The Ministry for national defense (MfNV) was a Ministry of the GDR.

The Ministry for national defense was created by the "law over the creation of the national People's Army and the Ministry for national defense" from 18 January 1956. Those as "Kasernierte people police" designated units were transferred before now directly to the army. By assumption of these troops an immediate strength of over 100.000 soldiers was producible. At the 1. March 1956 all ranges of the NVA should be able to work. This day was committed starting from 1957 as a "day of the national People's Army". Starting from January 1962 in the GDR the military service was introduced.

The seat Ministry was in Strausberg with Berlin. For the guard of the there service objects there was the special awake regiment "Hugo Eberlein".

Minister of the defense since 1956 (GDR)

• 1956-1960: Willi Stoph
• 1960-1985: Heinz Hoffmann
• 1985-1989: Heinz Kessler
• 1989-1990: Theodor Hoffmann
• 1990-1990: Rainer Eppelmann - Ministers for disarmament and defense

Arrangement of the Ministry

The Ministry for national defense the following guidance organs were subordinate:

Command of ground forces

Boss command of ground forces

• Colonel general Horst Stechbarth 01 December 1972 until 31 December 1989
• Lieutenant general Horst Skerra 01 January 1990 until 14 September 1990
• Major general Hans Christian realms 15 September 1990 until 02 October 1990; the guidance assigns

Command of air forces/air defense

Boss of the command of air forces/air defense

• Major general Hans anger 01. March 1956 until 30 August 1956
• Major general Heinz Kessler 01 September 1956 to 14. March 1967
• Lieutenant general Herbert disk 15. March 1967 to 14. March 1972
• Major general Wolfgang Reinhold 15. March 1972 until 30 November 1989
• Lieutenant general Rolf Berger 01 December 1989 until 02 October 1990

Command People's Navy

Boss of the command of naval forces People's Navy

• Countering admiral Felix Scheffler 01. March 1956 until 31 December 1956; as a commander of naval forces
• Vice Admiral Waldemar Verner 01 January 1957 to 31 July 1959; as a commander of naval forces
• Countering admiral Wilhelm Ehm 01 August 1959 to 31 July 1961/25 February 1963 until 30 November 1987
• Countering admiral Heinz new churches 01 August 1961 until 24 February 1963; the guidance assigns
• Vice Admiral Theodor Hoffmann 01 December 1987 until 17 November 1989
• Vice Admiral Hendrik fount 11 December 1989 until 02 October 1990

Command border troops of the GDR

Boss of the command border troops of the GDR

• Colonel general Erich Peter 15 September 1961 to 31 July 1979
• Colonel general Klaus-Dieter tree garden 01 August 1979 until 31 December 1989
• Major general Dieter pond man 01 January 1990 until 30 September 1990

Head office civil defense

Boss of the head office civil defense

• Colonel general Fritz Peter 01 December 1976 until 30 April 1990

To the governing bodies in the Ministry belonged still the main staff, the political head office and the ranges rear services as well as technology and armament.

Main staff

Boss of the main staff

• Lieutenant general Vincenz Mueller 01. March 1956 to 01. March 1958
• Lieutenant general Heinz Hoffmann 01. March 1958 to 01 July 1960
• Major general Sigfrid Riedel 01. July 1960 to 15. March 1967
• Colonel general Heinz Kessler 15. March 1967 until 10 January 1979
• Lieutenant general Fritz Streletz 10 January 1979 until 31 December 1989
• Lieutenant general Manfred 01 January 1990 until 15 September 1990

Political head office

Boss of the political head office

• Major general Friedrich Dickel 01. March 1956 until 24 August 1956
• Colonel Gottfried green mountain 25 August 1956 until 27 November 1957
• Major general Rudolf 28 November 1957 to 31 July 1959
• Vice Admiral Waldemar Verner 01 August 1959 until 31 December 1978
• Colonel general Heinz Kessler 10 January 1979 until 03 December 1985
• Lieutenant general Horst 10 December 1985 until 31 December 1989

Range technology and armament

Boss of the range technology and armament

• Colonel Erwin Freyer 01. March 1956 to 01. May 1957
• Major general Rudolf Menzel 01. May 1957 until 14 October 1959
• Major general Friedrich Dickel 15 October 1959 until 14 November 1963
• Major general Werner Fleissner 01 February 1964 until 27 December 1985
• Lieutenant general Joachim gold brook 01 February 1986 until 18 April 1990

Range rear services

Boss of the range rear service

• Major general walter all stone 1. March 1956 until 15 September 1972
• Lieutenant general Helmut Poppe 15 September 1972 to 26 July 1979
• Lieutenant general Joachim gold brook 16 October 1979 until 31 January 1986
• Lieutenant general Manfred 1 February 1986 until 31 December 1989
• Vice Admiral Hans Hofmann 1 January 1990 until 18 April 1990

The bosses of the commands and the other governing bodies were deputies of the Minister for national defense usually at the same time.

The MfNV closed secret agreements so mentioned with nearly all other Ministries of the GDR. This agreement marked the emphasized position of the NVA. Contents of these agreements was the preferential treatment of the NVA with the food assignment, driving on and using forests and open spaces in the GDR.

Agreement between the Ministry for national defense and the Ministry for national education (MfV)

One of the consequence-fraughtest agreements is the " V e r e i n. b. A r u n the gzwischen Ministry for national defense and the Ministry for national education over co-operation with the socialist military education and advertisement of the pupils of the extended and general-forming poly-technical high schools and vocational schools as a soldier on time and career soldier.

The socialist military education is a firm component of the socialist education and education of our youth. In their constantly the foundation-stone for the fact must be put with the young people already promptly systematically and that they at the same time regard the service in the national People's Army as a honorable national obligation in relation to our socialist state and as a high point in their own life. The increase of the defense capability of the German Democratic Republic and the requirements, which the rapid development of military affairs places against a modern army, require a large number of specialist, a firm trunk of soldiers on time and career soldier. But young humans must be won, those, evolved, socially politically reliably active and physically efficient are, which possess a high general education and good vocational talents and which by exemplary performance of duties to our state proved their firm solidarity. In the national People's Army the process of the education and education of the youth are logically continued. ["…]1. The Ministry for national education has the task to secure that the teachers (in particular the students at the mechanisms for teacher formation) is enabled to connect instruction and the educating work closely with the socialist military education. ["…]"1

This agreement made the purposeful advertisement possible of East German pupils by its teachers. The teachers received an exact default from their responsible school advice at the advice of the city even over it how many pupils for which places were to be recruited.

"Conditions of the production of the military occupation new generation

Worth comrade district school advice!

In the following we present the demanded being and actual data to you too o.a. reference:

As plant we present in addition still another overview of the individual schools and classes to you. With socialist greeting, city school advice "2

To become affected some pupils so long in instruction and in the working groups, until these had decided to it, soldier. The school administrative board could announce then the fulfilment of the scheduled figures upward.

Notes: 1 city archives Plauen: Agreement between MfNV and MfV from 14 August 1963. Sign. A509. (probably copy to all school administrative boards).

2 city archives Plauen: Conditions of the production of the military new generation. vermutl. 1975 Sign. VA 19357.

See also

Federal Minister of Defense

Literature

• Klaus glad, Ruediger Wenzke: The generals and admirals of the NVA.Ein biographic manual. 4. Edition. CH. Left, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-86153-209-3

Articles in category "Ministry for national defense"

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