[2] The NVA did not see significant combat but participated in the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, deployed military advisors to communist governments in other countries, and manned the Berlin Wall where they were responsible for numerous deaths. The military knowledge and combat experience of these veterans were indispensable in the NVA's early years, although by the 1960s most of these World War II veterans had retired. In the early 1970s the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG) high command assigned to the NVA the wartime mission of capturing West Berlin. The rest was destroyed. [5][6] Of the 82 highest command positions, ex-Wehrmacht officers held 61; however, very few of them had served in high ranks. It was equipped with a large number of modern weapons systems, most of Soviet origin, from which a small portion were given back to the Soviet Union in 1990. The uniform was worn with a field cap, service cap, or steel helmet; high black boots; and a leather belt with vertical web shoulder suspenders. The NVA operated as a professional volunteer army until 1962, when conscription was introduced. The NVA did not permit military personnel to wear Wehrmacht awards and decorations. Coveralls are also used by the lower ranks, especially armor and air force personnel. Die Liste der Generale und Admirale der NVA beinhaltet alle 377 Personen, die innerhalb der NVA die jeweils höchsten Dienstgradverhältnisse in den Landstreitkräften (LaSK), Luftstreitkräften (LSK) und der Volksmarine erreicht hatten. The field and service uniforms were normal attire for most day-to-day functions. Other Stasi officers wore a similar uniform, but without the cuff-band. One of these is devoted to the NVA, which had used part of the complex as a barracks. They were awarded to service personnel or specific units that participated in civil production projects or assisted during harvesting. Topics Sorted by Last Post However, fearing that other soldiers would be contaminated by pacifist ideas, the government took care to segregate the construction units from regular conscripts. MACV-SOG Living History Group and it aims to faithfully portray the units of MACV-SOG (Military Assistance & Command Vietnam Studies & Observation Group) in the period of 1964-1972 during the Vietnam conflict. Its facilities and equipment were handed over to the Bundeswehr. They were of a similar cut and made of a brownish-gray, called stone gray, cloth. A double-breasted jacket was optional for officers and warrant officers. The GDR introduced conscription in 1962. The majority of NATO officers rated the NVA the best military in the Warsaw Pact based on discipline, thoroughness of training, and the quality of officer leadership. Most facilities closed, and equipment was either sold or given to other countries. Like many of the armies of the other Warsaw Pact countries, NVA rank insignia followed the Soviet pattern in the arrangement of stars. Add To Cart. The former Nazi holiday complex at Prora, on the island of Rügen, contains a number of museum displays. The GDR had some seventy decorations for persons or groups it wished to recognize, and it bestowed them liberally. NVA Feldbluse ein Strich/kein Strich. High-ranking officers occasionally wore white uniforms (or white jackets), and staff officers were issued distinctive staff service uniforms. Geschichte Entstehung. The winter service uniform featured a tunic with four large buttoned-down patch pockets, a black waist belt, the service cap, breeches, shirt, tie, and pants belt; high boots were reserved for officers and NCOs. After the forced retirement of SED and state leader Erich Honecker and other conservatives from the ruling Politburo at the height of the crisis in October 1989, the new SED leadership ruled out using armed force against the protesters.[19]. Semi-dress/walking-out uniform (Ausgangsuniform While receiving only minimal pensions, few have been able to find jobs except as laborers or security guards. With the exceptions of the People's Navy, whose dark-blue uniforms were consistent with the styles of most navies around the world, and the Combat Groups of the Working Class (Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse), who wore their own olive-green fatigue uniforms, all NVA armed services, the Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment, the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic, and the Kasernierte Volkspolizei wore the same basic uniform. In winter, a greatcoat, scarf, and gloves were worn. [28], 24 modern MIG-29s became part of the Luftwaffe. Some, including the Order of Merit and the Star of People's Friendship, were awarded in three classes. Though the NVA featured a German appearance – including uniforms and ceremonies patterned after older German military traditions – its doctrine and structure showed the strong influence of the Soviet Armed Forces. A general officer rank was denoted by five-pointed silver stars mounted on a gold and silver braided shoulder cord set on a bright red base. The helmet had seen trials since 1943, but was not adopted by the Wehrmacht.[32]. A few were accompanied by substantial monetary premiums. The NVA reached 175,300 personnel at its peak in 1987. 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GDR authorities also had at their disposal the internal security troops of the Ministry of the Interior (the Kasernierte Volkspolizei) and the Ministry for State Security (the Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment) along with the 210,000 strong party auxiliary "Combat Groups of the Working Class" (Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse), who were available in times of war. off-duty and off-post). The situation changed when the border was sealed in August 1961, and five months later the government announced a mandatory service term of 18 months for men. Many former NVA officers feel bitter about their treatment after unification. Some, such as battle decorations, were specifically set aside for armed forces personnel, many awarded to soldiers and civilians alike, and others, although ordinarily civilian awards, can on occasion be earned by those on military duty. This new website has been necessary as my old platform provider decided to …, Copyright 2021 GermanDotMilitaria. There were a variety of uniforms worn according to the setting (work or social) and season (summer or winter). ... (NVA) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting. A long, heavy, belted greatcoat was also part of the winter uniform. The GDR's National Defense Council controlled the armed forces, but the mobile forces came under