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26-1034: It served representative purposes and for surveillance of various landmarks in NVA East Berlin, including the City headquarters, the office of the Ministry of National Defense of the GDR in East Berlin, and the branch office of the Administration of MND Intelligence in Berlin-Köpenick . The regiment's headquarters was with the patrol commander of the town in Friedrich-Engels-Kaserne, Am Kupfergraben 1 stationed in Berlin. It had seven companies, most of which were made up of conscripts. Three companies were honor guard companies for

52-507: 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: The Headquarters ( German : Hauptstab ), was led by the Chief of Staff ( German : Chefs des Hauptstabes ). The Land Forces Command ( German : Kommando Landstreitkräfte )

78-594: The memorial on Unter den Linden (New Guard) and the Greater Changing of the Guard held every Wednesday and was always quite a spectacle. In addition, the honor companies as formations honor to welcome state guests from the GDR were used. Special duties by the regiment were also performed at the Great Tattoo, other guards of honor, honor companies at funerals of senior figures and wreath-laying ceremonies. The soldiers of

104-609: The Chief of the Political Administration ( German : Chefs der Politischen Hauptverwaltung ). 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 ). The Rear Area Services ( German : Bereich Rückwärtige Dienste ), was led by the Chiefs of the area Rear Services ( German : Chefs des Bereiches Rückwärtigen Dienste ). The heads of

130-489: The GDR. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Country Studies . Federal Research Division . Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (also called a ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs ) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy , public security and law enforcement . In some states,

156-776: 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 15 September 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

182-573: 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

208-514: 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

234-623: The People's Chamber (the national legislature) passed a bill creating the NVA and the Ministry of Defense from the Chief Administration of Training of the Ministry of the Interior . This act formally acknowledged the existence of East Germany's armed forces. The NVA incorporated the Kasernierte Volkspolizei or KVP, Sea Police, and Air Police into a single armed force having three branches: ground, naval, and air. The Ministry of Defense

260-525: 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 ( German : Kommando Volksmarine ) was based in Rostock-Gehlsdorf emerged from the administration of the naval forces. It was created in spring 1957. Following

286-545: 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 ). After the subordination of the German Border Police ( German : Deutschen Grenzpolizei ) under the Ministry of National Defense on 15 September 1961,

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312-408: 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

338-414: 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

364-514: The guard regiment "Friedrich Engels" were generally conscripts who served for 18 months. The presentation weapon was the SKS rifle - in the army under the name "S carabiner led". Each soldier of honor companies had two carbines, a training and a performance carbine. The honor guard at the Unter den Linden was equipped with their own rifles whose bolt and bayonet were chromed. The Regiment was dissolved along with

390-567: 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 . In theory at least, East German citizens could have pride in their own army. The swift creation of

416-535: 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. The organization of the East German Ministry of Defense, which closely follows

442-473: The military ceremony. The guard regiment was established in 1962 from parts of the Hugo Eberlein Guards Regiment but wasn't given the title "Friedrich Engels" until 1970. As only Allied troops could be stationed in Berlin due to the special status of the city, the regiment was formally subordinate to the garrison commander. The main tasks were the ceremonial presentation of the honor guard at

468-545: 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

494-742: The protocol service, the honor guard at the " Memorial to the Victims of Fascism and Militarism " in the Neue Wache and the Great Wachaufzug held weekly on Wednesday at 14:30 was the Guards Parade. Four companies were guard companies, one of which consisted of reservists. The guard regiment was formed by order No. 99/62 of the Minister of National Defense of the GDR. Its duties were guard duty, guard of honor, honor parade ( Ehrenparade ), and implementation of

520-400: The rest of the NVA in 1990. Its uniforms were nearly identical to those of those of National People's Army (NVA) and were distinguished primarily by the honorary cuffband ( Ärmelstreife ) on the left sleeve bearing the regiment's name. Ministry of National Defence (East Germany) The Ministry of National Defense ( German : Ministerium für Nationale Verteidigung – MfNV )

546-593: 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 ). The Civil Defense Headquarters ( German : Hauptverwaltung Zivilverteidigung ),

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572-405: Was administered through the Ministry of National Defense, one of the principal branches of the national government. The ministers of National Defense were: 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: On 18 January 1956

598-540: 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 provide security and guard services for the Land Forces Command headquarters. 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,

624-609: Was headed by Colonel General (Generaloberst) Willi Stoph , who was also minister of the interior. In 1987 Stoph was chairman of the Council of Ministers 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

650-587: 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). The Political Headquarters ( German : Politische Hauptverwaltung ), was led by

676-700: Was the chief administrative arm of the East German National People's Army . The MND was modeled on the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union . The headquarters of the Ministry was in Strausberg near East Berlin . The Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein provided security and guard services to the Ministry. The Ministry also had its own publishing house, Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic  [ de ] . The NVA

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