Exactly sixty years ago, on January 18, 1956, it was decided to create the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic (NNA GDR). Although March 1 was officially celebrated as the Day of the National People's Army, since it was on this day in 1956 that the first military units of the GDR were sworn in, in reality the history of the NPA can be counted precisely from January 18, when the People's Chamber of the GDR adopted the Law on the National People's Army of the GDR. Having existed for 34 years, until the unification of Germany in 1990, the National People's Army of the GDR went down in history as one of the most efficient armies in post-war Europe. Among the socialist countries, it was second after the Soviet Army in terms of training and was considered the most reliable among the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries.
Actually, the history of the National People's Army of the GDR began after West Germany began to form its own armed forces. The Soviet Union in the postwar years pursued a much more peaceful policy than its Western opponents. Therefore, for a long time, the USSR tried to comply with the agreements and was in no hurry to arm East Germany. As you know, according to the decision of the Conference of the Heads of Government of Great Britain, the USSR and the USA, which took place on July 17 - August 2, 1945 in Potsdam, Germany was prohibited from having its own armed forces. But after the end of World War II, relations between yesterday's allies - the USSR on the one hand, the United States and Great Britain on the other, began to deteriorate rapidly and soon turned into extremely tense. The capitalist countries and the socialist camp found themselves on the brink of armed confrontation, which in fact gave rise to the violation of the agreements that were reached in the process of the victory over Nazi Germany. By 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was created on the territory of the American, British and French zones of occupation, and the German Democratic Republic on the territory of the Soviet zone of occupation. The first to militarize "their" part of Germany - the FRG - were the Great Britain, the USA and France.
In 1954, the Paris Agreements were concluded, the secret part of which provided for the creation of its own armed forces by West Germany. Despite the protests of the West German population, which saw the growth of revanchist and militaristic sentiments in the reconstruction of the country's armed forces and feared a new war, on November 12, 1955, the FRG government announced the creation of the Bundeswehr. Thus began the history of the West German army and the history of the almost undisguised confrontation between the "two Germanies" in the field of defense and armaments. After the decision to create the Bundeswehr, the Soviet Union had no choice but to "give the green light" to the formation of its own army and the German Democratic Republic. The history of the National People's Army of the GDR has become a unique example of a strong military cooperation between the Russian and German armies, which in the past fought with each other rather than cooperated. Do not forget that the high combat capability of the NPA was explained by the entry into the GDR of Prussia and Saxony - the lands from which the bulk of the German officers had long originated. It turns out that it was the NNA, and not the Bundeswehr, who largely inherited the historical traditions of the German armies, but this experience was put at the service of military cooperation between the GDR and the Soviet Union.
Barracks People's Police - the predecessor of the NPA
It should be noted that in fact the creation of armed units, service in which was based on military discipline, began in the GDR even earlier. In 1950, the People's Police were created as part of the Ministry of the Interior of the GDR, as well as two main directorates - the Main Directorate of the Air Police and the Main Directorate of the Naval Police. In 1952, on the basis of the Main Directorate of Combat Training of the People's Police of the GDR, the Barracks People's Police were created, which was an analogue of the internal troops of the Soviet Union. Naturally, the KNP could not conduct hostilities against modern armies and was called upon to perform purely police functions - to fight sabotage and bandit groups, disperse riots, and maintain public order. This was confirmed by the decision of the 2nd party conference of the Socialist United Party of Germany. The Barracks People's Police were subordinate to the Minister of the Interior of the GDR, Willy Stof, and the chief of the KNP was directly in charge of the Barracks People's Police. Lieutenant General Heinz Hoffmann was appointed to this post. The personnel of the Barracks People's Police was recruited from among volunteers who entered into a contract for a period of at least three years. In May 1952, the Free German Youth Union took over the patronage of the Barracks People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR, which contributed to a more active influx of volunteers into the ranks of the barracks police and improved the state of the rear infrastructure of this service. In August 1952, the formerly independent Maritime People's Police and the Air People's Police became part of the Barracks People's Police of the GDR. The Air People's Police in September 1953 was reorganized into the Office of Aeroclubs of the KNP. She had two airfields Kamenz and Bautzen, training aircraft Yak-18 and Yak-11. The Maritime People's Police had patrol boats and small minesweepers.
