was impossible for the world to ignore. The creation of the Ministry of Defense and the NVA seemingly should have been a blow to the authority and prestige of the Ministry of the Interior. The bureaucratic impact of this action was mitigated by permitting Stoph to carry both portfolios for four years. In addition, police activities, both civil and secret, remained under the Ministry of the Interior, as did the Border Police. The Ministry of the Interior established its own Alert Units for the specific function of internal security. The Alert Units were militarily structured, fully motorized units with modern weapons and equipment. Garrisoned and trained in battalion-size units, they were capable of carrying out police tasks and other security functions. They have been used in major disturbances or in civil disasters affecting public order and safety. Differentiation between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior was still in progress in the 1960s. On issue in this process was the subordination of the Border Police. On September 15, 1961, by order of the National Defense Council, the entire Border Police was transferred to the NVA and redesignated the Border Troops of the NVA. Various explanations for this shift have been offered by different authorities. The official reason stressed improvement in the level of training through closer relationship with the NVA and provision for reinforcement of the Border Troops with other NVA assets. The actual reason probably had more to do with standardization within the Warsaw Pact since similar reorganizations occurred in roughly the same time period in all the non-Soviet Warsaw Pact armies.


Organization

The organization of the East German Ministry of Defense, which closely follows the pattern of the Soviet Ministry of Defense, comprises several administrations and departments, among which there appeared to be a certain amount of overlapping authority. The chiefs of the major administrations and commands concurrently served as deputies to the defense minister. In the mid-1980s, its complement of about 4,200 personnel had a military-to-civilian ratio of approximately three to one, in contrast to comparable Western ministries or departments that generally have a much higher proportion of civilian employees. Approximately 100 Soviet liaison officers also were assigned to the East German ministry. The Ministry of National Defense had the following subordinate executive bodies:


Headquarters

The Headquarters (german: Hauptstab), was led by the Chief of Staff (german: Chefs des Hauptstabes).


Land Forces Command

The Land Forces Command (german: Kommando Landstreitkräfte) was established on 1 December 1972 as a management body created for the land forces. The seat was in Wildpark-West. The
Friedrich Engels Guard Regiment The Friedrich Engels Guards Regiment (also known as NVA Guard Regiment 1) was a special guard unit of the Land Forces of the National People's Army. The regiment was named after Friedrich Engels, the German socialist that collaborated with Karl M ...
provide security and guard services for the Land Forces Command headquarters.


Air Forces / Air Defense Command

The Air Force / Air Defense Command (german: Kommando Luftstreitkräfte&Luftverteidigung) (LSK / LV) was created in 1956 for government air force and air defense. A year later, the administrations for the joint command LSK / LV-based Eggersdorf was established. It was led by the Chief of the Air Force Command / Air Defense (german: Chefs des Kommandos Luftstreitkräfte/Luftverteidigung).


People's Navy Command

People's Navy Command (german: Kommando Volksmarine) was based in Rostock-Gehlsdorf emerged from the administration of the naval forces. It was created in spring 1957. Following the award of the title "Volksmarine (People's Navy) on 3 November 1960 and was later renamed the People's Navy Command. It was led by the Chief of the Naval Forces Command/Marine People (german: Chefs des Kommandos Seestreitkräfte/ Volksmarine ). , - align="center" , colspan=7, Commander of naval forces () , - align="center" , colspan=7, Chief of the Volksmarine ()


Command GDR border troops

After the subordination of the German Border Police (german: Deutschen Grenzpolizei) under the Ministry of National Defense on 15 September 1961, the units were designated as the NVA (Border Troops of the NVA). Once separated, the border troops of the army units were designated as the Border Troops of the GDR (german: Grenztruppen aus der DDR). The Command GDR border troops (german: Kommando Grenztruppen der DDR) was based in Pätz. It was led by the Chief of the GDR border troops command (german: Chefs des Kommandos Grenztruppen der DDR).


Civil Defense Headquarters

The Civil Defense Headquarters (german: Hauptverwaltung Zivilverteidigung), was led by the Head of the Civil Defense Headquarters (german: Chef der Hauptverwaltung Zivilverteidigung). The governing bodies still belonged to the Ministry Headquarters, the political headquarters and the areas of Bereiche Rückwärtige Dienste (Rear services) and Technik und Bewaffnung (equipment and armament).


Political Headquarters

The Political Headquarters (german: Politische Hauptverwaltung), was led by the Chief of the Political Administration (german: Chefs der Politischen Hauptverwaltung). * Generalmajor
Friedrich Dickel Friedrich Dickel (9 December 1913 – 23 October 1993) was a German politician, who served as the interior minister of East Germany for nearly twenty-six years. Early life Dickel was born on 9 December 1913 in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel in the Pru ...
, 1 March 1956 to 24 August 1956 * Oberst Gottfried Grünberg, 25 August 1956 to 27 November 1957 * Generalmajor
Rudolf Dölling Rudolf Dölling (4 November 1902 – 3 August 1975) was a politician in Czechoslovakia and in East Germany. He later trained for military service and was made a Major-General in the National People's Army of East Germany. At the end of August ...
, 28 November 1957 to 31 July 1959 * Vizeadmiral
Waldemar Verner Waldemar Verner (27 August 1914 in Chemnitz, Germany – 15 February 1982) was chief of the People's Navy (Volksmarine) of the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic and brother of Paul Verner. The son of a metalworker he traine ...
, 1 August 1959 to 31 December 1978 * Generaloberst
Heinz Keßler Heinz Keßler (26 January 1920 – 2 May 2017) was a German communist politician and military officer in East Germany. His career in the military started when he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, in WWII. Due ...
, 10 January 1979 to 2 December 1985 * Generaloberst Horst Brünner, 10 December 1985 to 31 December 1989