the Warsaw Pact Unified Command. [26] The MDSG was privatised in 1994. L. Baer (Selbstverlag), Eschborn, 1977. ", "The GDR in the Warsaw Pact" (28 October 2016), Deutschland Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt, East German army unit finds skills still in demand after reunification, Generals & Admirals who were awarded the Knight's Cross, Generals & Admirals who were awarded the German Cross, Verwendung und Weitergabe von Waffen, Geräten, Ausrüstungen, Munition und anderen militärischen Gegenständen der ehemaligen Nationalen Volksarmee (NVA), Coping with Surplus Weapons: A Priority for Conversion Research and Policy, Last of MiG-29s offered by Germany arrive in Poland, RFE/RL East German Subject Files: Armed Forces, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_People%27s_Army&oldid=999742583, Military units and formations established in 1956, Military units and formations disestablished in 1990, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Articles lacking in-text citations from May 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Library of Congress Country Studies, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 767 aircraft (helicopters, fixed wing aircraft), 24 of which were, 14,335 tons of fuel and cleaning materials, David Stone, 'Fighting for the Fatherland: The Story of the German Soldier from 1648 to the Present Day,' Conway, London, 2006. During its first year, about 27 percent of the NVA's officer corps had formerly served in the Wehrmacht. This formation culminated years of preparation during which former Wehrmacht officers and communist veterans of the Spanish Civil War helped organize and train paramilitary units of the People's Police. The NVA never took part in full-scale combat, although it participated in a support role in the suppression of the Prague Spring of 1968,[12] and NVA officers often served as combat advisers in Africa. The NVA was formed on 1 March 1956 to succeed the Kasernierte Volkspolizei (Barracked People's Police) and under the influence of the Soviet Army became of the Warsaw Pact militaries opposing NATO during the Cold War. [22], One of the few former NVA facilities to remain open was a base in Storkow near Berlin, which housed the NVA's camouflage and deception center. favorite this post Feb 4 From 1962, conscription was mandatory for all GDR males aged between 18 and 60 requiring an 18-month service, and it was the only Warsaw Pact military to offer non-combat roles to conscientious objectors, known as "construction soldiers" (Bausoldat). Former NVA officers are not permitted to append their NVA rank to their name as a professional title; no such prohibition applies to rank attained in the Wehrmacht or in the Waffen-SS during the Nazi era. With the restructuring of the Barracked Police (CIP) in 1952, khaki uniforms similar in shape and colour to those of the Soviet Army were introduced. FIREWOOD SALE! The NVA was organized into four branches: the Landstreitkräfte (Ground Forces), the Volksmarine (Navy), the Luftstreitkräfte (Air Force), and the Grenztruppen (Border Troops). Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment uniforms were nearly identical to those of the NVA and were distinguished primarily by the dark red MfS service color of its insignia and by an honorary cuff-band on the left sleeve bearing the regiment's name. Last seen assaulting an NVA bunker line, he was declared missing in action. A long, heavy, belted greatcoat was also part of the winter uniform. [13] Some of the first NVA advisors went to the Republic of the Congo in 1973. The GDR therefore became the only Warsaw Pact country to provide a non-combat alternative for conscientious objectors. The National People's Army (German: Nationale Volksarmee, pronounced [ˌnatÍ¡si̯oˈnaːlə ˈfɔlksʔaʁˌmeː] (listen), NVA, German: [ɛn faʊ̯ ˈʔaː] (listen)) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. Most uniforms (service, semi-dress, and parade) were stone grey, a brownish-grey colour that was conspicuously different from the grey-green of the People's Police. One of the most well-known was Larry Thorne, a Finnish veteran of the so-called Winter War against the Soviet Union during the prelude to World War II and a recipient of the Mannerheim Cross. Sitemap | (West Germany, in contrast, re-introduced universal military service in 1956.) $10. Generally, reconditioned articles of service uniforms (field, semi-dress, and padded winter uniforms) were dyed black and issued for all types of fatigue and maintenance details. During the 1980s at various times the NVA had advisors in Algeria, Angola, Ethiopia, Guinea, Iraq, Libya, Mozambique, South Yemen, and Syria. NVA administration was divided into the following commands: The first military units of the Central Training Administration (Hauptverwaltung Ausbildung â€“ HVA) were dressed in police blue. The NVA disbanded with the dissolution of the East German government in October 1990. The winter uniform also included a fur pile cap or a steel helmet, boots, knitted gray gloves, belt, and suspenders. The proportion of SED members in the officer corps rose steadily after the early 1960s, eventually reaching almost 95 percent. Political control of the armed forces took place through close integration with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), which vetted all officers. The NVA's motto, inscribed on its flag, read: "For the Protection of the Workers and Farmers' Power".[11]. The NVA went into a state of heightened combat readiness on several occasions, including the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia, and, for the last time, in late 1989 as protests swept through the GDR. Forester, Thomas M., The East German Army; Second in the Warsaw Pact, George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London, 1980. The MDSG employed 1,820 people who were primarily taken from the Bundeswehr. The NVA belonged to the Ministry of National Defence and commanded by the National Defense Council of East Germany, headquartered in Strausberg 30 kilometers (19 mi) east of East Berlin. In wartime, mobilization of the NVA's reserves would have nearly doubled its strength. Die NVA-Gründung 1956 war das Ergebnis einer Entwicklung, die am 10. One of the first measures taken after the reunification was a survey and securing of weapons and devices by former members of the NVA. Der Aufbau vollzog sich ab 1955 unter … Zustand: neuwertig. Officers in technical branches supervising fatigue details wore a laboratory-style smock. This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/. Hessen Antique is a company that offers antiques, historic items and World War II …