In the summer of 1953, it was the Barracks People's Police, along with the Soviet troops, that played one of the main roles in suppressing the mass riots organized by the American-British agents. After that, the internal structure of the Barracks People's Police of the GDR was strengthened and its military component was strengthened. Further reorganization of the KNP continued on a military basis, in particular, the General Headquarters of the Barracks People's Police of the GDR was created, headed by Lieutenant General Vincenz Müller, a former general of the Wehrmacht. The Territorial Administration “North”, headed by Major General Hermann Rentsch, and the Territorial Administration “South”, headed by Major General Fritz Jone, were also created. Each territorial directorate was subordinate to three operational detachments, and a mechanized operational detachment was subordinate to the General Staff, armed with even 40 armored vehicles, including T-34 tanks. The operational detachments of the Barracks People's Police were reinforced motorized infantry battalions with up to 1,800 personnel. The structure of the operational detachment included: 1) the headquarters of the operational detachment; 2) a mechanized company on armored vehicles BA-64 and SM-1 and motorcycles (the same company was armed with armored water cannon SM-2); 3) three motorized infantry companies (on trucks); 4) a fire support company (a field artillery platoon with three ZIS-3 guns; an anti-tank artillery platoon with three 45 mm or 57 mm anti-tank guns; a mortar platoon with three 82 mm mortars); 5) headquarters company (communications platoon, sapper platoon, chemical platoon, reconnaissance platoon, transport platoon, supply platoon, command department, medical department). In the Barracks People's Police, military ranks were established and a military uniform was introduced, which differed from the uniform of the People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR (if the employees of the People's Police wore dark blue uniforms, then the employees of the barracks police received a more "militarized" uniform of a protective color). The military ranks in the Barracks People's Police were established as follows: 1) soldier, 2) corporal, 3) non-commissioned officer, 4) headquarters non-commissioned officer, 5) sergeant major, 6) chief sergeant major, 7) non-commissioned lieutenant, 8) lieutenant, 9) chief lieutenant, 10) captain, 11) major, 12) lieutenant colonel, 13) colonel, 14) major general, 15) lieutenant general. When the decision was made to create the National People's Army of the GDR, thousands of employees of the Barracks People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR expressed a desire to join the National People's Army and continue serving there. Moreover, in fact, it was within the Barracks People's Police that the "skeleton" of the NPA was created - land, air and naval units, and the command staff of the Barracks People's Police, including senior commanders, almost completely became part of the NPA. The employees who remained in the Barracks People's Police continued to carry out the functions of protecting public order, combating crime, that is, they retained the functionality of the internal troops.
The founding fathers of the GDR army
On March 1, 1956, the Ministry of National Defense of the GDR began its work. It was headed by Colonel General Willie Stoff (1914-1999), in 1952-1955. served as Minister of Internal Affairs. A communist with a pre-war experience, Willy Stof joined the German Communist Party at the age of 17. As an underground member, he, nevertheless, could not avoid serving in the Wehrmacht in 1935-1937. served in an artillery regiment. Then he was demobilized and worked as an engineer. During the Second World War, Willy Shtof was again called up for military service, took part in battles on the territory of the USSR, was wounded, and was awarded the Iron Cross for his valor. He went through the entire war and was taken prisoner in 1945. While in a Soviet prisoner of war camp, he underwent special training at an anti-fascist prisoner of war school. The Soviet command prepared future cadres from among the prisoners of war to take up administrative positions in the zone of Soviet occupation.