Technology and Armament Department

The Technology and Armament Department (german: Bereich Technik und Bewaffnung), was led by the Chief of the range equipment and armament (german: Chefs des Bereiches Technik und Bewaffnung). * Oberst
Erwin Freyer Erwin may refer to: People Given name * Erwin Chargaff (1905–2002), Austrian biochemist * Erwin Dold (1919–2012), German concentration camp commandant in World War 2 * Erwin Hauer (1926–2017), Austrian-born American sculptor * Egon Erwin Kisc ...
, 1 March 1956 to 1 May 1957 * Generalmajor Rudolf Menzel, 1 May 1957 to 14 October 1959 * Generalmajor
Friedrich Dickel Friedrich Dickel (9 December 1913 – 23 October 1993) was a German politician, who served as the interior minister of East Germany for nearly twenty-six years. Early life Dickel was born on 9 December 1913 in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel in the Pru ...
, 15 October 1959 to 14 November 1963 * Generalmajor Werner Fleißner, 1 February 1964 to 27 December 1985 * Generaloberst Joachim Goldbach, 1 February 1986 to 18 April 1990


Rear Area Services

The Rear Area Services (german: Bereich Rückwärtige Dienste), was led by the Chiefs of the area Rear Services (german: Chefs des Bereiches Rückwärtigen Dienste). * Generalmajor Walter Allenstein, 1 March 1956 to 15 September 1972 * Generalleutnant
Helmut Poppe Helmut is a German name. Variants include Hellmut, Helmuth, and Hellmuth. From Old High German, old German, the first element deriving from either ''heil'' ("healthy") or ''hiltja'' ("battle"), and the second from ''muot'' ("spirit, mind, mood"). ...
, 15 September 1972 to 26 July 1979 * Generalleutnant Joachim Goldbach, 16 October 1979 to 31 January 1986 * Generalleutnant
Manfred Grätz ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Gothic fiction. Byr ...
, 1 February 1986 to 31 December 1989 * Vizeadmiral
Hans Hofmann Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 – February 17, 1966) was a German-born American painter, renowned as both an artist and teacher. His career spanned two generations and two continents, and is considered to have both preceded and influenced Abstrac ...
, 1 January 1990 to 18 April 1990 The heads of the commands and the other governing bodies were usually also titled Deputy Minister of National Defense. The MfNV has concluded agreements with almost all other ministries of the so-called GDR secret agreements. This agreement marked the prominent position of the NVA. Content of these agreements was the preferred treatment of the army in the food issue, to entering and use of forests and open spaces in the GDR.


See also

*
List of German defence ministers The Federal Minister of Defence (german: Bundesminister der Verteidigung) is the head of the Federal Ministry of Defence and a member of the Federal Cabinet. According to Article 65a of the German Constitution (german: Grundgesetz), the Fede ...
*
Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein The Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein, officially ''Wachregiment "Hugo Eberlein"'' and also known as ''NVA Wachregiment 2'', was a military unit which provided security to the East German Ministry of National Defence. It was formed in 1956 as the ''Wa ...
provided security at the Ministry of National Defence *
Friedrich Engels Guard Regiment The Friedrich Engels Guards Regiment (also known as NVA Guard Regiment 1) was a special guard unit of the Land Forces of the National People's Army. The regiment was named after Friedrich Engels, the German socialist that collaborated with Karl M ...
provided security at the Kommando Landstreitkräfte/Land Forces Command


References

* Klaus Naumann (Hrsg.): NVA - Anspruch und Wirklichkeit. (NVA - and reality). Mittler, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 1996, . * Klaus Froh, Rüdiger Wenzke : Die Generale und Admirale der NVA. (The generals and admirals of the NVA). A Biographical Guide 4. Reprint. Ch. Links, Berlin 2000, * Bundesministerium für innerdeutsche Beziehungen (Hrsg.): DDR-Handbuch, Bd. (Federal Ministry for Intra-German Relations (ed.): DDR-Handbuch, 2nd Bd 3.Aufl. 3rd ed. Köln, 1985. Cologne, 1985. (S. 908) (P. 908) * Hans-Werner Deim, Hans-Georg Kampe, Joachim Kampe, Wolfgang Schubert - Sachbuch „ Die militärische Sicherheit der DDR im Kalten Krieg“, Projekt+Verlag "The military security of the GDR during the Cold War", Project + Verlag Dr.Erwin Meißler, Hönow 2008,


External links


NVA Forum
(in German)
Nationale Volksarmee & the GDR ForumAHF - Nationale Volksarmee (NVA)
{{authority control
National Defence National security, or national defence, is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as p ...
Military of East Germany Germany, East 1956 establishments in East Germany 1990 disestablishments in East Germany