Willy Stoff, who had not previously held prominent positions in the German communist movement, made a dizzying career in the post-war years. After his release from captivity, he was appointed head of the industrial and construction department, then headed the Department of Economic Policy of the SED apparatus. In 1950-1952. Willy Stof served as Director of the Economic Department of the Council of Ministers of the GDR, and then was appointed Minister of the Interior of the GDR. Since 1950, he was also a member of the Central Committee of the SED - and this despite his young age - thirty-five years. In 1955, when he was the Minister of the Interior of the GDR, Willy Stof was promoted to the military rank of Colonel General. Taking into account the experience of leadership of the power ministry, in 1956 it was decided to appoint Willy Stof as Minister of National Defense of the German Democratic Republic. In 1959 he received the next military rank of General of the Army. From the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he moved to the Ministry of National Defense of the GDR and Lieutenant General Heinz Hoffmann, who served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs as head of the Barracks People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR.
Heinz Hoffmann (1910-1985) can be called the second "founding father" of the National People's Army of the GDR, besides Willy Stof. Coming from a working-class family, Hoffmann joined the German Communist Youth League at the age of sixteen, and at the age of twenty became a member of the German Communist Party. In 1935, the underground worker Heinz Hoffmann was forced to leave Germany and flee to the USSR. Here he was selected for education - first political at the International Leninist School in Moscow, and then military. From November 1936 to February 1837 Hoffman took special courses in Ryazan at the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. After completing the courses, he received the rank of lieutenant and on March 17, 1937, he was sent to Spain, where at that time the Civil War was going on between the Republicans and the Francoists. Lieutenant Hoffman was assigned to the position of instructor in the handling of Soviet weapons in the training battalion of the 11th International Brigade. On May 27, 1937, he was appointed military commissar of the Hans Beimler battalion in the same 11th International Brigade, and on July 7, took command of the battalion. The next day, Hoffmann was wounded in the face, and on July 24, in the legs and stomach. In June 1938, Hoffmann, who had previously been treated in hospitals in Barcelona, was taken out of Spain - first to France and then to the USSR. After the outbreak of the war, he worked as a translator in the prisoner of war camps, then became the chief political instructor at the Spaso-Zavod prisoner of war camp in the Kazakh SSR. April 1942 to April 1945 Hoffmann served as a political instructor and teacher at the Central Anti-Fascist School, and from April to December 1945 he was an instructor and then head of the 12th Party School of the German Communist Party in Skhodnya.
After returning in January 1946 to the territory of East Germany, Hoffmann worked in various positions in the apparatus of the SED. On July 1, 1949, with the rank of inspector general, he became vice-president of the German Directorate of the Interior, and from April 1950 to June 1952, Heinz Hoffmann served as head of the Main Combat Training Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR. On July 1, 1952, he was appointed Chief of the Barracks People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the country. For obvious reasons, Heinz Hoffmann was chosen when he was included in the leadership of the emerging Ministry of National Defense of the GDR in 1956. This was also facilitated by the fact that from December 1955 to November 1957. Hoffman completed a training course at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces. Returning home, on December 1, 1957, Hoffmann was appointed First Deputy Minister of National Defense of the GDR, and on March 1, 1958, he was also appointed Chief of the General Staff of the National People's Army of the GDR. Subsequently, on July 14, 1960, Colonel General Heinz Hoffmann replaced Willy Stof as Minister of National Defense of the GDR. General of the Army (since 1961) Heinz Hoffmann headed the military department of the German Democratic Republic until his death in 1985 - twenty-five years.
Chief of the General Staff of the NPA from 1967 to 1985. remained Colonel General (from 1985 - General of the Army) Heinz Kessler (born 1920). Coming from a family of communist workers, Kessler in his youth took part in the youth organization of the Communist Party of Germany, however, like the overwhelming majority of his peers, he did not avoid being drafted into the Wehrmacht. As an assistant machine gunner he was sent to the Eastern Front and on July 15, 1941 he defected to the side of the Red Army. In 1941-1945. Kessler was in Soviet captivity. At the end of 1941, he entered the courses of the Anti-Fascist School, then was engaged in propaganda activities among prisoners of war and wrote appeals to the soldiers of the active armies of the Wehrmacht. In 1943-1945. was a member of the National Committee "Free Germany". After being released from captivity and returning to Germany, Kessler in 1946, at the age of 26, became a member of the Central Committee of the SED and in 1946-1948. headed the organization of the Free German Youth in Berlin. In 1950, he was appointed head of the Main Directorate of the Air Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR with the rank of inspector general and remained in this post until 1952, when he was appointed head of the Air People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR (from 1953 - the head of the Aeroclub Directorate of the Barracks People's Police Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR). The rank of Major General Kessler was awarded in 1952 - with the appointment to the post of Chief of the Air People's Police. From September 1955 to August 1956, he studied at the Air Force Military Academy in Moscow. After completing his studies, Kessler returned to Germany and was on September 1, 1956.appointed Deputy Minister of National Defense of the GDR - Commander of the Air Force of the NVA. On October 1, 1959, he was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General. Kessler held this post for 11 years - until he was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the NPA. On December 3, 1985, after the unexpected death of General of the Army Karl-Heinz Hoffmann, Colonel General Heinz Kessler was appointed Minister of National Defense of the GDR and held this post until 1989. After the collapse of Germany, on September 16, 1993, a Berlin court sentenced Heinz Kessler to seven s half years in prison.
Under the leadership of Willy Stof, Heinz Hoffmann, other generals and officers, with the most active participation of the Soviet military command, the construction and development of the National People's Army of the GDR began, which quickly enough turned into the most combat-ready armed forces among the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries after the Soviet ones. Everyone who was involved in serving on the territory of Eastern Europe in the 1960s - 1980s noted a significantly higher level of training, and most importantly, the fighting spirit of the NPA servicemen in comparison with their colleagues from the armies of other socialist states. Although initially many officers and even generals of the Wehrmacht, who were the only military specialists in the country at that time, were involved in the National People's Army of the GDR, the officer corps of the NPA was still significantly different from the officer corps of the Bundeswehr. Former Nazi generals were not so numerous in its composition and, most importantly, were not in key positions. A system of military education was created, thanks to which it was quickly possible to train new officer cadres, up to 90% of whom came from workers and peasant families.
In the event of an armed confrontation between the "Soviet bloc" and Western countries, the National People's Army of the GDR was assigned an important and difficult task. It was the NPA that was to directly engage in hostilities with the formations of the Bundeswehr and, together with units of the Soviet Army, ensure the advance into the territory of West Germany. It is no coincidence that NATO viewed the NPA as one of the key and very dangerous adversaries. Hatred of the National People's Army of the GDR subsequently affected the attitude towards its former generals and officers already in the united Germany.
The most efficient army in Eastern Europe
The German Democratic Republic was divided into two military districts - the Southern Military District (MB-III), headquartered in Leipzig, and the Northern Military District (MB-V), headquartered in Neubrandenburg. In addition, the National People's Army of the GDR included one centrally subordinate artillery brigade. Each military district consisted of two motorized divisions, one armored division and one missile brigade. The motorized division of the NNA of the GDR included in its composition: 3 motorized regiments, 1 armored regiment, 1 artillery regiment, 1 anti-aircraft missile regiment, 1 missile department, 1 engineer battalion, 1 material support battalion, 1 sanitary battalion, 1 chemical defense battalion. The armored division included 3 armored regiments, 1 motorized regiment, 1 artillery regiment, 1 anti-aircraft missile regiment, 1 engineer battalion, 1 material support battalion, 1 chemical defense battalion, 1 sanitary battalion, 1 reconnaissance battalion, 1 missile department. The rocket brigade included 2-3 rocket departments, 1 engineering company, 1 material support company, 1 meteorological battery, 1 repair company. The artillery brigade consisted of 4 artillery divisions, 1 repair company and 1 material support company. The air force of the NNA included 2 air divisions, each of which consisted of 2-4 shock squadrons, 1 anti-aircraft missile brigade, 2 anti-aircraft missile regiments, 3-4 radio technical battalions.
The history of the GDR navy began in 1952, when units of the People's Maritime Police were created as part of the GDR Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 1956, the ships and personnel of the Maritime People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR entered the created National People's Army and until 1960 were called the Naval Forces of the GDR. Rear Admiral Felix Scheffler (1915-1986) became the first commander of the GDR Navy. A former merchant seaman, from 1937 he served in the Wehrmacht, but almost immediately, in 1941, was captured by the Soviet Union, where he remained until 1947. In captivity, he joined the Free Germany National Committee. After returning from captivity, he worked as secretary of the rector of the Karl Marx Higher Party School, then entered the service of the naval police, where he was appointed chief of staff of the Main Directorate of the Marine Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR. On October 1, 1952, he was promoted to Rear Admiral, from 1955 to 1956. served as commander of the Maritime People's Police. After the creation of the Ministry of National Defense of the GDR on March 1, 1956, he moved to the post of commander of the GDR Navy and held this post until December 31, 1956. Later he held a number of important posts in the naval command, was responsible for the combat training of personnel, then - for equipment and weapons, and retired in 1975 from the post of deputy fleet commander for logistics. As commander of the GDR Navy, Felix Schaeffler was replaced by Vice Admiral Waldemar Ferner (1914-1982), a former underground communist who left Nazi Germany in 1935, and after returning to the GDR headed the Main Directorate of the Naval Police. From 1952 to 1955 Ferner served as commander of the Maritime People's Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR, into which the Main Directorate of the Maritime Police was transformed. From January 1, 1957 to July 31, 1959, he commanded the GDR Navy, after which from 1959 to 1978. served as chief of the Main Political Directorate of the National People's Army of the GDR. In 1961, it was Waldemar Ferner who was the first in the GDR to be awarded the title of admiral - the highest rank of the country's naval forces. The longest serving commander of the People's Navy of the GDR (as the GDR Navy was called since 1960) was Rear Admiral (then Vice Admiral and Admiral) Wilhelm Eim (1918-2009). A former prisoner of war who sided with the USSR, Aim returned to post-war Germany and quickly made a party career. In 1950, he began service in the Main Directorate of the Naval Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the GDR - first as a liaison officer, and then as deputy chief of staff and head of the organizational department. In 1958-1959. Wilhelm Eim was in charge of the rear service of the GDR Navy. On August 1, 1959, he was appointed commander of the GDR Navy, but from 1961 to 1963. studied at the Naval Academy in the USSR. Upon his return from the Soviet Union, the acting commander Rear Admiral Heinz Norkirchen again gave way to Wilhelm Eim. Aim held the post of commander until 1987.
In 1960, a new name was adopted - the People's Navy. The GDR navy became the most combat-ready after the Soviet naval forces of the Warsaw Pact countries. They were created taking into account the complex Baltic hydrography - after all, the only sea to which the GDR had access was the Baltic Sea. The low suitability for operations of large ships led to the predominance of high-speed torpedo and missile boats, anti-submarine boats, small missile ships, anti-submarine and anti-mine ships, and landing ships in the GDR People's Navy. The GDR had a fairly strong naval aviation, equipped with aircraft and helicopters. The People's Navy was to solve, first of all, the tasks of defending the country's coast, fighting enemy submarines and mines, landing tactical assault forces, and supporting ground forces on the coast. The Volksmarine numbered approximately 16,000 troops. The GDR Navy was armed with 110 combat and 69 auxiliary ships and vessels, 24 naval aviation helicopters (16 Mi-8 and 8 Mi-14), 20 Su-17 fighter-bombers. The command of the GDR Navy was located in Rostock. The following structural units of the Navy were subordinate to him: 1) a flotilla in Peenemünde, 2) a flotilla in Rostock - Warnemünde, 3) a flotilla in Dransk, 4) a naval school. Karl Liebknecht in Stralsund, 5) naval school. Walter Steffens in Stralsund, 6) coastal missile regiment "Waldemar Werner" in Gelbenzand, 7) naval squadron of combat helicopters "Kurt Barthel" in Parov, 8) naval aviation squadron "Paul Viszorek" in Lag, 9) Vesol communication regiment "Johan" in Böhlendorf, 10) a communications and flight support battalion in Lage, 11) a number of other units and service units.
Until 1962, the National People's Army of the GDR was recruited by recruiting volunteers, the contract was concluded for a period of three years. Thus, for six years the NPA remained the only professional army among the armies of the socialist countries. It is noteworthy that conscription was introduced in the GDR five years later than in the capitalist FRG (where the army switched from contract to conscription in 1957). The number of the NPA was also inferior to the Bundeswehr - by 1990, 175,000 people served in the ranks of the NPA. The defense of the GDR was compensated by the presence on the country's territory of a huge contingent of Soviet troops - ZGV / GSVG (Western Group of Forces / Group of Soviet Forces in Germany). The training of the NPA officers was carried out at the Friedrich Engels Military Academy, the Wilhelm Pick Higher Military-Political School, and specialized military educational institutions of the combat arms. In the National People's Army of the GDR, an interesting system of military ranks was introduced, partly duplicating the old ranks of the Wehrmacht, but partly containing explicit borrowings from the system of military ranks of the Soviet Union. The hierarchy of military ranks in the GDR looked like this (the analogs of ranks in the Volksmarine - People's Navy are given in brackets): I. Generals (admirals): 1) Marshal of the GDR - the rank was never awarded in practice; 2) General of the Army (Admiral of the Fleet) - in the ground forces the rank was assigned to top officials, in the navy the rank was never awarded due to the small number of Volksmarine; 3) Colonel General (Admiral); 4) Lieutenant General (Vice Admiral); 5) Major General (Rear Admiral); II. Officers: 6) Colonel (Captain zur See); 7) Lieutenant Colonel (Fregaten Captain); 8) Major (Corvette Captain); 9) Captain (Lieutenant Commander); 10) Ober-lieutenant (Ober-lieutenant zur See); 11) Lieutenant (Lieutenant zur See); 12) Non-commissioned lieutenant (Non-commissioned lieutenant zur See); III. Fenrichs (similar to Russian ensigns): 13) Ober-staff-fenrich (Ober-staff-fenrich); 14) Shtabs-Fenrich (Shtabs-Fenrich); 15) Ober-Fenrich (Ober-Fenrich); 16) Fenrich (Fenrich); IV Sergeants: 17) Staff Feldwebel (Staff Obermeister); 18) Ober-Feldwebel (Ober-Meister); 19) Feldwebel (Meister); 20) Unter-Feldwebel (Obermat); 21) Non-commissioned officer (checkmate); V. Soldiers / sailors: 22) Chief corporal (Chief sailor); 23) Corporal (Ober-sailor); 24) Soldier (Sailor). Each branch of the army also had its own specific color in the edging of shoulder straps. For generals of all types of troops, it was scarlet, motorized infantry units were white, artillery, rocket troops and air defense units were brick, armored troops were pink, airborne troops were orange, signal troops were yellow, military construction troops were olive, engineering troops, chemical troops, topographic and road transport services - black, rear units, military justice and medicine - dark green; air force (aviation) - blue, air defense missile forces - light gray, navy - blue, border guard - green.
The sad fate of the NNA and its military personnel
The German Democratic Republic, with good reason, can be called the most loyal ally of the USSR in Eastern Europe. The National People's Army of the GDR remained the most efficient after the Soviet army of the Warsaw Pact countries until the end of the 1980s. Unfortunately, the fate of both the GDR and its armies did not develop well. East Germany ceased to exist as a result of the policy of "German unification" and the corresponding actions of the Soviet side. In fact, the GDR was simply ceded to the Federal Republic of Germany. The last Minister of National Defense of the GDR was Admiral Theodor Hoffmann (born 1935). He belongs to the new generation of officers of the GDR, who received military education in the military educational institutions of the republic. On May 12, 1952, Hoffmann joined the Maritime People's Police of the GDR as a sailor. In 1952-1955 he studied at the Officer School of the Maritime People's Police in Stralsund, after which he was assigned to the position of a combat training officer in the 7th flotilla of the GDR Navy, then served as a torpedo boat commander, studied at the Naval Academy in the USSR. After returning from the Soviet Union, he held a number of command positions at Volksmarine: deputy commander and chief of staff of the 6th flotilla, commander of the 6th flotilla, deputy chief of the naval staff for operational work, deputy naval commander and chief for combat training. 1985 to 1987 Rear Admiral Hoffmann served as Chief of Staff of the GDR Navy, and in 1987-1989. - Commander of the GDR Navy and Deputy Minister of Defense of the GDR. In 1987, Hoffmann was promoted to the military rank of Vice Admiral, in 1989, with the appointment of the Minister of National Defense of the GDR - Admiral. After the Ministry of National Defense of the GDR was abolished on April 18, 1990 and was replaced by the Ministry of Defense and Disarmament, headed by the democratic politician Rainer Eppelmann, Admiral Hoffmann served as Assistant Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the National People's Army of the GDR until September 1990 … After the dissolution of the NPA, he was dismissed from military service.
The Ministry of Defense and Disarmament was created after reforms began in the GDR, under pressure from the Soviet Union, where Mikhail Gorbachev had been in power for a long time, which also affected the military sphere. On March 18, 1990, the Minister of Defense and Disarmament was appointed - 47-year-old Rainer Eppelmann, a dissident and pastor in one of the evangelical parishes in Berlin, became him. In his youth, Eppelman served 8 months in prison for refusing to serve in the National People's Army of the GDR, then received a religious education and from 1975 to 1990. served as a pastor. In 1990, he became chairman of the Democratic Breakthrough Party and in this capacity was elected to the People's Chamber of the GDR and was also appointed Minister of Defense and Disarmament.
On October 3, 1990, a historic event took place - the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic were reunited. However, in fact, this was not a reunification, but simply the inclusion of the territories of the GDR in the FRG, with the destruction of the administrative system that existed in the socialist period and its own armed forces. The National People's Army of the GDR, despite the high level of training, was not included in the Bundeswehr. The FRG authorities feared that the generals and officers of the NPA retain communist sentiments, so it was decided to de facto disband the National People's Army of the GDR. Only privates and non-commissioned officers of conscript service were sent to serve in the Bundeswehr. Professional soldiers were much less fortunate. All generals, admirals, officers, fenrichs and non-commissioned officers of the regular staff were dismissed from military service. The total number of dismissed is 23,155 officers and 22,549 non-commissioned officers. Almost none of them managed to recover their service in the Bundeswehr, the overwhelming majority were simply dismissed - and military service did not count towards them either in military service, or even in civilian service. Only 2, 7% of officers and non-commissioned officers of the NPA were able to continue serving in the Bundeswehr (mainly, they were technical specialists capable of servicing Soviet equipment, which after the reunification of Germany went to the FRG), but they received ranks lower than those they wore in the National People's Army - Germany refused to recognize the military ranks of the NPA.
Veterans of the National People's Army of the GDR, left without pensions and without taking into account military service, were forced to look for low-paid and low-skilled jobs. The right-wing parties of the FRG also opposed their right to wear the military uniform of the National People's Army - the armed forces of a "totalitarian state", as the GDR is estimated in modern Germany. As for military equipment, the overwhelming majority was either disposed of or sold to third countries. Thus, combat boats and ships "Volksmarine" were sold to Indonesia and Poland, some were transferred to Latvia, Estonia, Tunisia, Malta, Guinea-Bissau. The reunification of Germany did not lead to its demilitarization. Until now, American troops are stationed on the territory of the FRG, and units of the Bundeswehr are now taking part in armed conflicts around the world - ostensibly as a peacekeeping force, but in reality - protecting the interests of the United States.
Currently, many former soldiers of the National People's Army of the GDR are part of public veteran organizations that protect the rights of former officers and non-commissioned officers of the NPA, as well as fight against discrediting and denigrating the history of the GDR and the National People's Army. In the spring of 2015, in honor of the seventieth anniversary of the Great Victory, over 100 generals, admirals and senior officers of the National People's Army of the GDR signed a letter - an appeal "Soldiers for Peace", in which they warned Western countries against the policy of escalating conflicts in the modern world and confrontation with Russia … “We do not need military agitation against Russia, but mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence. We do not need military dependence on the United States, but our own responsibility for peace,”the appeal says. The appeal was among the first to be signed by the last ministers of national defense of the GDR - General of the Army Heinz Kessler and Admiral Theodor Hoffmann.
